My family loves to travel together. I really think exploring new places with my kids is one of my absolute favorite parts of parenting. None of the distractions of home, we’re having fun, and always learning something new. On our bucket list is to take the kids to Yellowstone so I was excited to have the opportunity to partner with Fodor’s and Penguin Random House to share these must-haves for a family road trip out west!
Fodor’s The Complete Guide to National Parks of the West
When you’re planning your summer vacation with the kids, Fodor’s Travel is the go-to for making the most of your trip. I was just looking at some of their books on Amazon (all very highly rated) and they are lifesavers when you’re trying to discover the important landmarks in a new place.
For 80 years Fodor’s has been a trusted resource offering expert travel advice and in celebration of the National Park Service Centennial in 2016, their experts unveiled a new suite of online tools and updated guidebooks to help travelers plan an unforgettable family trip to America’s incredible natural wonders. Throughout 2016, all parks, including the venerable Yellowstone and Yosemite, will celebrate the centennial with activities and initiatives that allow visitors to revel in their natural, historical, and cultural splendor.
There are so many amazing parks in the western part of the USA, and since we are not familiar with any of it we definitely need some help planning a road trip. It’s seriously overwhelming to think about doing that on our own. Thankfully Fodor’s National Park Road Trip Itineraries include the most road-trip worthy adventures to parks across various states. Hallelujah! Let’s just be real here: traveling is so much fun but it can add up in terms of $$, and you want to make the most of your time and see the important stuff while you’re there. Fodor’s makes doing that EASY.
On May 10, Fodor’s The Complete Guide to The National Parks of the West will be available to buy. This edition includes completely updated coverage of the best sites, dining, and lodging in and around each park. I feel the best summer road trip ever coming on!
Penguin Random House Listening Library
While road tripping can be serious fun, it can also lead to cries of ‘Are we there yet?’ from the back seat. Parents, I know you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about here. The solution? Audiobooks!
With an audiobook, you can completely lose yourself in the journey, enjoying the scenery while listening to a great narrator tell you a story. Ideal listening with kids in the car, audiobooks expand vocabulary, teach pronunciation and improve reading comprehension. In fact, 85% of what we learn, we learn by listening.
Penguin Random House sent us these three audiobooks and we have been loving them. My son, who is only 7, is actually listening to Jennifer L. Holm’s The Fourteenth Goldfish, and he is really enjoing it. A brain-teasing mystery like Chris Grabenstein’s Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, is perfect for a road trip, and so is Jack London’s classic The Call of the Wild read by Emmy Award winner Jeff Daniels. Love it when a voice I recognize is the narrator!
I was trying to save these audiobooks for our summer travels but these two couldn’t wait that long! A little quiet time with your pup and a good story is just what we all need once in a while.
The Giveaway
The folks at Penguin Random House are generously offering one of my readers a #FodorsOnTheGo Travel Prize Pack to plan the perfect summer road trip west!
One (1) winner receives:
- Fodor’s The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West;
- 3 audiobooks to listen to on the drive: The Fourteenth Goldfish, Escape from Mr Lemoncello’s Library, and Call of the Wild;
- PLUS a $25 Visa gift card to put towards filling up the tank!
This giveaway is open to US residents ages 18+ only and will end at 11:59pm ET on May 16, 2016. Good luck!
They listen to music, do activities on their tablets, snack a bit and sing along 🙂
DVDs are our friends on long trips! Lots of books and snacks too!
Put on DVDS and listen to music
The play their Nintendo DS.
My son likes to use his iPod on trips.
We watch movies.
When my son was growing up, we had a DVD player in the car and watched movies to keep him occupied on long road trips. There were no tablets or smartphones. 🙂
An “activity box” with lots of different things in it to pull out from time to time!
My kids bring their tablets and we have snacks for them too.
We like to play the license plate game.
We bring puzzle books, video games with their handheld gaming system. Small DVD player, and plenty of drinks and snacks.
Listen To Music, Watch Movies, Books, Games Are Ways I Keep The Kids Occupied On Road Trips.
I let them play video games on their tablets
They watch DVDs.
We bring portable DVDs, coloring books, card games, snacks and books!
To keep my grandsons occupied I let them play educational games on their iPads and play movies in the DVD player in the car.
We play the usual car games, and also tell funny stores about another sibling. it gets everyone laughing and remembering good times which puts them into a great mood for the trip.
My son plays games.
We like to play games using things we see out the window, sing to songs and have some iPad time with headphones.
To keep kids occupied during a long trip, we read books, play games, sing songs and in advance I print out geography and trivia information for learning along the route. It also helps to bring snacks and drinks for the ride!
They bring books, their iPod, and their Nintendo DS and lots of snacks.
They usually play games on their tablets.
DVD’s and car games are what we do to make a car trip fun!
We play car games and sing along to songs. They each bring a backpack with things to do.
They watch a movie or they play car games.
They play with my ipad
We usually get a new movie they have not seen to play, and they love to play on the Ipad. We love playing eye spy games in the car too!
I would take movies to watch, games, books and snacks
They listen to music and play games on tablets.
Our family keeps a bucket of fun items in the middle of the backseat on a long road trip. My kids are old enough to color in the car, play travel games, and read on their own. We keep a bucket between the searts to hold the items. All I need is music and a good book… oh, and happy kids! : )
We take DVD’s and listen to music to pass the time.
we print and put together our own travel activity packets.
We keep the kids occupied with DVDs on a road trip.
It’s much easier these days with ipads and phones for the kids to play games on. when my boys were little in the 80’s we played games and sang silly songs on road trips.
Lots of word games
We bring movies, books and music! I love this prize package, thank you!
We talk, play games, sing songs and look at the scenery.
We usually let them read books on trips.
We played games like finding states license plates or I Spy.
Playing car games keeps the little ones busy.
My daughter’s DVD player, Nintendo DS and books keep her VERY busy during long car rides.
We let them watch movies and we try to have some car games to play!
They have books, play games, and watch their favorite movies.
Buy a bunch of toys from the dollar store, wrap them in colorful wrapping paper, and hand one over every 30-60 minutes. Works like a charm!
Movies and games on the ipad are always a hit plus coloring books!
Usually some fun car games like count how many red cars we see or we sing songs or turn the eve player on. Frequent and regular stops help too
we play the alphabet game on road trips.
Play games, sing and talk about school, friends, family.
we play games and play with toys
We pack snacks, paper and pencils and electronics to keep the girls busy. We also play the alphabet game and we like to find certain vehicles and scream them out. Thank you!
Luckily my kids love watching movies and sleeping on long car trips because they are preteen now.
We play games and watch movies
Electronics-ipad for movies or video games. Yes people don’t want their kids spending too much screen time but it’s the only thing that works and keeps them quiet for long road trips.
I usually have a couple of their favorite movies and we play them on a portable DVD player.
I keep the kids occupied on a long road trip by giving them car games and Kindles. Thanks for the giveaway!
We bring the portable movie player. They love watching movies, so it works.
We never do a family road trip without an audio book. Listening to a good story really makes the time go by fast.
We listen to music and sing songs. We also play games!
We give them books to read and movies to watch.
I usually put on some Disney music during the trip.
They usually watch their favorite movies
We watch movies.
We play license plate bingo, watch movies, singalongs, and make our own travel journals.
My kids usually watch movies or play games on their Kindle and Ipad.
games and video games
Books, videos, and games for the car.
I like to give them books, snacks, puzzle books and iPad/phone. One time a (before camera phones) I gave my kids disposable one time use cameras to take pictures. It gave them something to do and I got some great photos. I hope to take my grandkids on a road trip this summer .
For long road trips I pack snacks and they all watch movies or play on their tablets.
They usually listen to music with headphones or play on a tablet
We get lots of snacks for road trips, coloring books, activity books, music & tablet games! They love it
We play games like “I Spy” & trivia games of the current state we’re driving through. We also bring DVD’s to watch on the DVD player & play music on radio
I pack an envelope with activities for each day of road travel. Puzzles, jokes, math problems, etc.
IPAD 🙂 Games mostly! Well educational games lol
My kids listen to music on their phones.
Books, conversation and games
A portable dvd player keeps them busy.
Movies and books always help them stay occupied. Thanks for the giveaway!
we listen and sing along to the radio, and play “the alphabet game” or memory games (“I’m going on vacation and I’m takng…”)
I bring the portable DVD player and books and video games ha
Play games! license plate, I spy, twenty questions etc.
(and if all else fails, tablets!)
😀
thanks!
Movies and games help on long trips
We play a lot of singing games and i-spy also car bingo.
We have a DVD player in the back seat so my daughter can watch movies on long trips. When she’s not watching movies, my wife plays her music through the USB port on my stero.
Playing games like bingo using landmarks or having to spot objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet.
I encourage the kids to bring a book to read, we listen to music and play a few games in the car.
Playing games such as “The Alphabet” or “Yellow Car” helps to pass the time and keep kids socially involved with family while traveling. Reading material is useful if the child is a reader. Favorite music time is always a hit when everyone in the vehicle receives a turn to pick a favorite song to play and/or sing along.
We bring tablets loaded with games and favorite videos!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
we watch movies and play games!
They watch movies and shows.
My youngest has a portable dvd player, arts and crafts and books to read and the older ones have electronic devices such as tablets and ereaders.
We always do an occupy bag! Puzzle books, books to read, travel games! We also started buying the Weird books – Like Weird Pennsylvania – so we can see the weird and wonderdul stuff on any trip!
No kids, but when I was growing up we had books & coloring books & games. (way before computers).
Thanks for the contest.
They watch a movie
They play games or watch movies on a tablet.
Have them look for licence plates from all 50 states
My daughter is so good on road trips! We let her pick out 6 DVDs, one of which is usually a season of an old Disney show like Duck Tales or TaleSpin. She has a portable DVD player that’s kept her occupied for years! When she was younger, she loved her Magnadoodle too!
i play kids music on their ipad and we play games with each other!
When the kids were young, I’d make up a travel bag for each. I’d fill it with colored pencils, a notebook, small puzzles and games, and some snacks. They never knew what was in the bag until after we were in the car.
we sing. loudly! LOL we also play games, listen to audio books and have frequent stops planned. we also plan to stay up really late the night before so she will sleep in the car. she handles road trips pretty well nowadays. we love to road trip!
As long as my daughter has her iPod and her tablet she is good to go (until the battery dies!)
Read, color, and talk.
All of my grandkids have cell phones, so they listen to music or play games on their phones while traveling. I buy them ear buds so I don’t have to listen to all of the different types of music going on at the same time. I also pack paper, pens and travel games for them to use.
We bring along lots of books for my son to read and play road games.
We play car games and watch movies.
books music snacks
we let them use the electronics on road trips so they can stay occupied.
We love to play games while driving.
We play road games, read books, and bring tablets.
Activity books and watching movies on tablets
they have a DVD player and ipad to keep them occupied
We play games and watch movies
We listen to music and play games.
Kids are a bit older now so they have their audio books to keep them entertained.
thank you
We make sure we bring lots of snacks and DVD’s for the kids to keep them busy.
They usually watch lots of movies!
We listen to music, and they play games on their phones and tablets.
It’s easier now that everyone is older. They have their own music, books, tablets to watch movies or play games on and we almost always take frequent breaks.
When I was a kid, I just remember a lot of poking, fighting and being bored. 🙂
There are many activities you can do during road trips including listen to music, color, watch movies on a tablet, and read books.
We sing a long to the Ipod.
It all depends on the age of the children. Younger children are easily distracted by inexpensive new toys from the dollar store or toys they haven’t played with for a long time. Older children can be a part of our travel games such as looking for certain color cars or certain license plates. DVD’s are a last resort.
Portable dvd player with hours of paw patrol dvds.
My kids like to watch movies on long trips.
We let them bring some of their favorite DVD’s along or they play on their cell phones on trips
Having music and books available are helpful and having short breaks to stretch your legs.
We have a toddler daughter and snacks help a lot with her. Books (especially new ones) and singing songs with her keep her happy in the car, too.
Laptop and coloring books!
For my granddaughter we take books, games and snacks
We play games. listen to music, and tell stories.
I create music lists with their favorite songs and also have games prepared that we can play. It is a great time to have conversations and listen to whatever they want to tell you.
Their tablets and snacks
Road trip games, movies, and music, and snacks!
We play games, and of course, make use of portable DVD players / iPads for them to watch cartoons & movies.
They play games on their tablet or read books.
My son watches movies, listens to audibooks and plays games on the Kindle on long road trips.
For my 7 and 4 year old we play road games like i-spy, and listen to music or audio tapes. And for my 1 year old I bring a basket of his favorite toys.