Ah, the family road trip: it’s practically a rite of passage. But parents know it’s not always as simple as gassing up the car, buckling in the fam and heading out for America’s open highways. You’re going to need a true road trip hero when the urge to pile into the car and hit the road strikes your fancy. Thankfully, Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablets are the perfect passenger for any road trip you have planned.
We asked four seasoned family travel bloggers to dish out their best tips about how to survive the family road trip. They all agreed that Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablets were definitely the superstars to making the most of road trips, but not always in the ways you might expect—after all, you want your little adventurers to soak up the sights and sounds around them, too.
Read on to find out these travel bloggers’ “been there, drove through that, have the souvenir t-shirt” tips for taking an epic family road trip this summer.
Bring Along Your New Favorite Travel Companion
Amazon
Blogger Allie at Sugar, Spice and Family Life loved her experience with the Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablets on her recent family adventures and has it as one of the most important items on her road-tripping checklist.
"Bring along a favorite toy and my new favorites for travel, Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition and Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablets. These bad boys are the ultimate in keeping the kids occupied when you're tired of playing road games.
They allow the kids to enjoy their favorite apps, books, and videos at any time. They have fun apps and tools that let the kids do things like photo edit and draw so they can create their own travel memories. In addition, both tablets have parental controls, so you don't have to worry about what the kids are doing or how much of it they're doing."
Our Homemade Life blogger Amanda knows that making sure everyone—and everything—is ready to go is a priority before you hit the road, including charging up any and all electronics coming with you. Even when you're cruising along the highway, you want to have backup power sources, too.
"Although we didn’t have electronics when we roadtripped as children, they certainly do make the time in the vehicle much smoother. Prior to leaving, we gather everyone’s Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablet to charge. When they are fully charged, the battery can last up to 8 hours. Since we have four tablets, earbuds are a necessity to sanity!
When driving a short day, the tablets last the full day, but if we happen to drive longer, sometimes they need a recharge. Having portable chargers available to use (that are also charged) can prevent meltdowns."
Pete from It's a Lovely Life knows that the secret to keeping the family sane is a good pair of headphones—and, if there's more than one tablet riding along with the kiddos, make sure they each have their own pair of headphones, too.
"If I'm being completely honest, these [headphones] are for both my benefit and for Emmy. She loves being able to concentrate and headphones help. I just like being able to listen to music without having to compete with her tablet. It is a win-win.
The teens like to listen to their own music, so they too have headphones on. Heather and I have actually had some pretty decent conversations over the years on road trips because of headphones. They are the unsung hero of our road trips."
Jen at The Suburban Mom has figured out the unique opportunity that a road trip with family provides: it's the perfect time to introduce your kids to the songs of your youth!
"Don't be afraid to crank up the radio and have a jam session. This is your chance to be silly with your kids. Sing along to your favorites and impress (or embarrass) your kids with your amazing recall of every word from your favorite '90s songs.
Whether you create a playlist before you go or surf the radio, let everyone take turns playing DJ and picking the next song."
Pete of It's a Lovely Life knows that his two daughters not only need to have lots of snacks for road trips, but it's important to get them involved in the process of packing snacks before they ever leave the driveway.
"Always let the kids pack their own road trip snacks. We have found that this gets them extra excited for the time on the road, and we are almost guaranteed that the kids will like what they pack as opposed to what we pick out for them."
Allie knows that pit stops are inevitable, so she takes a more proactive approach when she's road-tripping with her kids.
"Don't forget, children's bladders are smaller than ours, so frequent pit stops are a must. I make it a rule to stop at least every couple of hours to ensure that my kids never have an in-car emergency. All bladders are different so your mileage may vary."
Jen reminds travelers that ultimately, road trips are about creating lasting memories with the family. Here's how she captures the spirit of their family journeys after they come home.
"The whole point of taking a road trip is to make family memories. Why not put the kids in charge of recording those memories? There are tons of ideas on Pinterest to help you make a road trip journal so kids can record their special thoughts—in words or pictures. It gives something to do and is a great way to preserve family memories.
Thanks to the Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablet, they can even take photos and videos. Just be sure to actually have the photos printed when you get home so they can go into the road trip journal."
In the end, Amanda offers some down-to-earth advice that could be applied to anything from road trips to just about any other kind of family experience, too.
"Seriously, if you are traveling with young children, really even without, road trips don't always go as planned, expect that and be okay. It's great to have a plan, but knowing that it will be okay if it doesn't and when it doesn't, don't allow that to ruin the trip."
With these awesome tips in your parenting arsenal, you’re ready to buckle up the fam for just about any road trip adventure you have mapped out this summer.
