A Family Friendly Road Trip

Road trips are a quick and affordable way to get the family out of the house and out of their normal routines. Instead of herding the family through an airport, consider that the Canaan Valley of West Virginia is less than a three-hour drive from Washington, DC or Pittsburgh, PA. Once you have picked the perfect secluded vacation rental from Canaan Valley Cabins, here are a few ideas to make your road trip family friendly.

Before setting off to your woodland retreat, review this list of ideas to make your car ride as pleasant as possible:
If you’re like most families, your kids are bouncing off the walls and already asking “are we there yet?” before you’ve finished loading the car. If you don’t have a built-in vehicle entertainment system, hang an iPad off of the sun visor. This makes a great makeshift TV for the entire family. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

To keep snacks from getting in between your seats and all over your car floor, utilize empty coffee creamer containers for snacks such as cereals, candies, peanuts, etc. With a snapping lid closure, there won’t be any more melted candies and crushed peanuts stuck to the carpets.

Are you planning to stop at a drive thru? Invest in some shower caddies to make on-the-go eating easier! Stick your burgers, nuggets, fries, and apple slices in the shower caddy sections and easily balance your meal.

Also, to avoid finding trash in your car for weeks after your trip, use a cereal container with a plastic shopping bag as a trash can. When you’re finished eating and you have greasy napkins and sandwich wrappers, pop the top open, put your trash in, and close the lid. When you stop at the next gas station, it will be easy disposal.

To avoid a chorus of “I’m bored!” from the back seats, hang a shoe organizer on the back of the driver or passenger side seats to store some road-trip activities. Smaller items such as coloring books, crayons, stuffed animals, dolls, or whatever your child prefers to have with them, will fit nicely in the pockets. Hanging this off the back of the seat will make it easily accessible at all times.

Lastly, we may hate to be reminded, but you may be prone to car sick kiddos so bring peppermint candies along. Peppermint will help soothe the stomach and reduce nausea. If the curvy West Virginia roads upset the little ones’ stomach, place a plastic shopping bag handles on like a vest over your child’s shoulders. This is a quick way to make a disposable vomit-catching bib. As a reminder, never place a plastic bag around a child’s neck.

If you are coming across Backbone Mountain on Route 219, you may also have a chance to glimpse several very large wind turbines alongside the road. You and the kids can take the opportunity to stretch your legs and may find the view of the massive blades slicing through the air quite impressive.

#GetTuckered in Canaan Valley!