PLANNING for a family holiday road trip requires a lot of preparation before the  journey so that the hours in the car will pass quickly and happily.

Travelling with children can be exhausting. Keep them entertained with fun snacks, travel games and activities like allowing them to draw on the car windows.

Also read: Six hacks to ensure smooth travelling with kids

Pack a treasure chest together – Consider a sticker book, small toys and treats. Anything that could keep them busy. And if they help decide what should go in it, the excitement for the road trip will also build up, making them less likely to complain.

Travel journal – Get children excited by giving them a blank book to fill with drawings, notes and anything else they collect on the trip, like slips or wrappers, for example. This will keep them engaged during the trip.

Make snacking fun – All the children love snacks but, instead of giving them a snack they’re used to, why not make it interactive and fun to eat?

For teenagers:

Magnetised board games – If your children want to play games, choose magnetic versions to avoid them getting upset when things go missing or fall around in the car.

Brain teasers and riddles – Teens might enjoy challenging the family to brain teasers and riddles they have to figure out first.

Music or audiobooks and earphones – Older children will likely be happiest when they can switch off from everything else in the car and go into their own world. A good set of headphones and a phone with music or audio books could keep them engrossed during a long car ride.

Colouring pages – Although you might think colouring in pencils are reserved for younger children, it has become a popular and very relaxing activity for all ages, and your teen is bound to enjoy a colouring in or drawing activity. Even better, they can do it while listening to music or audio books.

Road trip bingo – Keep everyone’s attention on the journey by introducing a game of road trip bingo! From how many trucks to convertibles they can see and in which colours, this will get everyone in the family invested in the game.

Meanwhile, Arrive Alive reported that 56% of road crashes recorded on the N3 Toll Route between January and October this year were because drivers lost control of their vehicles.

Plan for busy traffic conditions

A gradual increase in southbound traffic on the N3 Toll Route (towards KZN) has already been recorded, with traffic volumes expected to continue to increase.

Toll plazas will operate at full capacity

All toll plaza lanes will be open during peak traffic periods, but road users are warned that congestion and delays may be experienced when traffic volumes are high.

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