Taking young twins on a vacation is hard enough, but throw in a second set of twins and people think I have lost my mind. Yep, you read that right — I have two sets of twins, ages two and four. Maybe I did lose my mind, but it’s important to my husband and I to expose our children to different cultures, new experiences and exciting adventures. Moreover, we want to prove that you can have young kids, but still get out and go, to hopefully inspire other families to do the same.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been wondering what adventures are possible for our family this year, and you might be wondering the same! My answer: road trips! Traveling by plane requires exposure to a large number of people, but a road trip will allow you to travel with very minimal exposure.
Whether you are an avid traveler itching to go on a trip (like myself) or are simply going stir crazy at home, here are my top tips for road tripping with your twins this summer.
1. Drive During Sleeping Hours
If your kids are young, I recommend driving at night or leaving very early in the morning. Hopefully, your kids will sleep for a couple of hours during the drive, giving you quiet time and most importantly, less hours of entertainment to provide.
2. Plan Out Breaks
Map out your route before you leave and do a little research to identify roadside attractions or other areas to stop. We all know kids have to use the bathroom often, and many times without much notice, so pre-planning stops can help minimize emergencies. It’s also important to use your stops as an opportunity for kids to burn off some energy with a quick walk or running race.
3. Pack Plenty of (Non-Messy) Snacks
We try to feed the kids a good meal before traveling, but always pack plenty of snacks. Choose easy finger foods and avoid any snacks that might cause a mess in the car. Some of our favorite travel snacks include peanut butter sandwiches, pouches, crackers, sliced cucumber, whole avocados, granola bars, cookies, and rolls.
4. Put Extra Thought Into Toys
Toys are a great form of entertainment for kids, but I encourage you to be thoughtful while choosing toys for an upcoming trip. I try to choose toys that the kids have never seen before or have not used in a while, so it feels new and exciting. Specific to twins, I always pack the same toy(s) for each kid in an attempt to lessen the number of things they can fight over. Lastly, I try to avoid bringing small toys that will get lost under seats once they are dropped (or thrown), because that is bound to happen.
5. Don’t Stress About Screen Time
In the end, you gotta do what you gotta do. If you need some quiet time in the car, don’t feel bad about putting a show or movie on the iPad to buy yourself a 1-2 hours of entertainment. it is one of most useful road trip tips with twins for sure.
About Marissa Goldstein
Marissa is a mother of four (two sets of twins aged 2 and 4) and blogger behind Twins On The Go x2. Her and her husband founded Rafi Nova, a bag and accessories fashion company that has shifted to manufacture kid, teen, and adult face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission of Rafi Nova is to unite communities around the world and empower parents to take their children on new adventures.
