Disclosure: This sponsored post is brought to you as a result of a partnership with TravelingMom and Techlicious. I was provided an Acer Aspire Switch 11 convertible laptop to test and share these DIY Travel ideas, great for your next road trip. Read to the bottom of this post to find out how you could enter to win same product I was provided and more.
The Acer Aspire Switch 11 convertible laptop is a notebook, pad, display and tent all-in-one. Photo Credit: Tonya Prater / Ohio TravelingMom
Planning a road trip is almost as much fun as taking one. Almost. But that’s my opinion. I enjoy plotting road trips full of surprises, and I like to create a few extra treats to keep the kids engaged and content on the way to our destination. These DIY road trip ideas have gotten us over many an “Are we there yet?” moment.
My family traveled for years with my husband’s job. As a homeschool mom, I considered it my duty to fit in as much learning on the road as possible. Before many trips, I’d create a binder for my kids. The purpose was twofold, it allowed my children to learn about our destination in a fun way and it kept them entertained in the car. Let’s face it, long road trips with kids aren’t always a walk in the park. Boredom sets in, tempers flare and before you know it, you may be threatening to turn the car around. And that’s not fun for anyone.
Answering the Dreaded “Are We There, Yet?”
Photo credit: Tonya Prater / Ohio TravelingMom
The contents of the binders varied, depending on where we were going but always included a map of our route. The kids could follow along on their map to see where we were and how close we were to our destination. If I knew where we’d stop for the night, I could add that to the map. Plus, I included any planned pit stops that we’d make, which reduced the incessant “Are we there, yet?” that are so common and dreaded, on a road trip.
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Make Easy Road Trip Journals
Taken from my child’s road trip binder/journal. Photo Credit: Tonya Prater / Ohio TravelingMom
Each road trip binder included a few pages of paper or a simple journal to record what they saw and enjoyed and what they didn’t.
Sometimes I’d create a scavenger hunt or a road trip BINGO game. For someone who wasn’t very techy, it wasn’t easy to do when I started more than 12 years ago.
Most of the binders consisted of pages that I’d printed, nothing personal. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with that; it’s just that I consider myself fairly crafty and like things to be uniquely mine.
Photo Credit: Tonya Prater / Ohio TravelingMom
I visited my local dollar store and picked up some fun novelty items and wrapped them up as Road Trip Surprises.
I designated each item a mileage marker gift, to be distributed at 60, 100 or 150 miles into the trip, or a rest stop surprise, giving the kids something to anticipate.
The gifts for each mile marker were items that could be used in the car while the rest stop things were designed to get the kids active at the rest stop. A jump rope, frisbee or bottle of bubbles allowed them to stretch their legs and make the most of a break from the vehicle.
Create DIY Special Surprises for Your Next Road Trip
Technology and personal computers have improved by leaps and bounds in the last decade, which means it’s really easy to create special surprises for your next road trip. I used my computer to create some cute printables including a customized Road Trip Bingo, a small trivia booklet full of fun facts of Ohio, postcards, and a travel journal.
Photo Credit: Tonya Prater / Ohio TravelingMom
I added a pocket and Ziploc bag in the back of the binder so the kids could save any travel brochures, pressed pennies or another memorabilia they picked up. In the front pocket of the three ring binder, I added a travel journal and some blank postcards that said “Wish you were here….” The kids could draw something about their trip on the front of the card, write a sentence or two on the back, and we could mail them home as a memorable surprise for their grandparents.
Traveling with children has its challenges. The folders doubled as travel journals and provided entertainment for my kids on the road then; now they serve as cherished reminders of our favorite travel experiences.
What easy DIY crafts do you create that make your road trips easier?
Photo credit: Tonya Prater / Ohio TravelingMom
Are you curious to find out how you could win an Acer Aspire Switch 11 convertible laptop? TravelingMom and Techlicious are teaming up and over the next three weeks, we’re hosting three special Twitter chats to give you big ideas for better travel with a sweepstakes where you can win a laptop!
But that’s not the only way you can win. Acer is also hosting a month-long Seize The Idea contest that ends on February 28th to encourage you to turn your big idea into reality. Entrants could win an Acer Idea Kit that includes the 11-inch Acer Aspire Switch 11 convertible laptop, the 23-inch Acer Aspire AZ3 all-in-one desktop computer and the Acer H6510 Full HD home theater projector. Submissions for the Acer #SeizeTheIdea Contest end February 28th.
Learn more about the contest and RSVP for the first #SeizeTheIdea February 5 here.
So, what do you think? Are you ready to tackle your big project and make your big ideas a reality?
Photo provided by Acer.
