::GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED:: Congrats to our winner, Jaent F!
A couple months ago, we took a small, three hour road trip to Dallas, TX, and it was a DISASTER! My kids were bored and whiny, because I didn’t pack any snacks, games, or activities. What a dummy. So what did we end up doing? Getting sugary, greasy snacks from gas stations along the way, and using my purse contents as entertainment. Bad idea, and bad plan. Do you plan on taking a family road trip soon? If so, Subway wants to make your trip more manageable, entertaining and healthier.
Subway and National Geographic are teaming up for a “Taste of Adventure” contest for kids ages 6-14, and the winner will receive an Alaskan Family Adventure! To enter, have your kiddos visit www.Subwaykids.com, and have them share their most exciting journey, whether it be past, present, or a future dream vacation. They can also enter at any Subway store!
Subway also has a cool restaurant locator that helps you find Subway locations along your road trip route, so you are not stopping by those gas stations, as I mentioned above, or driving through unhealthy fast food joints. Get this neat application at www.subway.com/Applicatios/locator/index.aspx.
Subway wants to provide one lucky winner with a Car Kit insulated lunch tote full of colors, travel games, coloring books and a $15 gift card, valued at $35-40. Kits may vary in color, games, coloring books, etc.
::HOW TO ENTER::
To enter this giveaway, please share a helpful road trip tip in our comments. Tell us what keeps you, and your kids sane while traveling in the car!
Earn extra entries by:
- Blogging about this giveaway (mention in comment)
- Becoming a subscriber, or if you are already a subscriber. Subscribe here. (mention in comment)
- Sending a tweet here about this giveaway. (mention in comment) You can also follow us on Twitter here.
Contest ends August 10, 2009 at 6:00 CST. USA & CANADA only, please. Good luck and happy travels!
About Mom Spark
You know my boys would love this!
My road trip? Always carry a pickle jar.
For really long trips we make sure to bring the portable DVD player for my son to watch! Thanks for the chance, justicecw@hotmail.com
Wow! I want this! My favorite way to travel with kids is at night… they sleep! lol
But since that’s not always possible, then my second favorite tip is to pack fruits. They will help curb hunger and thirst. That way the kiddos wont drink too much which ultimately leads to stopping too many times for potty breaks.
I am an email subscriber. Thanks!
I follow on twitter – username is justicecw
No matter how old your kids are, always carry wipes on a road trip…as well as empty bags for emergencies.
I tweeted at http://twitter.com/justicecw/status/3092743508
Ok, so this may only be helpful if you have a kid who gets carsick, but we have one who does and this has proven priceless.
First-Dramamine is $6 OTC for 8 tablets at CVS. Worth easily twice that. Maybe twenty times that. No sick tummy, plus it knocks them out, lol.
Second-Next time you are on an airplane, grab the flightsick bags and take them home. They are leakproof and store in next to no room, so no mad dashes for plastic bags that may have holes or dumping a fountain drink out the window at 70mph to avoid vomit in the lap and carseat syndrome.
Great Giveaway idea!
I must say that the invention of Gameboys and portable DVD players makes a parent’s life MUCH easier!
I feel your pain in terms of the hassle and heartbreak in picking up unhealthy snacks on the road. I have started to plan a little earlier so that we have healthy snacks that will last on long trips. I also put a collapsable trash can in the back so that the little ones can clean up as we go along. That way, getting them in and out of the car is not as much of a hassle.
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/CheekySweetie/status/3092661496
I always bring my niece to entertain the kids, but I guess that’s not practical for everyone! I bring a variety of healthy snacks, especially since my son has a food allergy. I also bring one or two favorite items, like matchbox cars, books, etc. And, if it’s really long, I bring their favorite blankets and stuff animals.
One of my favorite tips is to always carry wipes. You can use them for some many things and are super handy. No matter what the ages of your kids are.
I follow you on twitter! (kittyskitchen)
following you on twitter
I also tweeted this great giveaway!
http://twitter.com/KittysKitchen/status/3093464420
Bring snacks, but don’t give the kids too much to drink.
We have regular long road trips with the 5 kids, and I keep a “roadie” tote bag that includes our travel essentials: includes my bananaGrams game (sorta like Scrabble but more compact)crayons, notepads, batteries, extra headphones, baby wipes, paper towels, shopping bags for trash, dramamine, advil, bottled water, a throw blanket, extra DVD’s, and a change purse with extra quarters. I NEVER leave home without it!
Twincere(at)gmail(dot)com
I tweeted about this review & giveaway here:
https://twitter.com/Twincere/status/3099090914
Twincere(at)gmail(dot)com
I am subscribed via Google reader
Twincere(at)gmail(dot)com
The twins keep quiet with snacks, water and their magna-doodles. If i don’t have these things in the car for longer trips- they bug one another the whole way. Also turning up the music keeps the kids happy- and that makes mom and dad more relaxed for the ride
thanks for the chance
yasmineo142[at]hotmail.com
Im subscribed via google reader on my gmail account.
yasmineo142[at]hotmail.com
we like to use madlibs when we travel – it’s easy and not expensive!
It’s not just what you bring. It’s how you pace kids through the activities and snacks you have on board. My husband always picks up some kind of diversion – new baseball cards, stickers etc. – that we squirrel away for our 3 year old. When he’s bored with everything else, it’s time to surprise him with the treat.
I make sure I have some soothing, calm music on the MP3 player before we head out. After the fun and games some relaxing music or a favorite audio story are just the thing to give everybody a break.
Making sure the children bring their Nintendo DSs and the portable dvd player with headphones keep us all sane when we are on a road trip.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com
I am a subscriber.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com
Your best bet is to have a portable DVD player. Even keeps the grownups quiet!
The best advice – ALWAYS carry babywipes!
already a subscriber at momof2boyswifeof1 at gmail dot com
Things to must-pack are a pack of disposable bags to hold everything from trash to extra snacks and wet wipes. And to plan ahead, about every small detail! Thanks!
http://twitter.com/Momof2BoysLisa/status/3108997076 tweeted and follow you lisasamples
Our road trip tricks are:
- leaving near bed time so they SLEEP in the car
- packing lots of drinks and snacks
- bringing their favorite videos
Thanks for the awesome contest!!!
aprilwoodscary at gmail dot com
tweet http://twitter.com/carogonza/status/3108798643
We play “I spy”- the kids love it and it keeps us busy for at least an hour or so.
Thanks for the chance to win, this kit would come in handy!
czakcass AT yahoo.com
Jamie
When we lived in San Diego, we had to drive up to Los Angeles all the time to visit family. So we became pros with the road trips. Traffic in L.A. would make the trip vary anywhere from 3 hours to 7 hours! We always packed a ton of snacks, drinks, wipes, changes of clothes, towel, favorite CD’s, coloring books, and books on CD to follow along with in the car. Now that my daughter is older, we can keep her entertained with my iPod Touch with videos clips, a Nintendo DS, and her LeapFrog Tag book reader. All of those come with headphones, so it’s nice to have a little more peace and quiet in the car
Following on Twitter blog subscriber.
Twitter name skmc1190
We mostly try to travel at night and we also try to give the kids some good physical exercise. We also try to stop in places periodically where they can get out and run a round.
For long trips, we take the portable DVD player.
tweet. http://twitter.com/drellis500/status/3110279651
subscriber
I tweeted ~ http://twitter.com/catluc/status/3110322581
subscriber
Pack each child a small bag with their snacks, drinks, books, etc. and make sure it’s within reach of the child. This will slow the constant request for things from the front seat!
1. Am an email subscriber
2. Tweeted: http://twitter.com/TheGonzoMama/status/3110935412
3. My road trip tips are: For non-readers, print out pictures of landmarks and sights you’ll be passing (school, church, Space Needle, lake, etc.) and paste them onto a page. Let the kids do a “scavenger hunt” with the list. Anyone who finishes the list gets a prize or treat. For older kids, just type up a list.
I actually wrote a piece for Mommy-Muse.com about surviving road trips with your kids: http://www.mommy-muse.com/blog/2009/03/the-gonzo-mama-on-how-to-survive-a-road-trip-with-your-kids/
Hope you find something useful!
We love to take the opportunity when we are in the car to share music we all love and to play games using words (start a story, each person adds on, but things in the story have to start with a predetermined letter, etc.) It definitely makes the trip pass faster, and is fun besides!
We took an 11 hour road trip (each way) in May with our then 25 month old daughter. She really did sleep a lot, so we were lucky. When she was awake, we had filled a couple of backpacks with books and dollar store toys. So, she got to take all of the stuff out of those and play with it…that kept her occupied really all the way there. We only stopped 3 times or so the entire time – lucky us. On the way back, a week later, she was a bit more antsy. We had a dvd player, and she got to watch some backyardigans…the one time she got really fussy, I just climbed into the backseat (while hubby drove of course!) with her & that really worked for those last 2 hours.
I subscribed in my yahoo reader, thanks!
tweet, thanks! http://twitter.com/idahojill/status/3113568675
I always bring a tub of baby wipes, a roll of paper towel, and several plastic shopping bags. You never know who’s going to spill what, including me
We’re also lucky that our kids don’t get carsick and have no problems reading in the car, so I have them each bring a book or two.
tweeted! http://twitter.com/Table4Five/status/3114585522