Tips for longer distance driving

[PlushGolf]

I'm going on a weekend away soon with my dc. I've planned to take the train ( not yet booked) but would like to drive it instead.
Problem is I've never drove for more than 45 minutes. This drive would be nearer to 3 hours.
I get tired quite easily when driving so have never pushed myself to go further than the regular 45 minute journey I make. I'm unfamiliar with the route and it's making me feel quite stressed.

When I tell people I'm taking the train they look surprised as I can drive. Dc do prefer the train so I tell people that which is the truth but not that I'd rather not do the drive.

Can anyone give me any tips for doing longer drives?

why do you want to drive if you and your children like trains and presuming it’s convenient?

Lots of ZZTop and regular breaks.

How old are DC? How.much entertainment they need makes a difference. Do you have a satnav so you can follow the route? What kind of journey; mostly motorway or urban etc?

If you go wrong it doesn't matter, you can get back on the route so just keep calm and accept an added few minutes.

Tips… do some research and find somewhere about half way where you can stop for lunch (not a heavy one!) and then go for a decent walk afterwards. That’s what i do with mine and feels like part of the holiday

The train is a lot more expensive as i will also need to get taxis to and from the station. Also I can take more In the car.

Regular stops

If you only drive 45 mins , I would stop every hour for a good break

Also travel when it's daylight and
After rush hour

Plan 2 stops about an hour and 2 hours.
At stop 1 have a coffee / loo break for 20-30mins.
At stop 2 have lunch for an hour.

Alternatively/Additionally find an attraction part way and have a much longer break then.

I would plan two stops after one hour each, then it's not much more than you've driven before for each leg.

Have a look on google maps to find places you can all have a good leg stretch, or just ask on here for cafes next to playgrounds, that sort of thing.

How old are the DC? Will they be happy looking out of the window, reading books or can you just plug them into screens.

Take plenty of snacks and have water bottles to hand.

I often do a four hour drive fairly often
I stop at least once / if not twice for a break, something to eat and stretch my legs and get fresh air
use Waze - this has real time traffic info so if there’s delays you can know in advance / take an alternative route
download audio books, musi etc and give yourself plenty of time

You maybe just need more practice at longer drives to build up your confidence. If on an unfamiliar route google maps on my phone leads the way.

I often do a 3 hour drive with my grandchildren. We stop half way for a snack and loo break. I let the kids choose the music and we sing along. They like to play silly “spotting” games along the way. First to spot a blue car, a tractor, a sheep etc. When we stop for a break I find washing my face with a wet wipe refreshes me for the onward journey.

I hope you have a great weekend. I’m sure you’ll do just fine 😊

Google maps and specifically street view on your computer before you go so you can look at the junctions or any motorway services you might be stopping at before you get to them. I find that reassures me, I had a weird almost triple roundabout thing recently and that helped know what lane I needed to be in before I got there to navigate my way through it.

Also have some map app open on your phone in your car or through your car if you have a screen so that you can see the route plus you can add in stops on google maps so it will take you to the service stations. If you are only used to driving for 45 minutes I would aim to stop by an hour dependent on where you can stop. Get out of the car, have a little walk, visit the loo.

The only way you will get used to it is by doing it. I also think it helps for future things, sadly for me, navigating to the cancer hospital my Mum was in for weeks, finding a place to park as the car park was always full, that sort of thing. This wasn't local to me but local to her. This is where google street view massively helps to plan your journey. You will be fine.

Make sure you have a way to charge the screens in car, then just let them loose on those for 3 hours. Headphones to avoid the infernal beeping.

Few bags of treats to bring out at random.

Also manage toilet stops. Nothing worse than having to stop every 30 mins because someone has decided to consume 1.5l of pepsi in the first half of the journey. Stopping takes forever.