Friday, March 9, 2012

Road Trip with a Teen or Tween


It's spring break next week, so my daughter Juliana (age 14) and I are going on a mother/daughter road trip.

We will be documenting our road trip all next week.

But first we must pack. And preparing for a Road Trip with a Teen/Tween needs some careful consideration.

If you are planning on a road trip with a tween or teen, here's a list of items I recommend you take with you.


PACKING LIST:

1. ipod and headphones (for teen). I guarantee there will be times when you don't want to listen to the same music as your teen or tween.

2. Books on tape - These make the looong miles go quicker. Choose something you both would enjoy.

3. Snacks - Teens and Tweens get hungry. Provide snacks or you will be stopping at McDonald's a lot.

4. Beverages - Water bottles are great. Caffeine is good for Mom. Save the wine for after you arrive at your destination.

5. Nintendo DS and games - If you're child likes hand-held games, bring them along. This is no time for monitoring screen time.

6. Deck of Cards - Fun for the hotel room, not the car.

7. Books - About your destination and for fun.

8. Cell Phones - Do you know a teen who can live without his/her cell phone?

9. Camera - Encourage your teen/tween to document the trip in his/her own way.

10. Journal - Like a camera, a journal is a great way to document the trip. Also, if your teen gets bored or mad at you, here's a place to let it out.

11. Pillow - Your teen/tween will fall asleep in the car.

12. Trash Bag - For some reason, teens generate a lot of trash.

13. Handwipes or sanitizer - Teens also don't wash their hands often enough. Plus, what nastiness are you touching at rest stops? Better not to know. Just clean your hands well!

14. At least one Dressy Outfit - You may want to go out for a nice meal. You're teen won't pack a dressy outfit unless you specifically tell them to. Or just slip one in at the last moment.

15. A Positive Attitude - If you're excited about the trip, your teen/tween will most likely be excited to. Just don't be too excited.



Next week, I'll document how our tip goes. It should be fun.

As long as we're both prepared.










6 comments:

  1. Hope you have a great time with your daughter. A good list for most road trips.

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    1. I agree this list is good for pretty much all road trips, teens or adults!

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  2. I agree with your list. Stocking the car with snacks has saved us so much money on trips, and iPods are crucial! Having several car sick people means we don't read so much but we do have a book that lists all the dog friendly attractions in the Western states and we take turns pouring over it at rest stops. Some of our greatest adventures have happened because of that book. I hope your trip is wonderful!

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    1. I love the idea of the dog friendly attractions book. I need to get one of those. We're sadly down to one dog now, but she needs some good road trips too.

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  3. Oh how fun! Where are you staying? I love that area, you will have such a good time! Can't wait to read all about it.

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    1. We stayed at an awesome B&B in Duluth and then my parents house in Grand Marais. I better go blog about it!

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