5 tips for the vacations How to get through traffic jams with children without stressing your nerves
Traffic jams can be a real test of nerves for families: instead of a joyful vacation mood, boredom and impatience prevail. The hours of waiting are particularly stressful for children. These tips will make the journey to the vacations less annoying for families.
Vacation and national holiday time is always also traffic jam time: when, as every year, the masses of cars head south, often barely making any progress for hours on end, it's exhausting for everyone involved - but especially for the little ones on board. To prevent traffic jams from becoming too annoying for children and their families, it is advisable to follow a few basic tips for the journey.
Tip 1: Remember to eat and drink
It's not just children who are more balanced when they don't have to wait out a traffic jam hungry or thirsty. Drinking enough is especially important for concentration and performance on long journeys. According to the "Touring Club Switzerland " (TCS), mineral water with little carbon dioxide, juice spritzers and unsweetened tea are particularly suitable. However, ice-cold drinks should be avoided because they can irritate the stomach lining.
Fresh fruit, trail mix or sweets are recommended as snacks on the road - and can prevent a lot of moaning in traffic jams. Ideally, they should be crumb-free and ready to hand, as the TCS recommends. Wholemeal sandwiches, for example, are suitable as a larger snack on the road.
"Baby food can be prepared so that you only need to add hot water from a thermos flask," advises the TCS.
Tip 2: A pleasant climate in the car
Especially when it is hot, little ones should not be exposed to the sun for too long. In addition to the right child car seat, roller blinds or protective film on the windows are also important so that children are protected from the sun's rays," writes the Touring Club.
According to experts, the vehicle's air conditioning should generally not be set too cold: The difference between the inside and outside temperature should not exceed six degrees Celsius. Otherwise, sensitive people run the risk of a stiff neck, colds or circulatory problems.
Tip 3: Prevent travel sickness
Some children get nauseous in the back seat - and this can be unpleasant in traffic jams. This is another reason why it is important not to set off on an empty stomach or with a full stomach and always make sure you have fresh air. If you feel sick, you should fixate on a point on the horizon that is as immobile as possible, then your stomach will usually calm down again. The Auto Club Europa (ACE) advises that spit bags and kitchen roll should be within reach in case of an emergency.
The TCS recommends giving only light food before the journey and letting children sit in the middle if possible. Ginger preparations from the pharmacy and cold cloths on the forehead, neck and wrists can also help.
Tip 4: Keep busy
Waiting for hours in a traffic jam can be extremely tiring. Children in particular quickly get bored. It is therefore advisable to take games, audio books, cuddly toys or other ways to keep your children occupied.
Films, series, music, podcasts and games on a tablet or smartphone that are suitable for children can also provide distraction. Important for family peace: headphones! However, it is not advisable for traffic jams to become screen time.
"As there is a lot to discover on a car journey, you can also invent your own games, such as: who will be the first to see a bridge or a red car," writes the TCS in its travel tips. If necessary, an adult can also take the back seat to entertain the children.
Tip 5: The best games for on the go
But beyond touchscreens, which games are best suited to keep the little ones occupied in traffic jams?
The TCS recommends creative classics such as "I see something you don't see". One player has to select an object or an area and name its color while looking out of the car window. The other family members have to guess what it is.
Hardly less classic is the popular game "I'm packing my suitcase", in which each passenger takes it in turns to name a new object that they would pack in the imaginary suitcase that gives the game its title. The trick is that all the previously named items must always be listed - if one is forgotten, the person whose turn it is is eliminated.
Another classic car journey and traffic jam that hardly needs any further explanation: license plate guessing! Whoever is right about the origin of a vehicle receives a point. Song guessing is also fun, especially in the car: the radio search is started until the next random station with music is played. Whoever guesses the song first wins.
But even less well-known games can make traffic jams more bearable for children. How about the yes/no game? Here, the candidate is asked questions over a certain period of time - but is not allowed to answer yes or no.
No less tricky is the letter chain game: here you take it in turns to name words from a fixed category (animals, plants ...) - whereby each new word must always begin with the last letter of the previous one.
