x2 on the burning off energy.
I grew up in a family that did a lot of long road trips. My parents' method was to drive 8 hours straight, eat lunch while driving, stop once or twice to pee and that was it. Siblings and I fought a lot. Too much energy to sit that long.
If I were doing this as a parent I would plan on stopping every 2 hours, for at least half an hour, and an hour is better. And definitely never two driving days in a row! Drive, then stay two nights in the same cg, then drive again.
You can always revise the schedule if the kids are up for more driving. That's a lot easier than revising it downward because your kids are freaking out :).
