Top TikTok Hacks to Improve your Family Road Trips
As one of the most popular social platforms, TikTok has a wealth of user-created videos of hacks for almost every aspect of your life, from home renovations to working-from-home tips, relationship advice and fashion inspiration. But did you know that the increasingly popular site also offers plenty of genius car hacks?
Interestingly, the #roadtriphacks hashtag on TikTok has 89.7 million views, and so here at Carmoney, we’ve dived into the world of the most creative road trip hacks on TikTok to share unique tips on how to improve your experience of long car journeys, whether you’re travelling solo, in a couple or as a family.
Use a sandwich bag and mobile phone to entertain kids on the go
https://www.pexels.com/photo/happy-asian-kids-traveling-in-car-4473498/
Many parents will know the struggle of having to entertain children on long car journeys, and this simple hack by @whitleavitt demonstrates how to keep little ones quiet on your next road trip. Watched a staggering 16.9 million times, this TikTok hack video involves taking a clear plastic zip lock sandwich bag and securing it to the back of the front seat by piercing the bag with the metal fixtures of the headrest, and putting a mobile phone or tablet in so the back seat passenger can have entertainment during the journey.
This is a great hands-free way to keep kids or anyone in the backseat entertained on a long journey, and every kitchen will have a clear sandwich bag available to use or can be bought for pennies on your next food shop. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that having a video playing on a mobile phone or tablet for potentially over an hour will drain the battery quickly, so prepare for this by taking a portable charger along so as not to disrupt viewing time.
Learn to pack luggage like a pro
This highly practical guide by @teresalauracaruso on how to pack a car for a road trip has been viewed a whopping 2.8 million times. Showing the best way to pack luggage efficiently and extra tips along the way, such as super handy bag holders that attach to the back of the front seat headrests, it’s no wonder this has become a go-to hacks video. The first tip is to put your suitcases into the back of the boot first, with a cooler box on top, then a fabric storage product in front, which can hold smaller, easy-to-grab items, such as kitchen rolls, books, and snacks.
As always, when packing any luggage into a car, be sure to avoid blocking the rearview window with items as this is dangerous when driving and may be breaching the law. Drivers found to be travelling with an obstructed window can be hit with a £50 fixed penalty notice, and more seriously, may be fined up to £2,500, receive 3 penalty points and given a total driving ban if the vehicle being driven is in a dangerous condition, according to Gov.co.uk.
Create a DIY journey tracker for restless kids
https://unsplash.com/photos/LKREcvZeoJQ
To remedy the frequently asked question of ‘Are we there yet?’, parents will love this idea from @theggsistersofficial of being able to update their little ones on where they are on their journey. In this creative hack, which has 883k views, simply take a long strip of paper styled as a road and attach it along the interior of the car above the front seat visors so it can be seen by kids in the backseat. Add a cut-out drawing of a car on a piece of paper with blu-tack on the back and move it along the ‘road’ throughout the trip towards the end ‘destination’. Additionally, you could print off and cut out landmarks to stick onto the road that you may drive past on the journey as a fun way to get children engaged with the journey.
To stay safe, we would advise that the front passenger is in charge of moving the ‘car’ along the journey tracker when travelling to avoid the driver being distracted when the vehicle is moving, and the movable part is attached securely to the paper so it doesn’t fall off, causing a potentially dangerous distraction.
Use cat litter to reduce condensation in campervans
https://unsplash.com/photos/dRVAZOUQnPk
An invaluable tip for those heading off on staycations in campervans, @firefly_vanlife shares an unusual tip on how to ban condensation by filling each foot of a pair of tights with cat litter and hanging up in the cabin. A build-up in condensation can appear overnight or during colder weather when the cab heater isn’t switched on and can turn into mould over time. By using cat litter held in the thin tights material and placed in the front and back of the vehicle, the porous litter will absorb the excess moisture in the air and reduce the risk of mould growth. Cheap,
own-brand cat litter can be purchased for as little as £1.85 and an old pair of tights (minus holes!) can be used for this handy tip.
This is a unique hack that should be used alongside driving with the windows down where possible, and if sleeping in a campervan, leaving the window open slightly overnight to encourage airflow throughout the vehicle which reduces the risk of condensation appearing.
Make your own portable loo
Finally, and perhaps one of the most unusual road trip hacks on TikTok is the DIY car toilet. Described as a ‘road trip game changer’, the video by @paul_vu_95 shows the creator placing a toilet seat on foam legs over a bin bag directly onto the driver’s seat, with the absorbent material from inside two nappies added to create a ‘portable and disposable toilet’. They even go as far as to add a toilet roll attached to a wire coat hanger hanging from the inside door handle for extra convenience. With 33 million views and half a million likes, we imagine that the video has been viewed more for entertainment than as an actionable hack for road trippers.
Any tips or tricks on making long car journeys more comfortable or easier will be a welcome addition to many parents and general road trippers. As long as your view of the road is not obstructed, and the vehicle is safe for travel and not overloaded, putting road trip hacks into action can make your journey much more enjoyable.
From creative, inexpensive ways to get children more engaged with the car journey to keep them from getting bored, to practical packing hacks to make life easier when travelling, may your future road trips be as stress-free as possible!
