We are making a 12 hour trip to my grandparents in TX in 10 days. My girls are generally good travelers and we have made this trip once before with them both. Beth has gone once with my mom. I have ideas for games and toys, etc. But, if you have any that do not include electronics, I would love to hear them.

Also, snacks. DH hates for the girls to eat n the vehicles. But, it is going to make things much more peaceful if they do. So, any low-messy, low-sugar snack ideas?

We try not to eat in the van, too, as long as trips are short, but I think its unavoidable for LONG rides.

Will you have a cooler??? If so, cut up fruits (apples and such) and veggies would be good.

goldfish crackers
TLC crackers. We LOVE these.
graham crackers.
(Gee, I sound like a carb fiend and I'm really not)
fruit leather
finger sandwiches (peanut butter, cheese and turkey)
cheese chunks

Hope this helps a little.

And for drinks, we usually do bottled water so if it spills, its not a big deal :)

Usually when we go on road trips this is what I bring:
First off I wet a few rags and put those in plastic containers. I fill up a two quart pitcher with water too to refill straw cups.
Here is some stuff that we bring:
Trail mix
Popcorn
Crackers
Apples
Pbj sandwiches cut up

No matter what there are always messes but at least with the wet rags I can have them clean themselves up after they eat to avoid messy hands then when we stop at a rest stop I just brush the stuff out of the car and let the birds have it. :)

We always take dried fruit. It is sweet and chewy. mix it with nuts and it is almost a meal.

As for games:
road trip bingo I think you can print sheets out from the web or just make your own. Ya know, cross it off as you see it. Just play it for untill someone finds all on their sheet.

A my name is Anna my husbands name is Al we come from Atlanta and we sell apples
B my name is Brenda my...

Hand jives- this is a great time to teach them onn you got from the school yard.

Try to stop in small towns and find the park. Get a pic.

My mom would make us play strip poker! We loved it! Nothing like loosing!!

Would it be possible to travel at night? I know it isn’t safe if the driver isn’t well rested, but when my husband can get a few hours sleep the day before, we find traveling at night so the boys can sleep most of the way quite helpful.

Thanks for the great ideas. Traveling at night is a slim possibility. We will be towing a 37 ft travel trailer. I may talk with DH about getting up really really early - like 3 am and getting on the road then. It would be cooler also. We just have not had this rig long enough to be able to stop at a campground late into the night. We are not familiar enough with setting it up. But starting out early might be an option. Then we could stop at a nice rest area and have a relaxed breakfast and let the girls run around. We would get into our destination early enough DH could get a good nap while the girls and I get familiar with the campground. It has a pool and playground.

I travel with the kids atleast 4 times a year, 14 hours each way alone without DH and have done so since my oldest was 2 years old. I am going about 10 hours each way on a trip this weekend, again without DH. I usually bring a cooler for a picnic at a rest area for the meals, and I do simple things like sandwiches, carrots and cutup fruit. For snacks, we like fruit leather, fresh fruit slices, bananas, mini sandwiches(nut butter on half slices of bread), one of their fav snacks that I ever packed was whole wheat quessadillas made with cheese and refried beans. I justed cooked the night before and cooled...kept them in a small cooler and they loved it, and it kept their energy up without wiring them all up. I try to avoid crispy things or a lot of refined carbs like pretzels, crackers and cookies as it can make the kids jumpy. I also only allow water in the car and I usually splurge and get bottled water as it is easier to serve and easier to throw away at a rest stop.

for entertainment, we like books on tape...all kinds from the Magic Treehouse series to the Harry Potter books...even DD liked them when she was less than 2 yo. You can check out the books on tape from the library and try them.

I also never travel at night even with DH...as it is the most dangerous time to travel, for many reasons, and the most dangerous time to need to stop on the side of the road. When it gets dark, I stop at a predetermined hotel where I have reservations if I am going to be travelling late enough to where it might get dark. Better to take 2 days than risk by taking 1, just not worth it. I usually plan my trip to get up by 430am and get on the road by 6am.
HTH and I hope you enjoy your trip!!


ETA: I forgot the BEST things I have ever learned...bring bubbles for the rest stops...the kids can run around chasing the bubbles for 10 minutes and burn off all kinds of steam and be ready to get back in the car in no time at all!