Even if you suffer from motion sickness, road trips don’t have to suck this summer

As a city kid, some of my most special childhood memories were of our summer road trips. My dad had saved up to buy a used camper van that had almost 100k miles on it! In it, the eight of us (my family of five, my aunt and her two sons) would travel all up and down the east coast of the U.S. It had a table in the back that converted to a full queen size bed, and a compartment in the top that also had a bed. On the outside it had big yellow and white stripes and on the back, near the top, it had a big bumble bee with the words ‘Vacation Van’. It was quite an eyesore! Nonetheless we had some incredibly special times in it.

As a parent now, I try taking the kids away every free chance I get. Car trips are always a great way to bond as a family. When the kids are asleep, my husband and I get a chance to catch up on all the events of the week. I’ve come to treasure these times together. During the summers, we spend a lot of time in upstate New York, away from the hustle and bustle of New York City. The drive is a little over 3 hours.

We packed up our stuff and headed to the car for our annual drive early last Saturday morning. It was a few hours after breakfast so I didn’t think we would have an issue with car sickness. But low and behold, 45 minutes into our trip and my toddler threw up all over his car seat. It was everywhere - I mean, everywhere! The irony that I manage a company that sells motion sickness lollipops was not lost on me for one second.

We stopped at the nearest rest stop for a clean up, and I was thankful that I traveled prepared. After we tidied up, he asked me if he could have something to suck on. The poor child had vomited so much that his stomach was cavernous and empty. I immediately grabbed my lollipops, which I keep in the passenger seat pocket of the car. He sat back, closed his eyes and licked away.

You should always prepare your vehicle for an epic road trip with a checklist that includes maintaining your tires and checking all fluids. But long car rides can also be tough for anyone who suffers from bad motion sickness. If you travel with children, it can be extra difficult as they won't always communicate symptoms. I’ve written a blog about ways to control the feeling of vertigo/motion sickness when you travel, but it is always a good idea to have a few small things in your car that can help you stay prepared for accidents like this.

Car sickness travel checklist:

• 1 or 2 empty plastic bags
• MommaBear Nausea & Motion sickness lollipops
• A box of tissues
• A roll of bounties
• Wet wipes

If you have a small or compact car and you have a condensed space, you can store wipes, tissues and bounties in ziplock bags and keep them in the glove compartment.

Nothing makes me more excited than a fun road trip, in fact in a recent Harris poll, 80 percent said that going on a road trip has been “one of their happiest moments” since March 2020. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed said they value road trips more than they did before the pandemic.

I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting trip recommendations, so for a bonus, I'm attaching an article I read recently on some of the best road trips to take this summer…have fun and travel safe AND prepared.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2022/06/30/27-best-road-trips-to-take-this-summer/?sh=66e822cf2b5e