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- Planning ahead for your road trip will give you peace of mind for the journey.
- Pack smartly and ensure you focus on your children's needs if they want to take a break.
- Holiday traffic could be dense and many South Africans will be driving long distances after an extended period of lockdown.
- For motoring news, go to Wheels24
My wife, son, and I leave on a road trip from Johannesburg to Durban for a family function next month. We haven't hit the long road together as a family to KZN since December 2019, before the world went into disarray, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, and to be honest we're a bit nervous about the drive.
We've taken shorter journeys to the Kruger Park from Johannesburg, for example, the furthest we've travelled together since the start of the lockdown, but this was going to be interesting as we'll be leaving Gauteng on December 16, a day that is usually quite busy when it comes to traffic flow to KwaZulu-Natal.
Do you have any top tips to share when it comes to travelling with children? Please share them in the comments section or send us an email here.
Planning for the journey is very important
To ensure we're good to travel and that we'll have all the necessary items we need to work remotely, we've already started packing. And we've already started looking at methods that we can employ to make the trip to KZN and back more fun and less chaotic for us as a family.
We've realised, particularly with a child on board, that there's no need to rush home to mom's curry as much as we miss it and put added pressure on ourselves and other road users, particularly after experiencing numerous aggressive drivers on the road on a recent trip. Nevertheless, we hope Wheels24 readers share the same respect for the road and motorists this holiday season, as we all must share a passion for cars and motoring if you're reading this, right?
What we plan on doing to make the journey less chaotic
We spoke to moms and dads in our circle of friends and to some family members with babies, toddlers and small kids to provide other mums and dads like us with some tips when travelling with their child or children in the vehicle.
Here are ten things we recommend for your road trip this holiday season:
1. Try to dress your child in comfortable clothing to keep them happy. If they don't like wearing shoes, take them off in the car. If it's late at night and they prefer wearing PJs, let them wear those.
2. Remove oversized winter overcoats before you place your child in the car seat, as these big jackets might prevent the seat straps from tightening correctly.
3. Get the temperature of the vehicle right for your child, not just for you. Having a grumpy, uncomfortable child in the car is going to cause you all sorts of stress and distraction at the wheel.
4. Pack healthy food, snacks, maybe energy drinks for the drivers, and water, but steer clear of food that a child could choke on or anything with too much sugar. (Sorry boy, no Mentos for you).
5. Consider what effect loose items such as drink containers, iPads for kids shows, handbags and kids toys can have if they fly around the car in the event of an accident. Pack appropriately in the cabin and use suction cups for devices
6. Think carefully about which toys to take in the cabin as they need to be something children can reach and play with but not something that can injure them if you have to brake hard in an emergency situation.
7. For younger kids, plan activities along the way as there are always games you can play and ways of passing the time on longer journeys that don't rely on physical toys.
8. To manage your children's expectations about the length of the journey, keep them involved in progress. Tell them how long the trip will be, and also the places you're going to on the way. Show them Waze if you use it.
9. If you've got older children travelling in the car with youngsters, they can help to entertain them. Pro tip: it's not always popular, but it can be an excellent way for the older kids to earn some pocket money for the holiday.
10. Plan longer journeys and leave prepared. Always have the likes of nappies if you have a baby, wipes, tissues and hand sanitiser in the front of the car. Professional driving instructors told us that families should drive no more than two hours or 160 kilometres between breaks. Remember to sanitise your hands after making payment at toll booths, too.
Of course, we all might be in a rush to see our loved ones, or you might have a crabby child along the way and might want to speed to get there, but it's important just to relax, perhaps stream your favourite music and maybe focus on safely getting to your destination this Christmas.
Wheels24 would like to wish all its readers a wonderful holiday season, and we trust you all keep it safe and sound and on the blacktop. Be sure to check in on Wheels24 with your smartphone using the News24 app over the holidays, as we'll still aim to bring you excellent motoring content while you're away.
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