It’s holiday road trip season! Next week, the Pit Stops crew will be loading up the minivan (yes, we’ve got one…we’re a genuine road-tripping family) and driving to beautiful South Lake Tahoe, where we’ll spend six days reviewing everything from a HomeAway vacation home to ski resorts, helicopter rides, snowmobile tours, and snow parks. If you’re thinking of renting a vacation home or visiting the Tahoe area for a family vacation in the future, please follow along with our Home (Away) for the Holidays series!
But first we have to pack, which brings me to our round-up of favorite tech travel aids for the road this holiday season.
What we won’t leave home without:
iPhone or iPad apps for kids. Our top picks include any of the titles from Picpocket Books and Tales2Go, both of which take the e-book concept to a colorful, auditory level. When you run out of subjects to discuss in the car, try Family Matters instead of the ‘silent game’…which we all know nobody ever wins. For more ideas, visit my favorite app review site, Moms with Apps.
Netflix instant streaming video. Everyone wants new movies and TV programs to watch while traveling, but rental fees can really add up and buying new titles for every trip is unrealistic for most family budgets. Enter Netflix instant video, which allows you to download most of their titles instantly to your TV, computer, or iPhone/iPad screen by use of your game console or mobile device. We bring our Wii along on extended trips so that we can view movies on the TVs in our vacation homes (or you can also watch directly on a laptop). Best of all, once your service is activated, you can download titles directly to your smart phone, laptop, or iPad, allowing for on-the-go viewing. (If Netflix isn’t for you, we have also tried Amazon’s digital downloads without a hitch!)
Audio books. If you have a reader who gets car sick, or just want a form of entertainment the whole family can enjoy together, we’ve found Audible to be the most convenient and cheapest source for audio books. We’ve used the library in the past, but the wait for popular titles can be frustrating. If you can’t wait to borrow your books and don’t want to pay the steep price of buying one on CD, consider an Audible membership (your first month is a free trial that includes a free book!). Right now, we have The Best Christmas Pageant Ever ready to play on our drive to Tahoe!
Hand-held video games. Let the kids bring their Nintendo DS consoles or iPod Touch; you’re traveling, so you’re already spending the day cooped up indoors in one form or another. To give them something new to play, consider hosting a game/media swap with friends or neighbors prior to departure. We always trade a few DS games with our kids’ friends before extended travel; everyone gets something new to play, and no one pays late fees!
Last but not least, don’t leave home without Pit Stops for Kids! Check our archives for pit stop and lodging ideas before setting out, or bookmark it on your smart phone in case of last minute pit stop ideas!
Too bad you are going next week! I’ll be up skiing with the family basically every weekend starting in January.
Take the family to Fire and Ice – in South Lake Tahoe next to the Marriott. Go for lunch (less wait and less expensive) – it is worth it!