Technology that brings peace to a roadtrip

As a kid, we didn’t get on planes for holidays. First, air travel wasn't cheap, and there were four of us, so that didn't work. Second, my dad believed the journey was just as important as the destination. That’s a great approach for a mature adult who can occupy their own time, not so much for a ten-year-old with a short attention span.

I mean, the other thing that used to make road trips with Dad painful was that he insisted on only stopping to refuel, so if you needed to use the bathroom, you either went during the fuel stops or you suffered. On very rare occasions, he would stop, and you’d go behind a tree, but that came after several long arguments that inevitably would get Mum involved as well.

But back to the boredom I suffered as a child. We had a cassette player in our cars, but the rule was that each person got a turn picking what tape we would play. That meant I’d only have a tape I liked 1 in every 4. If I was reading a book while traveling, I’d get car sick, and I’ve never been able to sleep while traveling.

All these factors combined to make car travel annoying and painful. I got better, and now I enjoy long road trips, although I prefer them either on my own or with mates. I had avoided long trips with my wife and daughter because they both have tiny bladders, big appetites, and super short attention spans. My daughter also developed this inability to sleep when traveling; I mean, just once, I’d love it if she'd pick up one of my good habits.

Earlier this year, I had to go home and take my family with me; it was 800 miles each way. I was dreading the “I’m bored” and “are we there yet?” coming from the back seat. I knew there wouldn’t be anything I could do about the “I need the toilet” and “I’m hungry” (aside from packing delicious snacks), but I had to figure out how to resolve the boredom.

I’m not a fan of propping my daughter up with an iPad to watch movies all the time; you totally lose a sense of what’s happening around you. Even if she doesn't enjoy the journey, there's spectacular scenery along the East Coast that I didn’t want her to miss. I still think it’s important to find ways to manage your boredom and, hopefully, learn something along the way.

Someone suggested audiobooks, so I gave it a shot. I set up an old iPhone, bought my daughter her own Bluetooth headphones, and loaded in some Harry Potter books.

MY GOD!!

We had to tell my daughter, “Ok, you can pause the story for half an hour; you haven’t spoken to us for 2 hours.”  I’d be greeted with complaints, and towards the end of the journey she said, “Can we drive for another half an hour, then I’ll finish this chapter?”

It was surreal.

She developed a genuine love for hearing these books read to her, beyond merely watching a movie. She described to me in intimate detail aspects of Hogwarts that she might not have identified in the movies. Also, it’s worth saying I’ve never read a Harry Potter book or watched any of the movies through to the end, so when she talks about the stories, it’s an education for me as well.

When it was time to drive back home, there was no question that the audiobook would go back on. We did set timers so that at some point she would have to stop listening and hear an amusing Dad anecdote, but it also meant my wife and I could talk without interruption and talk about things we didn’t need her buy-in on.

I know, it’s a simple piece of technology that’s been around for a while, but it has brought peace to our car now, and a little more enjoyment to a young child.

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