Parents Say Age 3 And A Half Is The Toughest Time For Road Trips With Kids

Traveling with young children isnt without its challenges, and a new survey suggests that age three and a half might be the hardest time to take them on the road.

According to a poll of 2,000 American parents with kids under 13, this specific age was cited as the most difficult for family road trips — largely because kids at this stage get bored easily (46%), are prone to tantrums in the car (39%), and generally dont enjoy road tripping (31%).

Commissioned by good2grow and conducted by Talker Research ahead of the brands On The Road campaign, the survey found that while parents are still hitting the road in spite of the chaos, many have learned to plan around the tough stages.

Over half of those surveyed (55%) said theyve intentionally avoided traveling with their children at certain ages because they anticipated the difficulty. On the flip side, age six was deemed the easiest age to road trip with, striking a balance between engagement and cooperation.

The survey also found that seven hours is the upper limit most parents are comfortable spending in the car with a young child. Within that time, they can expect to hear “Are we there yet?” about 22 times, navigate roughly 18 sibling spats, and defuse 14 tantrums — which adds up to nearly one every half-hour.

Its little wonder then that 59% of respondents find road trips at least somewhat stressful, with the prep and packing phase (46%), entertaining the child (36%), and the drive itself (36%) ranking as the most taxing elements. To mitigate the stress, parents rely on simple strategies: offering snacks (53%), preloading movies and TV shows (52%), and packing toys (47%) are all go-to solutions.

Despite the hurdles, most parents still see the value in road travel with their kids.

“Traveling with young kids isnt always easy, but our research shows that 93% of parents still find road trips to be a fun and memorable experience,” said Edzra Gibson, vice president of brand marketing at good2grow. “With our annual On The Road campaign, we want to help take the mess and stress out of family travel — so theres more room for smiles, laughter and connection for both kids and parents.”

Snack selection matters, too. Parents prefer non-refrigerated (56%), mess-free (51%), and easy-to-share (51%) options — both for convenience and to limit in-car disputes. Many also favor snacks with variety (44%) or those that offer a “better-for-you” alternative to traditional junk food (32%).

“Kids snacks and beverages are an everyday treat that helps families enjoy smooth, meltdown-free travel,” said Gibson. “This summer, families can go the extra mile with our mess-free options with reusable packaging, packed with flavor and fun for maximum value on every adventure.”

Based on the survey, the ideal trip involves a destination within five hours, regular stops, and a bit of rule-bending — like extra screen time — to keep the ride as smooth as possible.