Reflective jackets, breathalysers, first aid kits and more. Make sure you have European Breakdown Cover and that you are insured to drive in Europe. And investigate the Emissions stickers for driving in certain cities and towns! And not only did it use up time, but Disney songs interspersed with Paul Simon and Madonna was so much more bearable, in fact it saved our sanity. We had a big bag just full of small toys.
Little animals, princesses, Disney characters of course , whatever we could throw in there. My sister would describe the toy she was holding, the kids had to guess what it was. If they guessed it, they got to play with it.
Every now and then they just got to open a present for fun. Firstly, your kid has just kindly sat for two hours without moving. You get them out of the car, they are about to lose their minds at the freedom presented to them. Just no.
Secondly, eating takes time. You can waste a good 45 minutes feeding them lunch in the car. The crumb situation was horrendous. And half way through the week I had to search the car as there was a whiff of rotting sugary fruit; I eventually discovered a discarded piece of melon stuck between the seats.
Just accept it and prepare yourself mentally. However, on the way back we decided not to do any special stops. Well, because the service stations on the toll roads are awesome. Sure, you pay a fair bit on the toll roads. But the service stations are worth it - every five minutes or so there was a stop.
