We're driving to Colorado from Portland in 2 weeks. 18 hours. In a car. With my kids aged 4, 6, and 7.
I know I signed up for this but WHY. Please tell me it gets easier or at least that I'm not the only one doing something this insane.
did this exact drive last summer with kids 5, 7, 9. honestly? it was fine. we broke it into 3 days instead of 2, stopped at every rest area, let them burn energy. the secret is lowering your expectations about what 'on time' means and accepting you'll hear 'are we there yet' approximately 847 times.
You're definitely not the only one. Thousands of parents do this every weekend during summer. It does get easier when they're older (like 10+) because they can actually entertain themselves. Right now though? Embrace the chaos. Bring way more snacks than you think you need, and maybe some gummy vitamins so you feel less guilty about the goldfish crackers being dinner in Wyoming.
Why Colorado specifically? Just wondering if there's something you're driving toward that makes the pain worth it 😅 Because if it's just a family vacation, you might want to mentally prepare yourself that the drive itself IS the vacation in their minds, unfortunately.
Nailed it. We did Portland to California with 3 kids similar ages. The 4-year-old was the easiest actually - just tired and slept. The 6 and 7-year-old were nightmares because they're old enough to be bored but young enough to not have the attention span to really engage with stuff. Lots of stops. Accept you'll be stopping every 1.5-2 hours.
Wait, why not just fly? Genuinely asking because Portland to Denver is like $300 round trip these days and you'd save 18 hours of your life which is... worth something? I know flying with 3 kids isn't free but the time savings might be worth it
lol you're not insane, you're just committing to the bit. we did Seattle to Vegas with 4 kids. Pro tip: dollar store activity books, new small toys they've never seen before (wrapping paper helps), and honestly just letting them watch movies guilt-free. no screen time rules on road trips.
18 hours straight sounds absolutely brutal though. Have you thought about splitting it across 3 days? We did Portland to Denver last year and stopped in Boise overnight - made it way less hellish. Plus the kids actually slept in the car better knowing it wasn't forever.
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This is the way. My advice: get a small cooler with snacks THEY pick out beforehand (gives them ownership), download like 3-4 new audiobooks, and invest in those seat organizers with pockets. Car Bingo printouts saved my sanity on our Colorado trip.