Tips on driving to Disney World!
By: Kenni Rich
3/16/21
“Are we there yet?” The dreaded phrase that many parents hear when road tripping with their children. I will be honest, our family are not the best road trippers. You would think we are due to being a military family and having to drive every couple of years to a new assignment. We are a family that tries to maximize our time and get to a destination as soon as we can!
On our most recent Walt Disney World trip we decided to drive. Being 6 hours away from the Happiest Place on Earth we thought, why not? I mentally prepared myself and children months in advance for our drive. I spent hours researching ideas, car snacks, fun games and hourly surprises to make the drive enjoyable. Traveling with an easy-going 8 year old and an unpredictable 2 year old I wanted to be as prepared as I could. Whether your journey to Disney is long or short, its helpful to have things ready to occupy your children.
Pre Trip Maintenance
One of my biggest fears is our car breaking down on the side of the road on our way to our destination. This is my biggest piece of advice in order to avoid that, get your car checked prior to your trip! Have the oil changed, fluids topped off, windshield wiper checked and tire pressure checked.
Make Things Accessible
This is my first step when it comes to any long drive. Each of my children have a box filled with things they might enjoy. Coloring books, sticker books, Ziploc with Legos. I make sure that they box is next to them so at anytime during the drive they can entertain themselves.
Food
Food is an important element when on a road trip. The evening before we left I made a variety of pre-portioned snacks. Blueberries with strawberries, crackers with peanut butter, popcorn, fruit pouches, etc. I store everything in a cooler surrounded by frozen water bottles instead of ice, which is an option we prefer as we know that we will use the water bottles in the parks!
Entertainment
I will say, my kids have it a lot easier than I did when it comes to long drives. With the abundance of entertainment options my kids stay pretty distracted. The evening before we travel we make sure all electronics are charged and ready to go. We have a case of DVDs should they want to watch a movie. We try to save electronics for the end of our trip, we play I Spy and Guess Who to pass the time.
Countdown
This was something I have never done before and was very excited to do. A mileage countdown! My kids are very visual and this keeps them from asking how much longer we will be in the car. You can label your countdown however you want, hours, cities or miles. Use sticky notes, treats or paper chain.
Don’t Stress
Whether you are flying to driving the most important thing is to not stress. At the end of the end life happens! Just go with the flow and remember that you will soon reach your destination and you will be enjoying a magical and memorable vacation with the ones that you love!
I would love to help you plan your next Disney vacation! Email me at kenni@wishesfamilytravel.com for a complimentary quote.
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