8 reasons to take your kids on a family road trip

A road trip allows you to make stops along the way, interact with locals and see life go by. This is great exposure for children, who learn about local culture and lifestyles, different food habits, etc.

Besides being great fun, family driving holidays can mean some quality bonding time, while teaching kids key life skills.

It’s an adventure

The journey is part of the reward. Once you’re behind the steering wheel, you can spontaneously take detours, pause for a picnic under a waterfall, click a selfie near a mountain, and extend your trip to visit nearby destinations. Plus, the sights you see along the way make for great memories as a family.

Say goodbye to schedules

There’s no flight, or train, to catch, so you can leave as leisurely as you like. There’s time for a last-minute snack, to check whether you’ve packed your Polaroid camera and board games. You can always stop for an unscheduled burger along the way, if your child or you feel in the mood for one. Mainly, you don’t have to rush the kids and let them get into the holiday mood at their pace.

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Save money on flights and more

Flights may be a lot cheaper than they used to be, but nothing beats a road trip to cut down on expenses. First of all, you don’t have to pay per person and if you can either rent a car or take along yours, especially if it’s fuel-efficient. Since you’re driving, you enjoy the freedom to choose a cheaper option to stay at, worrying about transport facilities nearby. You can also carry your own food for the journey instead of having to survive on expensive airline fare.

Less stress

You don’t have the stress of getting the kids ready and out of the door to make it to the airport before the departure gates close or to the railway station, for that matter. There’s no security queue to brave either or the stress of managing kids in a crowd.

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Travel as often as you like

Driving holidays are cheaper and easier to plan as well. You can take off at a moment’s notice! If your child has a sudden school break, it’s a great opportunity to plan a road trip. Since they don’t require extensive planning and big budgets, you can take off as often as you wish to, as long as your schedule permits. Weekend getaways are a great way for families to bond and spend quality time together.

Open up their minds

A road trip allows you to make stops along the way, interact with locals and see life go by. This is great exposure for children, who learn about local culture and lifestyles, different food habits, etc.

Learn life skills

Having to use public restrooms, making do with eating at limited food joints available along the way are some ways kids learn to adapt to their surroundings, while learning to value that the journey’s half the fun.

An opportunity to bond with extended family and friends

If you can make a joint trip with cousins or the kids’ classmates, it’ll create a treasure of memories of doing things together. A family road trip with uncles, aunts or friends, with lots of anecdotes shared, is a great way for some quality bonding. You can also take a break and camp under the stars for the night, if that’s feasible.

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