Car travel with children – 5 tips to make the trip more enjoyable

A long car trip with kids is often made easier with a little planning. By preparing breaks, snacks, games and simple entertainment, the trip can be more enjoyable for both children and adults. Here are five practical tips for those of you who will be traveling with children in the car – plus a printable car bingo to take along on the road.

1. Plan breaks along the way

We'll start with the basics – planning your stops in advance. By planning where and when you'll take a break along the way (even before you get in the car), you'll create a good basic plan to fall back on.

The Swedish Transport Administration has an up-to-date map of rest areas in Sweden where you can see services such as toilets, playgrounds, restaurants and other facilities.

2. Let the children move during the stops

When it's time to take a break during a long car trip with children, it's a good idea to let the whole family get out of the car for a while. Children who have been sitting still for a long time may need to run around, stretch their legs, and regain their energy before it's time to continue the journey.

Choose a rest area with a toilet, grassy area or playground if there is one along the road. Then the children can play hide and seek, jump, do some simple movements or just go for a short walk with an adult. Even a ten-minute break can make a big difference to the mood in the car.

One tip is to plan your breaks before you leave. This will make it easier to avoid stress and give you a natural rhythm to your journey. For smaller children, it can also be nice to know when the next stop is coming, especially if the question “are we there soon?” starts to pop up often.

3. Pack smart snacks for the road trip

Good snacks on a road trip can make a big difference when kids get hungry between stops. Opt for foods that are easy to eat in the car, don't make too much mess, and can be divided into small portions. Fruit pieces, sandwiches, corn cakes, vegetable sticks, raisins, cheese cubes, and water bottles with sports caps are practical options.

For a long car trip with children, it can be smart to pack snacks in small boxes or bags, so that each child gets their own. This will reduce spillage and discussions about who got what. It is a good idea to have wipes, napkins and a small bag for trash close at hand.

If you want to make food part of the entertainment, you can prepare a little “travel snack” with different colors, shapes or themes. For example, the children can choose something red, something round and something crunchy. This makes the break or the time in the car a little more fun, without you having to pull out the screens right away.

Read also: Food in the car – good tips for food on a road trip

4. Listen to audiobooks, music or podcasts

Audio is an easy way to create calm and entertainment when you have children in the car. An exciting audiobook, a child-friendly podcast or a shared playlist can make time pass faster, especially on longer journeys.

Before a long car trip with children, it can be a good idea to download audiobooks, music and podcasts in advance, so that you are not dependent on connectivity along the way. Choose content that is appropriate for the children's age and that the whole family can tolerate listening to. For younger children, stories and songs can work well, while older children often appreciate quizzes, facts, humor or chapter books.

Want to fill your playlist for the trip? Listen to Kvdbil 's best car songs on Spotify and find music that makes the car trip more fun for the whole family.

Another tip is to let the children participate in choosing what to listen to. This will make the trip more enjoyable and give the children something to look forward to. Feel free to alternate audiobooks with games in the car, car bingo or quiet moments so that the trip doesn't feel too monotonous.

5. Print out car bingo for the kids

Car bingo for kids is an easy way to make car trips more fun without a screen. Kids can look for things along the way and cross off what they see outside the window.

We've created a downloadable PDF that's ready to print for upcoming road trips. One tip is to print several copies to have them for both bingo cards and coloring books - or why not a combination of both?