{"id":190920,"date":"2025-12-14T06:09:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T06:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/190920\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T06:09:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T06:09:08","slug":"auto-advice-what-are-some-tips-for-making-long-car-trips-more-jolly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/190920\/","title":{"rendered":"Auto advice: What are some tips for making long car trips more jolly?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nOur motoring expert gives some ideas for making long car journeys more enjoyable for all the family\n<\/p>\n

\"Games,<\/p>\n

Games, festive playlists and good podcasts can keep the family entertained on long journeys. Photo: Getty<\/p>\n

Any tips for making long car journeys more enjoyable?<\/p>\n

Packing a few car-friendly games like bingo cards, I Spy, or even just regular playing cards can help break up a long journey, particularly for small kids. Sometimes fun games made up along the way are even better. A family favourite of ours is a contest for the most outrageous misheard lyrics. My youngest won hands-down one Christmas with his version of Chris Rea\u2019s Driving Home for Christmas: not \u201cTop to toe in tailbacks\u201d but \u201cTop to toe in earwax\u201d. Unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n

What music works best to keep everyone happy, especially with a wide age range?<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t go far wrong with a run-of-the-mill Christmas playlist. Even teenagers will usually tolerate a few festive classics, and Spotify and Apple Music have plenty to choose from. If you\u2019re mixing generations, film soundtracks are often a safe middle ground. And don\u2019t be afraid to let each person add a couple of songs to the mix so that everyone feels included. Plus, it can lead to some good-natured debates about musical taste.<\/p>\n

Tips for podcasts or audiobooks the whole family can enjoy?<\/p>\n

The newly recorded Harry Potter audiobook series is a standout for all ages, featuring more than 200 actors, an orchestra, and performances by Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore and Matthew Macfadyen as Lord Voldemort, to name just a few. For older kids and teens, You\u2019re Dead to Me has a great balance between fun and educational. For younger children, Cereal is a charming whodunnit, with one kid and his podcast uncovering the truth behind some crunchy crimes. And for very young passengers, The Neighbourhood is a guaranteed hit.<\/p>\n

Can I get all this sorted before I set off?<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need a new car, a simple Bluetooth plug-in will let you stream playlists, podcasts or audiobooks hands-free in almost any car.<\/p>\n

Top tip: Don\u2019t underestimate the power of snacks and well-planned breaks. A few treats go a long way on the road and so does giving everyone a chance to stretch their legs, so aim to stop every few hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our motoring expert gives some ideas for making long car journeys more enjoyable for all the family Games,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190921,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7781,61,60,6361,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-190920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-geraldine-herbert","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-life-magazine","12":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}