Road Trip Stories: Using Personalized Books to Keep Kids Entertained During Travel
Turn long drives into unforgettable adventures with personalized stories, audiobooks, and screen-free travel games for kids.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
There’s a certain magic to family road trips—the open road, the snacks packed just so, the promise of adventure ahead. But let’s be honest: somewhere between mile marker 32 and “Are we there yet?” number 27, that magic can start to fade.
If you’ve ever been trapped in the backseat crossfire of sibling squabbles or tried to negotiate peace with a juice box and a granola bar, you know the truth: long drives can be tough on little travelers. That’s where books—especially personalized ones—come in as a screen-free, imagination-filled lifeline.
Travel Challenges for Kids (and Parents)
Road trips test everyone’s patience, but kids feel the stretch even more. Hours in a car can lead to:
Boredom when the scenery stops being exciting
Restlessness from too much sitting
Endless “are we there yet?” loops that test even the most zen parent
Screens can help in short bursts, but constant device time can leave kids cranky and overstimulated. Books, on the other hand, give their minds something rich to chew on—no charger required.
Personalized Travel Books: An Adventure Starring Them
Imagine handing your child a story where they are the hero, exploring places that look suspiciously like the ones you’re driving through. Personalized travel-themed books transform passive car time into a living adventure.
With a service like Once Upon A Memory, you can:
Add your child’s name, photo, and family members to a story
Create a tale about a family road trip, visiting destinations you’ve actually planned
Make the journey feel like part of a grand, unfolding narrative
When kids see themselves in the story, they’re instantly more invested—and suddenly, the drive is another exciting “chapter” in their trip.
Other Bookish Car Activities
Even without custom stories, you can turn reading into a travel game. Here are a few favorites:
Family Audiobooks – Choose a story everyone can enjoy (bonus points for a great narrator).
Story Scavenger Hunt – Before you leave, pick a book with lots of scenery or objects. Kids try to spot things from the story outside the car window.
Travel Journals & Drawing Pads – After a chapter, ask older kids to write or sketch what they imagine happening next.
These activities not only pass the time—they also keep kids engaged with the trip itself.
Making Memories on the Go
There’s something special about tying your reading list to your travel plans. Heading to a campground? Read a story about camping on the way there. Visiting the beach? Dive into a seaside adventure book before you see the waves in real life.
Later, when you flip through the pages at home, those moments will bring back not just the story, but the smell of sunscreen, the feel of the breeze, and the sound of your child’s laughter in the backseat.
Family road trips aren’t just about the destination—they’re about the stories we gather along the way. And with personalized books, those stories can start before you even arrive.
✨ Create yours today: Turn your upcoming trip into a custom travel adventure with Once Upon A Memory—and keep the “Are we there yet?” count to a minimum.
There’s a certain magic to family road trips—the open road, the snacks packed just so, the promise of adventure ahead. But let’s be honest: somewhere between mile marker 32 and “Are we there yet?” number 27, that magic can start to fade.
If you’ve ever been trapped in the backseat crossfire of sibling squabbles or tried to negotiate peace with a juice box and a granola bar, you know the truth: long drives can be tough on little travelers. That’s where books—especially personalized ones—come in as a screen-free, imagination-filled lifeline.
Travel Challenges for Kids (and Parents)
Road trips test everyone’s patience, but kids feel the stretch even more. Hours in a car can lead to:
Boredom when the scenery stops being exciting
Restlessness from too much sitting
Endless “are we there yet?” loops that test even the most zen parent
Screens can help in short bursts, but constant device time can leave kids cranky and overstimulated. Books, on the other hand, give their minds something rich to chew on—no charger required.
Personalized Travel Books: An Adventure Starring Them
Imagine handing your child a story where they are the hero, exploring places that look suspiciously like the ones you’re driving through. Personalized travel-themed books transform passive car time into a living adventure.
With a service like Once Upon A Memory, you can:
Add your child’s name, photo, and family members to a story
Create a tale about a family road trip, visiting destinations you’ve actually planned
Make the journey feel like part of a grand, unfolding narrative
When kids see themselves in the story, they’re instantly more invested—and suddenly, the drive is another exciting “chapter” in their trip.
Other Bookish Car Activities
Even without custom stories, you can turn reading into a travel game. Here are a few favorites:
Family Audiobooks – Choose a story everyone can enjoy (bonus points for a great narrator).
Story Scavenger Hunt – Before you leave, pick a book with lots of scenery or objects. Kids try to spot things from the story outside the car window.
Travel Journals & Drawing Pads – After a chapter, ask older kids to write or sketch what they imagine happening next.
These activities not only pass the time—they also keep kids engaged with the trip itself.
Making Memories on the Go
There’s something special about tying your reading list to your travel plans. Heading to a campground? Read a story about camping on the way there. Visiting the beach? Dive into a seaside adventure book before you see the waves in real life.
Later, when you flip through the pages at home, those moments will bring back not just the story, but the smell of sunscreen, the feel of the breeze, and the sound of your child’s laughter in the backseat.
Family road trips aren’t just about the destination—they’re about the stories we gather along the way. And with personalized books, those stories can start before you even arrive.
✨ Create yours today: Turn your upcoming trip into a custom travel adventure with Once Upon A Memory—and keep the “Are we there yet?” count to a minimum.
There’s a certain magic to family road trips—the open road, the snacks packed just so, the promise of adventure ahead. But let’s be honest: somewhere between mile marker 32 and “Are we there yet?” number 27, that magic can start to fade.
If you’ve ever been trapped in the backseat crossfire of sibling squabbles or tried to negotiate peace with a juice box and a granola bar, you know the truth: long drives can be tough on little travelers. That’s where books—especially personalized ones—come in as a screen-free, imagination-filled lifeline.
Travel Challenges for Kids (and Parents)
Road trips test everyone’s patience, but kids feel the stretch even more. Hours in a car can lead to:
Boredom when the scenery stops being exciting
Restlessness from too much sitting
Endless “are we there yet?” loops that test even the most zen parent
Screens can help in short bursts, but constant device time can leave kids cranky and overstimulated. Books, on the other hand, give their minds something rich to chew on—no charger required.
Personalized Travel Books: An Adventure Starring Them
Imagine handing your child a story where they are the hero, exploring places that look suspiciously like the ones you’re driving through. Personalized travel-themed books transform passive car time into a living adventure.
With a service like Once Upon A Memory, you can:
Add your child’s name, photo, and family members to a story
Create a tale about a family road trip, visiting destinations you’ve actually planned
Make the journey feel like part of a grand, unfolding narrative
When kids see themselves in the story, they’re instantly more invested—and suddenly, the drive is another exciting “chapter” in their trip.
Other Bookish Car Activities
Even without custom stories, you can turn reading into a travel game. Here are a few favorites:
Family Audiobooks – Choose a story everyone can enjoy (bonus points for a great narrator).
Story Scavenger Hunt – Before you leave, pick a book with lots of scenery or objects. Kids try to spot things from the story outside the car window.
Travel Journals & Drawing Pads – After a chapter, ask older kids to write or sketch what they imagine happening next.
These activities not only pass the time—they also keep kids engaged with the trip itself.
Making Memories on the Go
There’s something special about tying your reading list to your travel plans. Heading to a campground? Read a story about camping on the way there. Visiting the beach? Dive into a seaside adventure book before you see the waves in real life.
Later, when you flip through the pages at home, those moments will bring back not just the story, but the smell of sunscreen, the feel of the breeze, and the sound of your child’s laughter in the backseat.
Family road trips aren’t just about the destination—they’re about the stories we gather along the way. And with personalized books, those stories can start before you even arrive.
✨ Create yours today: Turn your upcoming trip into a custom travel adventure with Once Upon A Memory—and keep the “Are we there yet?” count to a minimum.
