5 Christmas Road Trip Hacks for Drivers

Chevrolet American Family Road Trip FAMILY UNPACKING ・ Photo by General Motors

Another year, another long car ride to Grandma’s this holiday season. With traffic looming ahead, all those festive sweaters to pack, and multiple moods to manage, a road trip can start to feel like much more of a chore than a getaway. Based on a study by Harris Poll and Chevrolet, we took a look at data from 1,063 U.S. parents of children under 18 to explore the state of the American family road trip. From that, we compiled this list to help you before you set out on the road this year.  Read on to see how you can manage stress on this year's holiday family road trip.

The Good News

It might not seem like it when you’re stuck in gridlock with the hoards of others battling it out to their holiday destinations, but the Harris Poll says “the spirit of the American family road trip remains alive and well.” In fact, 93% of parents say they enjoy road trips with their family. Road trips are a great opportunity to make memories and squeeze in some quality time. Chevrolet's interest in this survey wasn't surprising; according to Steve Majoros, director of marketing, Chevrolet cars and crossovers, “The vehicle is the new family dinner table, where memories are created and bonds grow strong.”  Majoros says, “As families prepare to hit the road this holiday to spend time with friends and family, they can depend on crossovers like the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse and Equinox to meet their needs, from storage space to USB outlets, available 4G LTE Wi-Fi and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.”

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Six is the magic number - for tech and drive time.

The Harris Poll also shows that six hours is considered the “perfect” road trip length.  Try and keep your daily travels to six hours (not including traffic time) when at all possible, especially with very young children in tow. If your schedule allows, split longer trips between two days, to keep stresses and annoyance at bay. Coincidentally, six is also the average number of devices most families bring along with them on a road trip. Be sure to call dibs on USB outlets early — or work out your plan to share them ahead of time. Nothing is more stressful than squabbling in the back seat!

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1) Stop and smell the roses.

This first idea on our list may seem quaint, but breaking up your trip into shorter sprints is a safety tip that could quell road rage. Perhaps an interesting spot you’ve never discovered before is on or near your route? Do a little extra homework before you hit the road to see if there are new and interesting places to stop and see. Who knows, you may just discover that the double-decker pancake sandwich at Joe’s roadside diner has to become your newest family tradition.

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2) Enlist the kids to help you plan.

Just like most other things, the more involved the kids can be in something, the more their interest piques. The Harris Poll found that 67% of parents involve their children in family road trip planning. After the license plate bingo game goes stale, take advantage of your tween/teen’s tech-savvy knowledge base and let them find your next lunch spot. Or, be creative — get their help in researching an Instagram-worthy locale for a family photo contest. Just think of all that memory-making documentation!

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3) Let your smartphone take the lead.

With many cars now featuring Apple CarPlay and/or Android Auto, ditch your in-car nav and use your favorite navigational app on your smartphone to lead the way instead. Waze can be the trusted friend you need to alert you to that three-car pile up 30 miles ahead, and Apple Maps just might save the day by shaving a half hour off the trip.

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4) Set your Adaptive Cruise Control.

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), takes cruising to the next level by using cameras and radar to not only maintain a constant speed but also the distance between you the car in front of you on the highway, automatically. It’s a key feature in staving off driver’s fatigue as well. If you're lucky enough to have it, don’t be afraid to engage this helpful feature. It will keep your speed in check and save a little energy, which keeps your fresh and de-stressed, especially in stop-and-go traffic.

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5) When all else fails, use your hotspot.

It’s not uncommon at all for the family car to be the family’s hotspot on a road trip. Take advantage of available data and let the kids enjoy some screentime when traffic gets especially hairy. Stream your favorite podcast or just enjoy the silence to keep your sanity intact.  Over half the parents who have Wi-Fi/internet connectivity in their cars say they are “more likely to take longer or more frequent family road trips because of the feature.”

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