Prepping for a road trip

The first few days after school let  out have been surprisingly relaxing.

I “babysat” for two days.  My daughter and her friend played and played and played so much that I didn’t have to do much “babysitting” at all.   It was more like supervised play and some refereeing here and there.

My oldest went to work.  Yippee!

And my younger son and I made brownies, played games, and enjoyed our own “alone time.”  Sometimes the girls joined in the games, too.

So far so good.

I think it gives me time to prepare for our first ever road trip vacation later this summer.  This should be interesting.

In the back of my mind I’m stressed out about this trip.  Not the actual destination, mind you, but just the road travel.  We’ve flown many times and the kids are great in the airport and on the plane.  However, 3 days of driving may just try my patience a tiny bit.

I’ve researched road trips online. I’ve printed out free travel games, a list of rest stop locations, and maps for the kids so they will know the answer to their questions “Are we there yet?” and “How much farther?”

I plan to bake brownies, have healthy and not-so-healthy snacks and drinks, and make travel trays out of small cookie sheets.

Yet I know that not all of this is going to  guarantee a fun road trip.

So, parents, how do you plan for a road trip?  Any secrets or tips to share?