Road tripping with kids

On October 4, 2023

In Family, Lifestyle, Road trip, Travel Tales

Road tripping with kids = Family time and creating memories

As parents, we are always looking for fun and memorable experiences to share with our kids. Road tripping with kids has been our go to adventures for ever. Road tripping never goes out of style and allows you the opportunity to tailor your road trip experience to add your unique style and preferences. It’s the perfect time to spend together as a family, away from our busy lives and just be present with one another.

Road tripping need not be for hours on end. There are so many beautiful places within an hour or three’s drive from us. We’re based in Pretoria by the way. And we are definitely not scared to take on a 12 hour road trip either. Did you know that you could use Sani Car rental in South Africa for your road trips? Majority of our family is based in the Western Cape and spread so far across the provinces that visiting multiple families often turns out to be a road trip with the kids.

But for some the idea of road tripping with kids can seem daunting, so why not start with shorter road trips, closer to home.

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Of course you need to choose some destination, and by this I mean your accommodation. Keep in mind your family’s preferences and interests when choosing your accommodation. Whether is be a game reserve, a small dusty town, a game reserve or even a beach destination, just ensure that you have family-friendly activities and attractions to choose from to keep everyone entertained.

Packing for road tripping with kids

WETWIPES! And more wetwipes. This is a staple in the car. We have learnt, believe me this comes with experience and many road trips with the kids, that packing is crucial. Regardless of the space available, somehow we always have way too much stuff that we take along. I have a checklist on my phone: “Packing for a road trip”, which I have used for almost all of our road trips. The list is not exhaustive but has some essential items that I pack every single road trip with the kids. I always pack the first-aid kit, sunscreen, hats and swimming towels. My Dude also makes sure that the plug in cooler is stocked with drinks and snacks. Someone is always hungry and/or thirsty, especially when you are kilometres away from a convenience store!

Entertainment for road tripping with kids

My kids are 13 years and 6 years old. We don’t promote screen time whilst on a road trip otherwise what was the point in driving on the long open road… Music is crucial. Fortunately, we as parents like *some* of the newer generation music and the kids in turn like *some* of our generation music. This makes putting together a road trip playlist easier as everyone gets to contribute their favourite road trip songs. Many years ago, Dude bought some bird and animal books. Another staple for the road trips. This makes for great entertainment as when the kids ask, “what is that bird/animal?” we refer them to the books to look it up and share the facts and information with the family. Firm favourites are playing “I spy” and counting cars on the road. Mom’s favourite is to play the “silent game”, whereby the winner is the one who goes without saying a word for the longest time 🙂 This is hilarious as none of us actually stay quiet for more than a few minutes at a time!

Scheduled breaks is not negotiable for road tripping with kids

It’s not about the destination but rather the journey, that is the highlight of any road trip. When road tripping with kids, you will understand why scheduled breaks are not negotiable. The scheduled breaks not only allow for some leg stretches and bathroom breaks but affords you an opportunity to choose where to take a break. Perhaps choose a filling station with a play area so that the kids can release their excess energy. Remember they too are excited and hyped up, so they may need a way to burn off that energy.

Explore the local territory on your road trip

Part of the fun on a road trip is to explore the local territory. Be adventurous and try something new. We’re always on the lookout for a padstal (Farmstall) to buy some fresh homemade bread and biscuits! Food is a big deal to me. It’s a no brainer that food is FOOD is a memorable part of the journey. It’s also a great excuse to eat all the ice-cream 🙂

Road tripping with kids is a wonderful way to bond with family, explore new places and create lasting memories. Plan ahead, pack wisely and remember to keep the journey fun and interactive. The road trip is suppose to be enjoyable. FOR EVERYONE. What are you waiting for? Map out a route, pack the car and get ready for some adventures.

Spirited Mama

x

Time-out

By spiritedmama1

On November 4, 2016

In Holidays, Road trip, Time out

We are off to the South Coast for a mini getaway. We NEED this. We NEED the time-out. We will be back on Monday – see how we just created our own long weekend in Spiritville.

Happy Friday!

Spirited Mama

Getting my Sudwala on…

By spiritedmama1

On March 20, 2013

In Holidays, Road trip

We arrived in good health and ready for adventures…

on Tuesday, we left home j 5am, and of course i had to stop at McDonalds for my Cafe Latte, a large coffee for Dude and a hot chocolate for Dudie. Topped up with diesel and then we officially hit the road. What a drive….Dudie asked that his dad sits with him so I was the designated driver. It was all good until just before Witbank. The mist was BAD!!!!! And we had mist for most of the drive. In some instances it was so bad that i had zero visibility. In kid you not. The rear lights ob the cars ahead were not even visible.

but we made it by the grace of God. I kinda ignored the GPS and drove towards Nelspruit. I was starving and decided i need to find breakfast. And knowing Dude, if we got to the resort first, we wold unpack, settle, or make breakfast andbi really wasnt in the mood. I just wanted someone to serve me some breakfast. i pulled into the Ultra city but instead of a Wimpy breakfast, we opted for the Farmhouse coffee shop. Excellent choice. Yummy omlettes and full english breakfast. Slushpuppies and Cafe Mochas….Delicious

I must admit that i do love it when people announce your arrival but they have absolutely no idea who you are, they assume that you are the family booked in at Chalet 109 🙂 the lodge staff announced, welcome Spirited. family, as we walked in….we unpacked in record time, i unpack everything-food, clothes, shoes, toiletries…and set off to explore.

we visited the Sudwala Dinosaur park, had more slushpuppies(did I mention it’s scorching hot here), had a sneak peak of the caves but decided to do the caves another day.

This morning, i baked savoury muffins, we had a morning walk(all dressed up in our Mr Price Maxed apparel-lol), Dude and I had a 45 min squash game, played foosball, etc,etc,etc

Tonight, we’re tired but hoping to recharge for tomorrow. Adventure awaits. We’re off to Pilgrim’s Rest, Graskop, and the Panorama route. O yeah, we’re going to see if we can find out exactly where Jock of the Bushveld lived.

cheers for now,

Spirited Mama

Playlists

By spiritedmama1

On March 5, 2013

In Music, Road trip

I’m up to my eyeballs in work but I’m mellow and chilled in the office as the only thing that I can think of right now is working on a playlist for our Road trip…

Dudie has told me what he wants and thank goodness it’s not anything nursery rhyme related/the wheels on the bus (my wheels might come off if that’s on my playlist…) instead my child has a very open mind to all genres of music. JUST like ME 🙂 And I love that he loves music so much.

He wakes to blaring (yes, sometimes we are blasting the music early in the morning) and it really get us me into the mood for the day ahead. I put the music on just before I get into the shower so by the time I get out, he’s rolling around on his bed or dancing in front of the mirror in my room. Sneaky sneaky but it gets him out of bed without me having to moan about it constantly.

<On Sunday – Dude turned the music down in the room as he was still sleeping when I put it on. LOL But I just went to put it back on in the living room 🙂 LOUD!!!>

Right now some favourites for both Dudie & I (in no particular order except maybe Maroon 5, are:

Maroon 5

Bruno Mars

Cee Lo Gree

Usher

Lighthouse Family(Classic)

Deseree – Life – I have forgotten how much I like it until it played on Trace the other day and Dudie, who is way too young to know it, pipes up “Mommy, I like that music”

Justin Timberlake – Suit & Tie

Daughtry – No surprise (classic)

Alicia Keys – Girl is on Fire

Lira

These are just a few that I can think of off the cuff but I can assure you our list is endless. Just for teh record I will pack 1 sing along nursery rhyme book. But that’s where I draw the line.

What are your favourite road trip songs?

Spirited Mama

P.S. I’ve been extremely bloated teh last few days and the other day I let a fart slide…. Dudie says “Mama your peop says hello” LOL – where did I ever get this precious child.

Spirited Mama

Living a SPIRITED life filled with wanderlust, emotions and everything in between

Category: Road trip