This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Disney Movies Anywhere blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.
Summer is all about travel and If you've been following along with me on social media the past month or so, you'll see that we kicked off our summer travel season early this year! Now, Angeline is a teenager, but we face a lot of the same traveling dilemmas that families with young children face...namely, keeping her entertained during the to and from and during downtime. With the new Disney Movies Anywhere app for iOS, parents lives are made a little easier because our kids have access to all of their favorite Disney movies anytime, anywhere!
Each year, we take a family road trip to Western North Carolina, which is about a 14 hour drive. We have done this almost every year since Angeline was 2 and I think now that she is 16, we finally have that long stretch of driving down to a science!
I grew up visiting my grandparents in North Carolina and attending our annual family reunion, and I am so happy to be able to give Angeline that same experience. We are now preparing for a first for our family...we are taking along Angeline's boyfriend on our NC Road Trip! He will accompany us to our family reunion and we plan to show him some of the places that we have been going to as a family since forever; for instance, Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah Forest has been a favorite sunny day spot since I was a kid, and we always take Angeline there to splash around on hot days!
With two teenagers in the backseat for a 14 hour drive, I am so grateful to modern technology - thank goodness for the Disney Movies Anywhere app for iOS, otherwise we would have two very bored kids in the backseat!
The Disney Movies Anywhere app is perfect for summer travel because you can view your favorite Disney movies streaming when connected to wifi, but you can also download them to view when you are offline. After you download the app, just sign up for Disney Movies Anywhere and connect your iTunes account. You can enter the special codes from your Disney DVD/Blu-ray purchases to save your movies to your account or buy them from the iTunes store (and earn Disney Movie Rewards off those new purchases!) and they are always there in your account when you need them. There is also free content available in the app, including new original programming, exclusive clips, fun movie factoids, and you can preorder Disney movies that are in theaters or returning from the Disney vault.
The Disney Movies Anywhere app is available for iOS and works on the iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini and Apple TV as well. You can check out this video to get a better idea of how it works.
Right now, when you download the Disney Movies Anywhere app, register, and connect your iTunes account, you will receive a free copy of Pixar's The Incredibles! A new Pixar movie will be released each week at the special price of $14.99 for a limited time - they are regularly $19.99, so now is the perfect time to stock up on your favorites!
4 Tips for a Better Family Road Trip
Bring LOTS of Entertainment - Kids get bored so easily in the car, and there is nothing worse than a child crying "I'm bored! Are we there yet?" from the backseat. Make sure you download the Disney Movies Anywhere app on each child's iOS device and have them choose a few movies to download so that they are available offline during your road trip.
Travel Tip: Electronics are no fun when the batteries die. Invest in an inexpensive back up battery charger with multiple USB ports so that your kids can keep their devices charged on long road trips without using up all of the outlets in the car!
Schedule Bathroom Breaks Into Your Travel Plan - When we map out our route, it's easy to overlook things like gas station stops and bathroom breaks. At the end of the trip, those 10 and 15 minute stops can really add up and set you back, so plan accordingly. Count on stopping once every 200 miles for a gas refill and make sure the kids go to the bathroom each time you stop for gas. Even if they are sleeping or say they don't have to go - wake them up and take them to the bathroom. It's Murphy's Law that as soon as you get back on the highway, the kids will all wake up with an urgent need to use the restroom!
Pack a Cooler Full of Snacks - Gas station stops are known for their aisles stocked with junk food and there's something about a road trip that stimulates the appetite! Instead of spending a fortune and filling up on junk food during your road trip, plan ahead and pack a small cooler (or big one, depending on the size of your family) with juice boxes, bottled waters and healthy snacks that your kids will enjoy. Think cheese and pepperoni, carrots and small ranch dressing containers and apple slices. Of course, no road trip is complete without a little bit of munchies, so bring along a big bag of pretzels, granola bars or other snacks that won't leave your kids with a sugar high!
Bring a Comfy Blanket and Pillows - There's just something about being in the car for long stretches of time that makes us doze off. Bring along a pillow for each child, as well as a blanket so that they can cozy up if you crank the AC.
Go download the Disney Movies Anywhere app now and get your copy of Pixar's The Incredibles!
You can also Like Disney Movies Anywhere on Facebook to stay up to date on their current promotions!
Robin (Masshole Mommy)
We go on several road trips every year and this is an awesome app to have! I will have to download it.
Nolie
Entertainment is the key for long road trips. And travelling during nap time if the younger kids are still nappers.
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos
This is an app that would be used all the time, Off to download - thanks!!!
Stefany
We go on a few road trips every year. This is an app I am going to have to download before our next trip. The last one was horrible without any entertainment!
Amy
My kids love movies, and are always reminding me of new releases. It would be cool to have this app for road trips and long drives.
Mickey
Great travel tips! We've been to Pisgah many times too. Thank goodness our drive is only a couple of hours. 🙂
Carlee C
This would be perfect for long trips. I'm sure with a Disney Movie or show playing, I would not hear "Are we there yet?"
April
WOW this is awesome!!! I would love to use it to help me this summer.
Ellen Christian
That definitely does sound handy for traveling with kids.
Dawn
Great app for children or adults on a road trip or just an all day outing. I love the idea of having quality, family entertainment right at my fingertips.
Jennifer
I don't have kids, however I love Disney movies. That makes this app a winner in my book. Just being able to go on my tablet and make a few swipes for great entertainment is awesome.
Sandra McCollum
I am so downloading this thank you!
Marina @ Mommy Snippets
What a fun movie! My kids would love this. We are wayy overdue for a movie too, so this is perfect timing.
Janel (A Mom's Take)
My husband and I both have this app on our phones for our kids. It's so nice! I hope to get them an iPad soon and I plan on downloading it on those devices as well.
Ann Bacciaglia
Great tips for a roadtrip. We always bring pillows and blankets. We all love to nap and rest on the way to our destination.
Jen Temcio @dapperhouse
UGH!! Can you please convince my husband to schedule bathroom breaks into our travel plans?? You have some great suggestions. The Disney Movie Anywhere app would be for me!! I LOVE Disney movies 🙂
Mindy Grant
Wow, that's quite a long car trip! Those are some really great tips for staying comfortable.
Pam
I love your road trip tips. Having enough entertainment is always so important.
Kimberly Grabinski
This sounds like a "must have" app for traveling with kids! Those are great tips as well, we always have snacks!
Nicole B
This would be perfect for road trips. We'd have to download them so we could watch them offline, but that's no biggie.
Liz Mays
I sure hope you don't get rained out this year, but if you do, at least you'll have entertainment!
Kayla @ TheEclecticElement
Because of my chronic pain I can't really do long car rides. 4 hours kills me so I can't imagine 14 hours, let alone add a few kids and two teenagers! I guess you take any help where it's given and technology is one of those wonderful things that's a BIG help.
Laurie - Steals and Deals for Kids
This looks like an awesome app!! Traveling with kids is hard but this app would be a great thing to have! Your other tips are great, too!!
Dede
I love this app!! We couldn't watch the movies in the car because our iPads only run on Wi-Fi, but it would be super helpful to have this in a hotel room for the nights when my kids want to watch something before bed.
Dawn
This seems like a great tool for longish road trips. I remember when my daughter was younger, it was tough trying to entertain her during long car rides. I wish smart phones/apps were around then!
Lisa
Yea, definitely makes it easier for PARENTS to travel since we don't have to deal with their screaming and fighting crap. Apps like this are AWESOME!
Mama to 5 BLessings
The Looking Glass Falls is awesome, where is that located? I would love to take my kids there!
Tammy Litke (@threedifferent)
I did a long road trip with our daughter by myself when she was just 7 years old. We bought a portable DVD player to keep her occupied and they had just come out so were SUPER expensive. I was so glad we bought it though because it saved my sanity. I wish that iPads and digital movies were around back then, because Disney Movies Anywhere is a fantastic service for road trips!
vanessa: thequeenofswag
I love my disney anywhere app. It really is a life saver when you're traveling.
Angela
This sounds like a great app. It would come in real handy when traveling with my grandkids.
Nancy @ Whispered Inspirations
Wow, this would definitely be a lifesaver!! My girls would love it!