Top 20 tips for driving with children: No boredom on the way to your camping vacation

Top 20 car travel tips – The car journey when camping with the family can easily be the most stressful part of the trip.
Staying in a car seat for hours on end can be hell for many children.
To avoid having your camping trip spoiled by whining and crying before it has even started, here are 20 tips on how you as a family can make the whole trip with a roof tent or similar a little more relaxed.
Overall, it’s about taking the children’s needs into account and providing a pleasant and safe driving environment.
Good planning, sufficient entertainment, regular breaks and observance of traffic rules will make the trip to the campsite with the family a stress-free experience.
Enjoy the time with your children and experience an unforgettable camping vacation!

That’s why camping with children is worthwhile!

Camping with children offers numerous advantages.
Firstly, it allows children to experience nature intensively and discover new adventures.
This encourages their curiosity, their spirit of discovery and strengthens the family bond.
Secondly, camping by car with a roof tent offers flexibility and freedom to explore different campsites and adapt your itinerary.
However, you may have to take longer car journeys, for which you can find tips here.
It is a cost-effective alternative to other types of vacation and creates unforgettable memories for the whole family.
All in all, camping vacations with children and a car and roof tent offer a unique opportunity to enjoy nature, experience adventures together and strengthen family bonds.

Tip 1: Breaks are the be-all and end-all

It is important to plan regular breaks during the car journey so that your children can stretch their legs and get some fresh air.
Sitting in the car for hours can be exhausting for them.
Use rest areas or other suitable parking lots to take short breaks.
During this time, your children can run around, stretch and maybe even play a little game.
This will help to discharge their energy and leave them more relaxed in the car for the rest of the journey.

• Breaks allow children active movement & fresh air
• Take short breaks at rest stops or suitable parking lots

A roof tent is particularly practical here – quickly unfolded and you can take a break just like at the campsite.
The whole unfolding mechanism is also very simple and can even be done when the children are whining around you.
You can find a suitable roof tent for the whole family here: 👉 X-Cover roof tent

Tip 2: Sights along the way

You now know how important breaks are – it’s best to take them near places of interest.
To do this, you can plan your route in advance.
Find out about the route in advance and mark possible rest stops, parking lots or places of interest along the way.
This way, you can make the breaks more interesting and allow your children to discover something new or stretch their legs.

• Take breaks near places of interest (opportunity to discover something new)
• Plan your route in advance, including rest stops, parking spaces and places of interest along the way

Tip: You can find lots of suggestions for places where you can make a stopover here: Destinations or in the Camping Places Wiki.
Planning is the be-all and end-all – even with a map:

Tip 3: Laws & road safety

Find out in advance about the traffic rules and speed limits on the way to your destination.
Different countries or regions may have different rules.
You should also pay attention to the regulations for child seats, for example.
You should also pay attention to traffic signs, speed limits and other traffic rules while driving.
This will keep you, your family and other road users safe.

• Inform yourself in advance about traffic regulations & speed limits (abroad)
• Observe traffic signs, speed limits & other traffic rules

Tip 4: very important – snack breaks

To satisfy hunger and thirst during the journey, you can bring snacks and drinks for your children.
It is better to choose healthy snacks such as fruit, vegetable sticks or nuts.
Avoid highly sugary foods to prevent a sudden burst of energy or the exhaustion that follows.
This often makes children fussy.
Water is the best choice for hydration, but you can also take juice boxes with you.
Especially in summer, the whole family should drink a lot – but then you also have to plan breaks for the toilet.

• Avoid hunger & thirst?
  Take snacks such as fruit, vegetable sticks or nuts with you!
• Drink water (sometimes take juice packs as an alternative)

Apples & grapes as a quick snack:

Tip 5: Tidiness & cleanliness in the car – garbage bags

If the children eat in the car, it can be very useful to take bin bags with you for leftover food and packaging.
It’s best to explain to your children exactly how to dispose of their garbage before the journey.
After the journey, you should regularly empty the garbage bin in the car to avoid odors and, in the worst case, vermin.
This contributes to a more pleasant and hygienic driving environment.

• Take garbage bags with you to dispose of leftover food & packaging in the car
• Empty the waste bin regularly to avoid odors & vermin

Tip 6: Toys, books or games

To keep your children occupied during the car journey, it is important to take enough toys, books or activities with you.
Of course, these should also be easy to use in the car, which usually doesn’t have that much space, such as travel games with smaller and handy formats, coloring books or puzzles.
Make sure you have enough of these entertainment options with you.
This will help you to keep the children entertained and prevent boredom.

• Prevent boredom & make the journey more enjoyable
• Travel games, coloring books or puzzles in handy formats

An exciting book = lots to do!

Tip 7: Play relaxed games in the car

The toy has become boring or didn’t even fit in the car?
You can also think of games where the whole family has to think and you don’t need a game board, playing cards or playing pieces.
Classics such as “I see what you don’t see” or “car bingo” are popular and easy to play.
You can also try out word games, singing competitions or story rounds.
It’s often a lot of fun and everyone in the car is in a better mood straight away.

• Consider games without a game board, playing cards or game pieces to entertain the whole family
• “I see what you don’t see”, “car bingo”, word games, singing competitions & story rounds

You can find our top selection for lots of fun games and how they work here: Game ideas for the car journey.

Tip 8: Show interest in your children’s stories & questions

Sounds obvious at first, but after the first 5 hours of driving and the 200th repetition of the question “When will we get there?
But repeating the question “When will we be there?” can also be really exhausting.
To keep the journey relaxed for everyone involved, make sure you stay calm and focus on positive thoughts.
If this doesn’t work, it may be worth taking a short break and getting some fresh air.
After all, you should fully enjoy the trip with your children and the roof tent.

• Even if it will be exhausting: Stay calm & focus on positive thoughts
• Take a short break if necessary to get some fresh air & relax

Harmonious togetherness makes the journey much more relaxed!

Tip 9: more comfort?
Pillows or cuddly toys!

Sitting in the car for a long time can be very uncomfortable.
You should think about cushions and cuddly toys so that your children can take a short nap in between or sit more comfortably in general.
These can help them to sit more comfortably or help them to fall asleep.
A neck pillow is a great help, especially for a short nap.
Despite all the comfort, you should make sure that the cushions or cuddly toys are not too bulky and do not interfere with the seat belt.

• Help for in between: sleep briefly & feel better overall
• Pay attention to the seat belt (should not be disturbed by the cushion)

You should invest in a particularly robust cover so that the cushions are also protected for the upcoming camping trip.
You can take a look at one here: Pillowcase

Tip 10: Put away your cell phone, tablet & games console!

Of course, we no longer live 100 years ago and extensive use of technical devices is normal.
It’s not a bad thing if the children spend a few hours of the trip using electronic devices, but you can also make excellent use of the time to enjoy the scenery, talk to each other or do other activities that encourage your attention and creativity.

• Enjoy the landscape, talk to each other & undertake creative activities
• Use electronic devices for a short time, but other entertainment options

Don’t just sit at your tablet!

Tip 11: Audiobooks & music from the playlist

A good way to make good use of the technical devices is to create a playlist with children’s songs or audio books.
Music and stories can create a pleasant atmosphere and put the children in a positive mood.
You could also let your children choose their favorite songs to make the whole thing more interactive.
However, you should make sure that playing the music does not affect your concentration as a driver.

• Create a playlist with children’s songs or audio books
• Let your children choose their favorite songs

Tip 12: Rest & concentration in the car

If your children need peace and quiet to sleep or relax, it’s a good idea to give them headphones or earplugs.
This will allow them to isolate themselves from noises in the car or the activities of their siblings.
This allows them to sit back and focus on their own thoughts or perhaps audiobooks.
If the car journey is too stressful for you, it can also be a good way to keep the children quietly occupied and allow you to concentrate better.

• Headphones or earplugs for peace and quiet when sleeping or relaxing
• Children & music or audio book: more concentration for the driver

Relaxed listening to music – can also ensure peace and quiet in the car.

Tip 13: Use sun protection for the windows

Summer is one of the most popular times to travel, as it tends to be very warm and sunny.
To protect your children from direct sunlight, you can use sun protection for the car windows.
Sun visors, sun protection films or special sun protection blinds are available for this purpose.
These also ensure that there is less glare from the sun and keep the temperature in the vehicle more pleasant.
Make sure that the sun protection does not impair the driver’s view and is securely attached.

• Sun protection for car windows, such as sun visors, sun protection films or sun protection roller blinds
• Protect from the sun, reduce glare from the sun & keep the temperature in the vehicle more comfortable

To make the summer bearable once you’ve arrived at the campsite, you can read on here: Camping in the heat.

Tip 14: Avoid heavy traffic hours

The journey is particularly long and annoying if you are stuck in a traffic jam.
To minimize traffic jams and traffic stress, you should avoid times when there is a lot of traffic.
First of all, summer vacation times, rush hour and weekends are more prone to traffic jams.
It’s best to find out in advance about peak times or busy areas along your route and try to avoid them.
This planning can lead to a more enjoyable journey and reduce stress.

• Avoid peak times such as summer vacations, rush hour traffic & weekends
• Find out in advance about busy areas & peak times

Plan your route according to the volume of traffic:

Tip 15: sleep at night, don’t drive!

To avoid becoming exhausted too quickly, it is important to avoid excessive driving in the evening or at night.
Tiredness can affect your concentration and increase the risk of accidents, as you are usually used to sleeping at night.
Even if you are still super awake, however, night-time driving is also very strenuous for many children.
On long journeys, it can therefore be a good idea to plan an overnight stay to get enough sleep.

• Avoid excessive driving in the evening or at night (risk of accidents & cranky children)
• Plan an overnight stay for long journeys to get enough sleep!

If you are still tired, you are even allowed to stop briefly at a parking or rest area in Germany and sleep until you are fit to drive again.
However, you should not give the impression that you are already camping.
You can read more about this here:

• Wild camping

Tip 16: Sleep before driving, not at the wheel!

Not only should you not drive at night, you should also get enough sleep before a long car journey.
Make sure you get a good night’s rest before you set off.
Being well rested helps to increase concentration and ensure driving safety.
Make sure your children have also had enough sleep before the journey so that they don’t get tired and fussy.
They can quickly get excited before the big vacation and want to stay awake for a long time, but they should definitely sleep before the trip.

• Get enough sleep beforehand (children too)
• Don’t stay awake for long despite excitement

Spread the camping spirit – sleeping in a sleeping bag.

Tip 17: across the border?
Keep your ID ready to hand!

Especially if you’re going abroad, you should have all the important documents with you.
You usually always have your own passport to hand, but what about your child’s passport?
If you are traveling further away than the borders of the EU, the children will also need a child passport.
It may also be useful to take their health insurance card, travel insurance documents, proof of allergies and vaccination certificates.
If you do not have custody, you will also need a declaration of consent from the person with custody.
It is best to take a copy of everything with you so that you are not completely lost if something gets lost or stolen.

• Important documents: Passport or children’s passport for your children, health insurance card, travel insurance documents, proof of allergies & vaccination card
• Useful: copies of all documents in the event of theft or loss

You can find an overview of the most important documents for your trip here: Documents & papers.

Tip 18: cold or warm?
All-weather clothing, your best friend!

No matter what time of year you set off, it makes sense to have all-weather clothing to hand in the car.
In summer, there should always be a rain jacket in case it starts to rain.
If it’s cold, it’s best to dress yourself and your children in layers so that you can take something off if it gets too warm in the car.
Of course, blankets are also useful so that your children don’t get cold when they fall asleep.

• Important: all-weather clothing in the car
• Warm weather: rain jacket for unexpected rain
• Cold weather: dress in layers & blankets

You can read more about suitable clothing for camping vacations here: Clothing on a camping vacation.
It’s better to sleep well covered up!

Tip 19: First aid kit & first aid kit

In Germany, it is mandatory to have an unexpired first aid kit in your car anyway.
But a small emergency kit with tablets for travel sickness, colorful plasters and insect bite remedies can also make your journey easier and help with minor accidents.
If your child has allergies, you should definitely have the allergy medication to hand and not somewhere under all the other luggage.

• First aid kit & small emergency kit with tablets for travel sickness, plasters & insect bite remedies
• For known allergies: have the appropriate allergy medication to hand and easily accessible

Tip 20: Enjoy the ride & collect great memories!

Ultimately, you should enjoy the car journey with your children and create wonderful memories.
Take time to admire the scenery, take photos together or capture special moments.
Let yourself be infected by the travel atmosphere and be open to unexpected adventures.
Your positive attitude will be passed on to your children and make the trip an unforgettable experience. But of course it’s especially nice when you’ve made it and can finally set off on your camping vacation!