Hitting the road with kids can be challenging, but following this family’s advice can make things easier.
Will and Christine Watson have been living and traveling around the country in a refurbished bus with their 3-year-old daughter Rome since April 2019, making them experts in road trips with children.
“It’s important to be realistic,” Christine told Fox News Digital about parenting while road tripping. “Sometimes we overshoot. We’ll be like, ‘Let’s go on this six-mile hike,’ and hope to be an angel for the six-mile hike from Rome… Just know that maybe this There’s going to be some movement in the process. Point.”
Will and Christine Watson have been living and traveling across the country in a refurbished bus with their almost-3-year-old daughter Rome since April 2019, making them experts in road trips with children. (Courtesy of Will and Christine Watson)
“If they need to slow down and go at their pace, you need to be realistic and slow down with them and just be compassionate,” Kristin added. “Work with them and they’ll work with you. Kids are very adaptable.… They want to do what you’re doing.”
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Another thing that can help them “melt” is an entertainment kit, which Watson always has on hand when they travel.
Christine told Fox News Digital that they have toys Rom can play with in his car seat, coloring books and, as a last resort, an iPad for when “nothing else works.”
“Usually before we do that, we’ll give him some snacks,” Kristin said. “Snacks are a must.”
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Kristin said they schedule their driving around Rome’s nap time, “that way, at least an hour’s drive will be enough for him to take a nap.”
The family also limits their driving time to a maximum of four hours.
Watson also travels with his pit bull Rush. (Courtesy of Will and Christine Watson)
“We stop several times in those four hours to get out and stretch our legs, and eat snacks and run around, and things like that.” Kristin said.
He added: “You’ve got to go slow, enjoy the journey, and that’s what happens with kids. You’re going to work around them.”
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Kristin said that Rome is actually “great” – although, of course, she’s used to traveling by now.
“We moved to the bus when she was 6 months old, so she doesn’t really know any different,” Kristin said. “It’s his whole life, and he’s a very happy, very good, smart kid. We have no complaints.”
Watson’s repaired bus – which they kept young. (Courtesy of Will and Christine Watson)
“We actually always tell people that we think it’s hard to have a baby at home,” added Kristin, adding that they’re always on the lookout for Rome whenever they visit friends or family.
“She can’t get out of our sight on the bus, so it’s really easy to be in a small space with a baby,” Kristin said.
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If you want some advice for road trips with your kids, here are some places recommended by Watson.
Casey, Illinois
Casey, Illinois, is famous for being home to 12 of the world’s largest things — the world’s largest rocking chair — and other “big things,” according to the town. Website.
“Rom had a lot of fun there,” Kristin said. “We had a lot of fun there, too.” It was a really nice, small town.”
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Cave City, Kentucky
Cave City, Kentucky, is best known for its proximity to Mammoth Cave National Park, which has “53,000 acres of natural preserves and the world’s longest cave system with more than 4,000 miles of trails and 400 miles of mapped trails. ,” according to City website.
It also has “a lot of great outdoor activities,” such as horseback riding, kayaking and a zipline park, Kristin said.
Kristin told Fox News Digital that the important thing to know about traveling with kids is that you have to be realistic about your plans and that kids sometimes have to go at a slower pace. (Courtesy of Will and Christine Watson)
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National Park out west
Will said that when they’re out West, the family will visit Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and Glacier National Park in Montana, where they spend a lot of time outdoors.
“What’s nice about it is that there are dedicated swimming areas and places where we can all hang out in the water as a family,” Will said. “These are a lot of our favorite little things that we can do that don’t really cost money.”
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In the end, Kristin said the destination doesn’t matter.
“We work anywhere,” he said. “We went to Chicago … with Rome, and we walked around and did all the things in Chicago and she loved it. Most places have parks, so we’d always squeeze in a park or something for her. Yes.”
“That way we get to do what we want to do, and she gets to do what she wants to do,” the mother added.
