h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My parents had the best tactic for peaceful car trips.

Two boys and one younger girl can be very... shall we say 'LOUD'? when they want to. when my mother was tired of threatening us with 'not going at all' and our voices reached that fever pitch, and wone or all of us was covered with bruises, they would pull out the Last Straw.

The last straw was when the car was pulled off the interstate at a rest stop, or any likely looking field, and we were allowed to run and play for as long as we liked.

it usually took about an hour.

we'd run and race and play tag, and basically burn every last drop of energy, then shuffle back to the car to eat our turkey sandwiches.

within 5 miles, all that was heard from the back seat was snoring.

yeah, that extra hour slowed us down, but it probably also kept us alive! lol!

When camping as a kid, my mom would always fill the backseat up with pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, and every other soft thing we were taking with us. The resulting pile became my own special bed where I could curl up and doze off.
Definitely more comfortable than the seats!

good call with those turkey sandwiches, Zax! my mum and da did that too- i'm guessing it has to do with the sleep-inducing Triptophan (sp?)- you know, the chemical in turkey that's blamed for putting millions of americans to sleep in front of the tv on thanksgiving night! boy were they smart- we slept for HOURS every time!