The family road trip is one of those things that brings both anticipation and dread. Everyone is anticipating the fun destination they are headed to, but they dread the hours of driving it will take to get there. To make everyone’s lives easier, there are some gadgets that you can bring along which will keep the kids occupied and make the trip a lot easier.
Mobile Internet Card
The world is slowly being networked by an invisible WiFi network that allows any mobile computing device to connect to the Internet. But there are still plenty of areas where WiFi is not available. To help keep the kids occupied, you can invest in a mobile Internet card for your laptop. This is a device that allows access to a cellular network through a standard USB port. You will have to pay regular data connection charges, but it certainly beats dealing with the noise caused by bored children.
Digital Music Players
Some kids can spend hours just listening to their favorite music. That is why you should go on Pricegrabber and find the best value on a good digital music player. Your kids can download hours of their favorite music and that will help to keep them occupied during the trip.
Tablet Computer
Tablets are nice for long car trips because they can play movies and games and allow your kids to stay connected to the Internet through a cellular connection. Just remember to bring the tablet car charger with you or else you will have to deal with a dead tablet battery and an impatient child.
Portable DVD Player
Tablets and laptop computers can be pretty expensive, especially if you have more than one child to take along with you. Watching movies and cartoons always keeps kids occupied. An inexpensive portable DVD player is just the thing to keep the kids happy on those long trips.
Handheld Video Game Unit
There are several different kinds of handheld video game systems you can get for your kids that will keep them happy for hours at a time. There are some units that can allow your kids to play interactive games over the Internet, but almost every one requires WiFi, which does not help you on the open road. Talk to your kids about getting them the latest games and you may also want to invest in a supply of batteries to help keep the game going.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
The perfect complement to every one of these gadgets is a pair of noise cancelling headphones. These are special headphones that allow your child to hear his tablet, digital music player, or video game system without being bothered by outside noises. Not only will it allow your kids to hear their devices better, it will also allow you to play the music you enjoy on the car stereo.
Road trips are great, but they can get boring very quickly. To help keep the complaining to a minimum, parents should load up on gadgets to keep the kids happy for hours.
