Long Road Trip (TX to CA)

You will pass through desert so make sure your car has a good tune up and that your tire tread is good before the trip. Carry plenty of water in case of a breakdown. For entertainment bring sing along music, books on tape and plenty of imagination! And also maybe look at the landmarks you will be driving past. You can tell the kids about the ones you might not have time to see. And give them a little history lesson as you go! I drove cross country with my parents many times growing up and it is fun (though sometimes stressful) time. Many good memories! Just remember to be a little flexible and stop when people need to. Plan some fun running around games for grassy rest areas and pic nic lunches instead of fast food when you can. Give them a break when they need it and it will be less stress on everyone. Many nice places to camp as you go if you are into that!

I have made the trip from AR to CA before, but not with kids. The Petrified Forest is neat, and Santa Fe, NM (a little out of the way, though).

My experience with kids and road trips is that it is best to be somewhere during the day that they can spend the morning romping and then the afternoon/evening driving, when they can nap if they are going to do so. They will be ready to stop for a couple of days in Anaheim and the last day or two of travel will be no fun, most likely. They will be tired of the car by then. I would recommend a DVD player (they have ones with 2 screens) and a new movie or two that you don't break out until the last couple of days. Magna Doodles and Etch a Sketch are fun, non-messy toys. For the older ones, you can buy activity books - maybe one about the states you are traveling to. There are games you could play in the car (classic one ones that don't require stuff - Slug Bug, etc.), or ones you can buy, like Apples to Apples to go version. Have fun, pack lots of car snacks!

Leaps & Bounds/One Step Ahead makes a terrific soft portable tray for kids to use during car trips. It just attaches around a car seat. It has a flat surface for coloring and playing, with side pockets on the sides to store snacks, drinks and supplies. It's soft enough to collapse in a car accident, so it's safe in the car. It's been a lifesaver for us on long car trips!

I used to live in New Mexico, and my best advice is to make sure you stop and eat really good mexican food! Silly I know, but I've never lived anywhere since then that had food nearly as good.

It's a little out of the way, but White Sands National Monument is a pretty amazing sight. Carlsbad Caverns is really cool too, and will be a lot cooler in the summer than some of your other desert sites.

Good luck with your road trip- I've never done one with kids in tow. I hope you get lots of good suggestions to keep them busy and happy. Oh, one thing you might want to have with you depending on your car. When we drove through Arizona once our car overheated and my parents wished they had a gallon or two of water in the trunk. Have fun!

I have and it will be great! Definitely take a DVD player that can plug into your lighter. Lots of water and snacks. If you can avoid restaurants and make sandwiches, then stop in rest areas to give the kids a little stretch time. Be open to breaks.

I recommend leaving at like 3a.m. and stopping early where there is a pool so that the kids can get tired out and burn off their energy. Everybody in bed (including you and your husband) by about 7pm. This way the kids are asleep the first several hours of the drive.

Carlsbad Caverns is a good place to stop. And Tombstone, Arizona. Do your research though. It's been quite a few years since I have been.
Don't forget San Diego has Leggo Land, The Wild Animal Park and Sea World.

Bring a coffee can for the times you can't find a potty. Never be short on water...........it's hot in Arizona!

We camped from NC to CA in 2001 with a 12, 6, 3, and 6 month old. I won't do it again but it was an adventure the older ones still talk about .
We hit all the northern spots.
Badlands, Wall Drug, Grandmas' house in MN and IL, Little House in DeSmet.
I would check to see what was on your way, the Grand Canyon, Crater National Park, Zion.
Take a picture at every Welcome to sign. We pulled off the side of the road and stood by the sign except in CA and IN. I didn't wake the 3 yr old or baby to do it if they were sleeping though. If you see something advertised, like a rock museum or something, go and see it.
Get a car DVD.
Get a travel game book. Klutz has some really good ones, the kids can play games in the seat and they have games like How many different states' lisence plates can you find.
Cracker Barrel will rent movies and books on CD in one place then you watch it and return it to the next Cracekr Barrel you see.
Fine some child friendly maps so you can show them just how and where you are going. They can then know if you are there or not.
Take lots of breaks. Have lots of water, a potty, snacks, We made sandwiches once and it was so dry the bread was almost stale before we got the peanut buutter on it. Oh I wrapped little gifts for the kids once and every so often on a break they would each geta gift. a book, a tape(this was in the late 90's), fun stuff.
Enjoy it.

Here is a list of things for the kids to do in the car to make the trip smoother.
http://www.bigbluetrunk.com/ourcorner/689

When I was a child we made this trip and loved it.
That was a hundred years ago so I do not have recommendations from that trip. But this is what I suggest for any really long trip.

When you plot out the trip on Mapquest.. see if you can find parks or elementary schools along the way so you all can stop and let the kids run and play for about 30 minutes. Have a different child be in charge of the "warm up at the park". Include a snack at this time. Take a cooler full of drinks and cut up fresh fruit and veggies. This will help avoid constipation from all of the sitting

If you do not own one, consider borrowing a car TV with DVD. Also pack a variety of DVDs your children will enjoy.

Purchase a joke book, Get some books on CD that the family will enjoy.

Take a list of car games.. We used to try to do puns. I spy. Or rhyming words. We would start a story and have each family member add the next line. Go on line and look for suggested car games.

Keep a bag of surprises that every once in a while you pull a new item out and the family can play with.. At one stop bubbles, at another jump ropes.. Try to find things that are not electronic.. etc.. Boxed cameras for each child.

If you have the luxury stop at odd sounding sites.. Some of these are just odd, but the kids will get a kick out of the oddities.. These sometimes make the best memories..

Have fun!