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Surviving Summer Road Trips

By: Laura Hubbard 17 July 2009

LHudson By Laura Hudson

I seem to be on a technology and kids theme recently. Of course, those are the two biggest focuses of my life. Recently, we were in the market for a new family car and decided with two kids, road trips and all of the “stuff” that goes along with that, we needed a minivan. We just took our first long road trip for summer vacation and once again technology helped save my sanity. We had a DVD player installed in the van and it is the best thing ever!

Not only can my daughter be entertained watching her favorite shows but with the wireless headphones we don’t have to listen to the audio, so it also allows us to listen to our favorite playlists on our iPods through the auxiliary jack or, even have an uninterrupted conversation with each other! I remember the long road trips when I was a kid and being bored out of my mind asking “are we there yet” every five minutes. I really wish I were a kid today.

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I also like the convenience of the control access being within easy reach of the passenger with a remote control or just reaching up and being able to access the unit mounted on the ceiling.

The hardest thing about it is trying to explain to my kids that the DVD player is only for long car trips not for when we are just driving around town.

What is your favorite technology for the family?

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  • Arada

    We have one of those — Honda Odyssey minivan w/ DVD player with wireless headsets, of course! My kids won’t accept the use of the DVD player just for long trips though. To them, if it’s there it’s meant to be used anytime.

  • Nikki

    We like to torture our kids from time to time, so we opted to forgo the DVD & force them to talk to us. On occasion I regret this decision, but for the most part enjoy with good old fashioned “eye spy”. We’re toying with the idea of a cross country road trip when they are in junior high, but by then even we will either need a DVD player or a Valium lick.

  • Fred Sanford

    Why DO you stifle the tecno revolution by limiting DVD usage to just the “long trips” ? Soon I am sure, you’ll be faced with a inquiry or even an argument on what constitutes ‘long’. Fear not, regardless of your explanation, you will be faced with an inevitable series of Why’s on direct cross examination.
    Can you get Noggin on that thing?
    :)
    Happy Trails,
    Fred

  • Rhonda Miles

    Hey there. We bought a portable DVD player before we flew to Arizona with Bradley. He had been on a plane to Phoenix last year, but he was too little to be entertained with tv. This year however, we got it and were so glad because it kept him busy for quite some time! He watched his backyardigans and little einsteins dvds like crazy, although, he really loved playing the beginning songs over and over. we showed him which button to hit to rewind and he just sat there for hours playing with it. We are getting a new car next year and I think I am going to look into getting one witht he dvd player so we don’t have to look for somewhere to put the portable one. Did Jack like it yet or is he still too little?

  • Kirk

    My favorite technology is the DVR. I can set it to record the favorite educational programs and cartoons and when we have down time can just press play. This ensures that there is something to watch, when he is ready.

  • Amy Sanford

    I tell you what, I remember those awful vacation 12-hour car rides with no entertainment when I was young. I believe I am permanently damaged from boredom during those trips. Maybe if I had a Valium-Lick. (Where do I get one of those? EBay?)

    I wish we had the same thing. It would be nice if they would sell these for every vehicle. In fact, I’d like one on the passenger front seat as well! No need for the passenger to have to talk to the driver, right?

  • Terry Hudson

    Using the DVD player is such a great idea for keeping the little ones occupied. Also, instead of the distractions from the back seat, the driver can concentrate on the trip and traffic.

    Wish we had this type of electronics when our kids were little…especially for my kid brother.

  • http://www.gadgetocd.com Paul Denis

    When we purchased our new @ the time Honda Pilot back in 2005 we both decided that we didn’t want a DVD player in it to try and curtail our future sweetheart not to become dependent on a DVD player. Now that our sweetheart is 3.5 years old we stand by our decision. She’s usually really good about entertaining herself with coloring or drawing and usually falls asleep within 30 minutes of any trip.
    : ]

  • Daryl Hudson

    Well written Laura. The DVD player in the van has been great! The only problem is the headphones are just a bit too big for Katie’s head. Kids love technology. The other day, Katie took the Garmin GPS out of the glove box and said “Here Daddy” as if I needed it to pull into the garage.