A couple weeks ago we returned home from our 5000 mile road trip, and while we had a good time, it wasn’t all fun and games. I got sick and was not up to doing much of anything for 5 or 6 days. Getting sick while on vacation is never fun, and if you’ve got kids it can definitely be problematic.

>> how I plan our long road trips

While I was hiding in the RV, trying to keep my germs to myself and feeling crummy, it was up to Jeremy to keep the kids occupied. If we were at home where the kids have lots of space to run around and their toys to keep them busy, he wouldn’t have had to worry about anything. Living out of an RV with minimal space and toys while moochdocking in grandma’s driveway is a whole different ball game.

Luckily, because we were staying with family, they were able to help keep them entertained (and keep an eye on them), but what if this had happened when we weren’t near family? I’ve got some ideas to share that work regardless of whether you’re staying in an RV, tent, hotel, or AirBnB.

I didn’t include anything water-related because it can be much more difficult and/or stressful to keep an eye on all the kiddos in a pool or near a river when you’re by yourself. And who needs that kind of stress when you’re on vacation?

How you can keep kiddos occupied if one parent is sick and you’re on vacation

1. Be willing to change up your plans

If possible, stay longer at the campground you’re already at, drop the sightseeing portions of your trip and get to your next stopover as quickly as possible, or stop at the closest campground you can find. Traveling while you’re under the weather just makes things more miserable, so if you can, try to avoid doing so.

We had planned to do a bit more driving and sightseeing, but we opted to head straight to grandma’s house once I fell ill. As much as I hated changing our itinerary, I was in no condition to do any sightseeing. And let’s be honest, RV sofas are just not that comfortable for laying on. Getting to grandma’s house quickly so I could lay on the bed (it’s folded in half when the slide is in) was much more beneficial to my health than anything else we could have been doing.

2. Look for free or low-cost activities in the area

While we had to change our plans, we also didn’t want to mess up the budget too badly. Summer is a fantastic time if you’re looking for free or low-cost activities for kids, so take a few minutes to do a bit of research to see what’s available.

Jeremy’s grandma told us about a local summer bowling program (2 free games per kid every day, just pay for shoes) and he took the kids bowling several days. The theaters in our town offer $1 movies two mornings a week during the summer, which is also a great way to keep kiddos busy.

3. Invest in a reciprocal museum pass

These passes allow you to visit museums of all types across the country at a discounted rate. There’s several associations that a museum might belong to, with the following being the most well-known.

North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM)

Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)

Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM)

Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)

Smithsonian Affiliate Reciprocal Membership Program

Membership benefits vary from discounted admission to free admission to museums in that network. Be sure you know the policies and make sure you bring your membership card with you when you travel. A well-timed visit to a children’s museum or science museum can be a lifesaver!

4. If you’re military, look into the Blue Star Museum program

The Blue Star Museum program runs between Memorial Day and Labor Day every summer and allows military members (Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserves) and their families to visit more than 2000 museums of all types, zoos, and nature centers for free. The list changes from year to year, so be sure to check the site to make sure the location you want to attend is participating. You must show a valid military ID to make use of this program.

A few years ago the kids and I took advantage of the Blue Star Museum program to visit the Please Touch children’s museum in Philadelphia. I don’t see it on this year’s list, and prices have gone up since we went, but instead of paying $68, we got in for free! Now, it is a fantastic children’s museum, but I don’t know that it (or many other places) are $68 worth of fantastic (or maybe I’m just too cheap?). In any case, we had a good time there and didn’t feel pressured to stay all day to get our money’s worth.

5. Visit a local park

Kids love exploring new parks, so don’t discount that park you drove past earlier. Jeremy’s grandma lives next to a park and our kiddos visited it every day while I was sick.

When we were exploring a small town in West Virginia a few years ago we found a super cool playground with an elaborate wood castle play structure. We ended up spending longer than we’d planned (we’d just stopped so I could feed the baby), but we all had a great time.

6. Find a local festival or other special event to check out

Summer is full of community concerts, music festivals, movies in the park, carnivals, and so on. Contact the local visitor center or look in the local paper to find out what’s going on around you.

Jeremy and the kiddos hit the jackpot with this one. They went to a pancake breakfast, a Fourth of July parade, and a fireworks display with his parents and grandma. They had fun and made good memories.

7. Check out a local climbing wall, ninja gym, or trampoline park

Some sporting goods stores (such as REI and Bass Pro) have climbing walls at their larger locations. If you’ve always wanted to give it a try and happen to be near one of those stores, this is a great time to try something new. If that’s not an option, ninja gyms and trampoline parks are gaining popularity and are also a great way to burn off excess energy.

River has recently decided he’s interested in America Ninja Warrior (he and I are currently planning out a course for our back yard), but we don’t have a ninja gym in our area. If I’d been the healthy parent, he and I would have had a blast visiting this gym in Boise, near Jeremy’s grandma’s house. Jeremy’s bad back limits his ability to do things like hang from monkey bars, so this isn’t something he would have done with the kids.

8. Check the local library for events and other resources

Libraries offer a variety of activities: story time, crafts, maker’s rooms, etc. Even if you’re not local, you can take advantage of a lot of the activities offered at libraries. Some events may be offered every week, others may be one-off events.

Every summer our local library hosts an elaborate activity for the kids on July 31, Harry Potter’s birthday. It’s fun for kids and adults, and it’s just one of many activities offered.

Have you fallen ill while traveling? How did you keep the kiddos from going stir-crazy? Do you have any activities to add to this list?