How to Survive a Long Car Journey with Kids

A long car journey with children can feel like the first challenge of the family holiday.

You haven't even reached the destination and you've already heard "Are we nearly there?", someone needs the toilet despite refusing to go before leaving home, another child is hungry 20 minutes after breakfast, and an argument has started because somebody apparently looked out of the wrong window.

Travelling with children doesn't have to be like this.

You can't guarantee a completely peaceful journey, particularly if you're travelling for five or six hours, but a little preparation can make an enormous difference.

The key is to stop thinking of the journey as several hours that children simply need to endure. Break it into manageable sections with food, games, entertainment and proper stops along the way.

Here is how to survive a long car journey with kids — and perhaps even enjoy some of it.

Prepare the Car the Night Before

The worst way to begin a family road trip is with everyone standing outside the house while one parent attempts to squeeze another suitcase into an already overflowing boot.

Pack as much as possible the night before.

Load luggage that you won't need during the journey and leave only essential last-minute bags for the morning.

Check the car at the same time.

Make sure you have enough fuel or charge, check tyre pressures where appropriate, top up screen wash and make sure phones and other devices are charged.

The Highway Code recommends planning your route, allowing enough time for breaks and delays and making sure you have sufficient fuel or charge before beginning a journey.

Preparing everything in advance means the morning can concentrate on getting people into the car rather than reorganising luggage.

Don't Put Everything in the Boot

This is one of the easiest mistakes to make.

You carefully pack everything into the boot and then, 45 minutes later, someone needs the one item buried underneath four suitcases.

Keep a separate journey bag inside the passenger compartment where an adult can safely reach it when the vehicle is stopped.

This might contain snacks, water, wipes, tissues, spare clothing, sick bags, chargers and simple entertainment.

Keep anything genuinely essential easily accessible.

You don't want to unload half the boot at a motorway service station because your child has spilt an entire drink over their trousers.

Plan the Journey Around Breaks

Adults sometimes look at a route and think, "It's only four hours. We'll just drive straight through."

With children, that usually isn't the best approach — and regular breaks are important for the driver too.

The Highway Code recommends planning sufficient breaks and advises a minimum break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving. It also warns drivers not to begin a journey when tired.

With younger children, you may want to stop more frequently.

Think of a five-hour journey as several shorter journeys rather than one enormous drive.

Drive for a while, stop, use the toilet, stretch everyone's legs and continue.

Psychologically, this can make the journey feel much more manageable for children.

Choose Your Stops Before Leaving

Don't wait until someone desperately needs the toilet before searching for somewhere to stop.

Look at the route beforehand and identify several possible service stations or stopping points.

You don't necessarily need to stop at all of them.

The purpose is to know your options.

For particularly long journeys, consider making one stop longer than the others.

Find somewhere children can walk around for 20 or 30 minutes rather than simply moving from the car to a service-station toilet and straight back again.

If there is a park, picnic area or attraction reasonably close to the route, you could even turn the break into part of the adventure.

Get Children to Use the Toilet Before Leaving

This sounds obvious.

Do it anyway.

Ask everyone to use the toilet shortly before getting into the car.

Children may insist they don't need to go.

Encourage them to try.

There are few things more frustrating than finally joining the motorway and immediately hearing, "I need the toilet."

You won't eliminate unexpected toilet stops, particularly with younger children, but starting with everyone comfortable gives you a better chance.

Pack More Snacks Than You Think You'll Need

Food is one of the most powerful tools available to parents on a long car journey.

Pack plenty.

Choose snacks that aren't extremely messy, sticky or difficult to eat.

Fruit, crackers, sandwiches and other simple foods can work well.

Avoid anything that is likely to melt across the back seat or create an explosion of crumbs if possible.

Portioning snacks into individual containers or bags can also reduce arguments.

Instead of repeatedly handing food backwards, older children can have their own snack box.

Don't reveal everything immediately.

If the journey is six hours long and the entire snack supply disappears during the first 40 minutes, you have created another problem.

Take Plenty of Water

Children need to remain hydrated, particularly during warm weather.

Government travel-preparation guidance recommends carrying food and drink in case journeys are delayed and advises taking extra water in hot weather.

Reusable water bottles are usually easier to manage than open cups.

The obvious disadvantage is that drinking creates toilet stops.

That's fine.

Trying to prevent children drinking so you can avoid stopping isn't a sensible strategy.

Regular breaks are part of travelling with children.

Create Individual Travel Bags

One simple way to make the journey feel exciting is to give each child a small travel bag.

It doesn't need to contain expensive toys.

The excitement comes partly from having something specifically prepared for the journey.

Depending on the child's age, you might include colouring materials, activity books, stickers, small toys, puzzle books or other quiet activities.

For younger children, consider introducing items gradually rather than giving them the entire bag immediately.

A new activity appearing halfway through the journey can suddenly create another period of peaceful entertainment.

Use Screens Strategically

There is no prize for completing a six-hour family car journey without using a screen.

Tablets, films and games can be extremely useful.

The trick is not necessarily to hand children a tablet the moment the car leaves the driveway.

If they watch films for the first three hours, the screen loses its novelty precisely when you need it most.

Consider dividing the journey into different types of entertainment.

Children might begin with conversation or games, move onto an audiobook, have a snack and then use tablets later.

Download films, programmes and games before leaving home.

Don't assume you'll have reliable mobile data throughout the journey.

Also download more than one option. The film your child desperately wanted yesterday may suddenly become completely unacceptable when you're 150 miles from home.

Try Audiobooks

Audiobooks can be one of the best forms of family car entertainment because everyone can participate.

Choose a story appropriate for the children's ages and play it through the car.

A good story can make an hour disappear surprisingly quickly.

Older children may enjoy longer adventure stories, while younger children might prefer shorter stories or collections that change regularly.

Podcasts designed for children can work in a similar way.

One major advantage is that children can still look outside rather than focusing on a screen.

This may also be helpful for children who find reading or watching screens uncomfortable in a moving vehicle.

Play Classic Car Games

Car games have survived generations for a reason.

They require almost no equipment and can involve everyone.

Useful choices include:

I Spy

Twenty Questions

spotting particular coloured cars

finding letters of the alphabet on road signs

creating a story one sentence at a time

guessing an animal from clues

counting particular types of vehicles

simple quizzes and riddles.

Don't expect one game to last for two hours.

Ten or fifteen minutes is enough.

The goal is simply to create different sections of entertainment throughout the journey.

Create a Road-Trip Challenge

Children often respond better when an ordinary activity becomes a mission.

Before leaving, create a simple list of things they need to spot.

For example, they might need to find a red lorry, a bridge, a horse, a wind turbine, a motorway services sign, a yellow car and a vehicle carrying bicycles.

Older children can photograph items when the car is stopped or keep score on paper.

You can also give points for unusual things.

Suddenly children who were complaining about being bored are staring through the windows trying to beat their siblings.

Avoid Toys That Will Immediately Disappear

Think carefully before handing a child something containing 40 tiny pieces.

Eventually one will fall.

Then another.

Soon somebody will be demanding that the driver retrieve a miniature plastic object from underneath the front seat.

Choose toys that can realistically be used inside a moving car.

Magnetic games can be useful because pieces are less likely to disappear.

Drawing boards, sticker books and self-contained activity sets can also work well.

Anything that repeatedly falls onto the floor is probably going to become more irritating than entertaining.

Prepare for Travel Sickness

Some children are particularly susceptible to motion sickness.

If you already know your child struggles, plan around it.

Avoid giving them activities that require prolonged downward focus if that tends to trigger symptoms.

Books, drawing and tablets may make some children's travel sickness worse.

Looking outside, listening to stories or music and taking regular breaks may be more comfortable.

Keep sick bags somewhere immediately accessible.

Not in the boot.

Also keep wipes, tissues, spare clothes and a sealable bag available.

Hopefully you won't need them.

If you do, you'll be extremely glad they're there.

If your child regularly experiences significant travel sickness, ask a pharmacist or healthcare professional about appropriate options before the journey rather than experimenting while travelling.

Keep Spare Clothes Accessible

Even children who never experience travel sickness can spill drinks, drop food or have accidents.

Pack at least one easily accessible change of clothing for younger children.

A spare T-shirt can also be useful for older children.

For babies and toddlers, take more than you think you'll need.

Keep dirty or wet clothes in a separate waterproof or sealable bag so they don't affect everything else.

Again, don't bury the spare clothing underneath the luggage.

Dress Children Comfortably

A long road trip isn't the occasion for complicated clothing.

Choose comfortable layers.

Children may feel cold when the car first starts and considerably warmer later.

Layers allow you to adjust without completely changing outfits.

Avoid bulky coats under child-seat harnesses unless the seat manufacturer's instructions specifically allow them. Make sure children are correctly secured according to the seat manufacturer's instructions.

UK rules generally require the correct child car seat until a child reaches 135cm in height or their 12th birthday, whichever comes first.

Make Sure Car Seats Are Correctly Fitted

Comfort matters, but safety comes first.

Before a long journey, check that child seats are correctly installed and appropriate for the child.

The Highway Code states that drivers must ensure children under 14 use the appropriate seat belt or child restraint where required. It also says child restraints should be properly fitted according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Never place a rear-facing baby seat in front of an active frontal airbag.

If you've recently adjusted or moved a seat, double-check it before travelling rather than discovering a problem at a motorway service station.

Don't Set an Unrealistic Arrival Time

Sat-nav says four hours and twelve minutes.

That doesn't mean your family will arrive in four hours and twelve minutes.

Add time for toilet stops, food, traffic and unexpected delays.

Government driving guidance recommends building extra time into journeys for unforeseen delays and planning suitable places for rest breaks.

If you tell everyone you're definitely arriving at 2pm and reach the destination at 3:15pm, the journey feels late and stressful.

If you expected stops and allowed enough time, exactly the same journey feels normal.

Avoid Travelling When the Driver Is Exhausted

Parents sometimes try to beat traffic by leaving ridiculously early in the morning.

That can work — but only if the driver has had enough sleep.

Driving while tired is dangerous.

The Highway Code specifically warns that tiredness significantly increases collision risk and advises avoiding long journeys between midnight and 6am where possible because natural alertness is lower.

If there are two qualified and insured drivers, sharing the driving can make very long journeys considerably easier.

If the driver becomes sleepy, stop somewhere safe.

Getting there later is better than taking risks.

Prepare for Delays

Traffic jams are much easier to tolerate when you're prepared for them.

Government emergency-preparation advice recommends keeping useful equipment in the vehicle for delays, potentially including a phone charger or power bank, warm clothing or blankets, food, drink and a first-aid kit.

For family journeys, also consider nappies, wipes, medication that might be needed and enough supplies to cover an unexpected delay.

An extra hour in traffic is annoying.

An extra hour in traffic with no water, a flat tablet and a toddler who needs changing is considerably worse.

Give Older Children Some Control

Older children can participate in planning.

Show them the route.

Explain where you're stopping.

Let them choose an audiobook or create part of the playlist.

You could even give them responsibility for choosing the lunch stop from two or three suitable options.

Knowing what's happening can reduce repeated questions about how much longer the journey will take.

Instead of saying "ages", tell them something concrete.

"We're stopping in about 30 minutes."

"We're halfway there."

"We have one more section after lunch."

That makes the journey easier to understand.

Expect Sibling Arguments

Put several children into a confined space for hours and disagreements are almost inevitable.

Don't expect perfection.

Where possible, organise seating and belongings so children aren't constantly competing for the same things.

Give them individual drinks and snacks.

Make sure everyone has access to entertainment appropriate for their age.

Headphones can become extremely valuable when children want to watch different programmes, although volume should remain at a sensible level.

Sometimes arguments aren't really about whatever children claim they're arguing about.

They're tired of sitting down.

That's usually a sign that everyone could benefit from a break.

Make Stops Proper Stops

When you stop, let children move.

Don't simply march everyone into the toilet and immediately order them back into the car.

Walk around.

Stretch.

Let younger children run somewhere safe.

Have a snack or sit outside if the weather allows.

Even 15 or 20 minutes of movement can reset everyone's mood.

For very long journeys, a decent lunch stop can split the day into two completely separate sections.

Keep Something Special for the Final Hour

The final hour can be the hardest.

Everyone knows you're getting closer, but the destination still isn't appearing quickly enough.

Save something.

It might be a favourite film, special snack, new activity book or family game.

Don't mention it at the beginning.

When patience begins disappearing, introduce the final surprise.

It doesn't need to be expensive.

Novelty is often enough.

Long Car Journey Essentials Checklist

Before setting off, make sure you have:

water bottles

plenty of snacks

wipes and tissues

sick bags

spare clothes

nappies and changing supplies if needed

child medication where required

activity books or small toys

downloaded films or programmes

headphones

audiobooks or podcasts

phone chargers or power bank

first-aid kit

warm clothing or blankets when appropriate

correctly fitted child car seats

planned rest stops

enough fuel or battery charge.

You won't necessarily use everything.

The point is to avoid discovering what you need when you're already stuck in traffic.

The Journey Is Part of the Holiday

The biggest change parents can make is psychological.

Stop treating the car journey as wasted time between home and the destination.

Make it part of the adventure.

Have special road-trip snacks.

Choose a family audiobook.

Play ridiculous games.

Stop somewhere interesting.

Create a playlist everyone helps choose.

You may still hear "Are we nearly there?"

You may still have to make an unexpected toilet stop ten minutes after leaving a service station.

And there is still a reasonable chance somebody will drop something into the least accessible part of the car.

That's family travel.

But with comfortable children, plenty of food, regular breaks and enough entertainment, a five-hour drive doesn't have to feel like five hours of survival.

Plan it properly, allow more time than the sat-nav suggests and remember that arriving safely and reasonably happy matters much more than arriving quickly.