Envelope Travel System

I grew up going on road trips with my family every summer. With four kids, my parents knew there would be lots of arguing and craziness as we drove across the country if they didn’t have a couple tricks rolled up their sleeves. The one that worked the best was a simple envelope system. It worked so well, I now use it with my own kids.

Here’s How it Works:

Before your road trip, go to the bank and withdraw $20 in one dollar bills for each of your kids. Put the money in personalized envelopes for each kid. This money becomes their travel allowance and can be used on treats or souvenirs once you arrive to your destination. Here’s the catch, if a kid argues, misbehaves, screams bloody murder, kicks your seat over and over, you get the point…Then you take out a dollar. It doesn’t take long for kids to catch on and to be on their best behavior. This system made our 18 hour drive to Florida (with three boys ages 3-7) almost perfect.

Quick Recap:

Step 1: Go to the bank and ask for $20 in singles for every kid.

Step 2: Place the money in an envelope with each child’s name on it.

Step 3: Create buy-in by letting each kid decorate his envelope. Also, encourage the kids to dream about what they’ll spend their money on.

Step 4: As you drive, take out a dollar every time someone misbehaves.

Step 5: Arrive to your destination! Let kids spend their envelope money however they’d like.

Hope this helps make your next road trip a more pleasant experience!