1. The beaches are beautiful, but the best ones are in PEI. 
2. Hotels don’t provide a good cup of coffee and the Maritimes don’t have Tim Hortons at every corner (much less Starbucks!)  If you’re a sucker for the good stuff, pack your own coffee maker and beans (or a kettle and quality instant coffee.) 
3. There is such a thing as McLobster (we didn’t try it, though.)
4. One map is never enough.  Collect as many as you can along the way.
5. When the kids’ electronic toys are banned in the car because of bad behaviour, the parents suffer most.
6. Don’t travel out east for the great weather.
7. You won’t find a guy named Mac selling seafood out of his van off the highway.  In the Maritimes, it actually comes right off the boat.
8. There is a lobster season for every province.  So, if eating lobster is a goal, find out the season dates and travel accordingly.  We missed it in Nova Scotia, but found it in Cape Breton and PEI. 
9. Sure, Maritimers are friendly, but no friendlier than anyone else in Canada.
10. Restaurant food is usually crappier than home made food, and a whole lot pricier – unless you’re ordering fresh seafood in the Maritimes.
11. Kids CAN eat hotdogs every day for two weeks and never get sick of it.
12. Quebec City really does not celebrate Canada Day!  We arrived there on July 1st and were promptly told by the hotel staff that there were no festivities.  So much for our Canada shirts.
13. The least commercial place on the planet has to be Cape Breton.  It’s the best place to embrace the beauty of nature.
14. Canada should do everything they can to protect the livelihood of their Maritime fishermen.
15. Hotels and resorts never provide cutting boards.  Pack a small one on your next road trip.
16. Whether you scream in a whisper or a loud voice (at your kids), you still get a sore throat.
17. The Maritimes isn’t about enjoying luxury accommodations, it’s about appreciating the luxury of nature.
18. Canada is a beautiful country and worth exploring.

2. Cut strawberries – sure, there are loads of different fruits out there that you can serve the kids, but many of them will never get eaten (or get too bruised before they’re unpacked.)  These sweet bite-size snacks don’t pose a choking hazard to wee ones and, best of all, you can serve them early in the ride to assuage the guilt from feeding them junk food the rest of the way.

3. Lollipops - there’s not a good thing to say about these tooth-decaying orbs of sugar.  Except that kids LOVE them and they take a while to finish.  So, if you’re looking for five minutes of peace, you’ll be a sucker for suckers.

4. Sandwich wraps – bypass the first McDonalds you see, and instead, enjoy some homemade wraps. My personal favourite is the chicken wrap  (recipe here.)  This is less for the kids and more for the refined tastes of the adult passengers.

5. Trail mix – sorry to all the nut-allergy sufferers out there, but this is a healthy, easy snack that everyone can enjoy.

6. Peanut butter sandwiches – Kids loves these any day of the week.  They’re easy to make, stay fresh for hours, neat, and healthy. 

7. Salami and cheddar cheese – Be sure to include a sharp knife when packing this.  It’s a quick and easy snack or meal on the road.  Even better, have a hard-top cooler at hand to cut upon.

8. Cut carrots – Driving is a bit like watching TV.  You always feel like munching on something.  Rather than reach for the Doritos, leave out a bag of cut carrots.  It’s amazing that you can just as readily enjoy munching on a carrot as an all-dressed chip (well, almost).  Your waistline will thank you!

9. Granola bars – I try to stick to the healthier granola bar fare out there, but to each her own.  One of the best aspects to these snacks?  They’re easy to toss from the front to the rear seat of a minivan.  Be sure to buy a few packs.

10. One hand-picked treat for each child – Before embarking on the road trip, allow each child to select his or her own treat at the grocery store.  It gives them something to look forward to and helps relieve those periods in the car when the kids are grumpy, bored, irritable, or hungry (for something other than strawberries.)  Also, it doesn’t hurt to get your own chocolate indulgence… Life on the road can be tough on the adults, too!

1. Rice cakes – serious lingering odour.
2. Spears of broccoli and cauliflower – it may ease your guilt from letting them eat too much sugar, but these foods will not get eaten.  They will, however, get thrown.
3. Skittles – picture your kids after devouring a pack of skittles.  Now imagine them like that tethered to a car seat behind you.
4. Ice cream.
5. Dunkaroos – this is your kids’ chance to finally do that one craft you always say no to: finger painting (with chocolate dip on shiny windows!  Cool.)
6. Soup.
7. Devilled eggs – they’re healthy, delicious, and filling.  But better to suffer your husband’s gas problem than smell rotting eggs for hours on end.
8. Popcorn – these flying kernels somehow always end up all over the place (and fit perfectly inside ear canals and nasal passages.)
9. Bubble gum – yes, it’s a great way to keep their mouths busy, but it won’t stick lips together nearly as well as it sticks hair to the back of booster seats.  Ouch.
10. Prune juice – a road trip is not the time to loosen your toddler’s constipated bowels.

Photo is from freedigitalphotos.com

Image: federico stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net