Whether you’re going to be traveling for a few days or just for a couple hours to Grandma’s house, the time getting there can be stressful—but it doesn’t have to be! Speaking as the oldest (and only) girl with four younger brothers, one of the best ways to survive multi-hour car trips was for me to escape into a book. The beauty of reading is that you’re instantly transported to another time, place or world. Books cut out the boredom of travel time and allow you to skip right into an adventure. Books are perfect for traveling because they’re like a mini-vacation that can be personalized for each reader.
Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned about book selection when traveling.
- Set aside books for the trip home.
- Bring a variety of genres and types of books.
- Don’t bring your all-time favorite book. It’ll get food spilled on it, dropped on the ground or left behind. Tears will ensue and it’s just a bad idea.
- Don’t bring a library book unless you’re prepared to pay a fine for damaging or losing it.
- If you normally read bedtime stories, bring a few with you to keep your going-to-bed routine as close to normal as possible.
Need help getting started? Here are a few ideas to jump-start your book choosing!
Pre-K and beginning readers: Where’s Waldo and I Spy books…they’re easy to read and siblings can do the pages together or on their own. Joke books aren’t intimidating to newer readers and can be read out loud to younger kiddos.
Beginning to intermediate readers: Bring along some Encyclopedia Brown or other whodunit books to read out loud for the whole family to try to solve. My favorite books for this age are the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. There’s also a non-fiction companion book for each Jack and Annie adventure.
The non-fiction fan: Find a book that tells some history and facts about the place you’re traveling to and voila! You have your own miniature tour guide! You can also bring along a compilation of weird or amazing facts.
Audiobooks: When choosing audiobooks, it can be hard to find something everyone is willing to listen to. The best option is usually to have a selection to choose from and vote! Some favorites of mine are classics like The Chronicles of Narnia, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Charlotte’s Web.
Puzzle books: Mazes, sudoku, word searches and coloring books. These are the bread and butter of car trips. Pick up a few at a dollar store. They’re more than worth it!
Make your own book: Make up your own fiction story by taking turns writing different parts of it and brainstorming about what should happen to your characters.
Create an “Our Vacation” book: Bring a blank notebook and a variety of pens, pencils, crayons, etc. Have everyone write something about the trip and pass it around. Share it consistently throughout the trip and enjoy reminiscing for years to come.
Happy reading and safe travels!