"When I was young, if I
got bored on a road trip, I read a book."
"When I was
young, I had to listen to whatever music my parents played on the
radio."
"When I was young, we entertained ourselves on car
trips by playing games, singing songs, and telling jokes."
Sound
familiar? I can't be the only one who sounds hopelessly crotchety when
fielding my kids' road trip complaints. I know, I know -- times and
technology and kids' entertainment preferences have changed dramatically
since we were young. The fact is I love how wireless Internet
has changed how we travel. I love being able to look up local eateries
and attractions, and to make reservations online, and to sack out in a
hotel with a movie on Netflix Streaming.
What I don't
love is how tech and gadgets tend to isolate us in our own personal
entertainment bubbles. There have been times, on road trips, where all
four of us were plugged into our own respective devices (the driver's
device was plugged into the car stereo). Not a crime for short periods,
but left unchecked we lose a precious opportunity to connect and to
build memories together.
Banning gadgets is impractical (and
hypocritical, as I generally have my laptop along). Instead, here are
some ways the family can still get their gadget fix while remaining
engaged with each other.
Reading
One could argue that
reading a book can be as isolating as playing with an electronic gadget.
And one would be right. But no one would argue that kids should read less.
One of the beauties of the road trip are the long stretches of
uninterrupted time with relatively little to do (same reason I love long
plane flights). Giving kids the opportunity to experience three or four
hours of contiguous reading is a gift.
I'm still partial to
paper books, but I can see the appeal of the Kindle (or iPad,
or other electronic book reader) for travel. You've got your whole
library along for the ride! It's light and easy to handle! It's fun to
use! If you're thinking of getting a Kindle for the family to share or
for your kids to use, get it before your next road trip.
Listening
to music
It's the classic way kids have always tuned out on road
trip. But I maintain that listening to music stimulates the mind in a
way that compliments the real world...and not by drowning it out. Armed
with an iPod or other music player (no iPod video!), one can
stare out the window while listening to a personal soundtrack. I
remember doing as much when I was a kid with my little cassette player,
and my imagination would take flight.
Learning about geography
Here's
where a gadget really shines on a road trip. With a GPS device
(or GPS-enabled smartphone), kids can interact with maps in real
time. More than once, our kids have pointed out stuff on the GPS that
was interesting enough to cause us to detour and explore. They become
active participants in how the trip plays out...you don't get more
engaged than that.
Playing multiplayer games
Some
electronic gaming actually brings people together. I recently wrote
about a new crop of multiplayer games for the iPad that in many
ways emulate the experience of playing a traditional board game. Nice
thing on a road trip...no pieces to drop on the floor. I'm a fan of
magnetic travel versions of regular board games, but if you're already
bringing your iPad, these are worth a look.
Researching your
destination
Another way to involve the kids in the trip is to let
them research where you're going. Get out the laptop or smartphone and get on Yelp to find tonight's dinner
(or anything else), check out official tourism sites, even "preview" a
place on YouTube. The more kids can find what they find
interesting about your destination, the more enthusiastic they'll be
about the adventure.
Any other ideas? I'd love to hear how your family uses technology to
enrich your travel while on the road.
This post is part of a
series sponsored by Dodge Caravan.
mania! Then I remembered the book is called 
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