If you follow along on Instagram or Facebook, you probably already know that my family just got back from a whopping 29 day road trip. We drove more than 4,000 miles, visited 15 different states, visited lots of friends and family along the way, and made lots of fun memories that I know will cherish for years to come. After our ill-fated first attempt at a road trip back in May, we were frankly just happy to finish our journey in one piece.
Throughout our trip we had more than a few people tell us in love that they thought we were absolutely crazy, usually declaring that they could never spend that much time cramped in a car with their family. And while I must say that so much “quality” time on the road does not come without a few speed bumps, we genuinely enjoyed our time together.
As I’ve been pondering the trip and what made it so much fun, I realized that following a few important “rules” throughout the trip really helped us keep our sanity. If you are planning a road trip in the near future, or even in the distant future, here are our 10 tips for making the most of your time on the road:
1. Preparation begins at home
As far as our actual trip agenda was concerned, we couldn’t have been less prepared. We didn’t make a single hotel reservation, we didn’t let friends or family know we were coming ahead of time, and we had very few set-in-stone dates along the way. We literally took it one day at a time. We wanted much of our trip to be spontaneous, and for the most part it was.
But we did prepare in other ways. The first, and most important, way is just in our general philosophy of parenting. Taking their toys away last year was one of those pivotal moments that has forever changed us. At home they watch very little TV and instead spend most of their time coloring or reading or using their imaginations. For the most part, they don’t get bored easily and don’t constantly need to be entertained. In the car, this translated to two kids who were pretty content hanging out in the backseat. They had books to read, coloring supplies, a few figurines, and their American Girl dolls to play with, and, for the most part, that was enough.
From a work standpoint, I also spent a lot of time pre-preparing all my blog posts and finishing other assignments ahead of time so that I would have less to do on the road. I am blessed to be able to work from everywhere, but I also didn’t want to spend my entire vacation on the computer. Getting a lot done before we left helped take a lot of pressure off.
2. Take it slow
While we did have a couple of power days where we were in the car for ten hours or more, we generally tried to give ourselves lots of time and leeway to make it to our next destination. We found that keeping our daily mileage to 300 or less was usually best. In our fast-paced world where we are seemingly always late for something, it can be hard to just slow down and take it easy. It definitely took us a few days to get into the groove of not being in a hurry.
3. Create family traditions
Husband and I have traveled cross-country several times, and one of our favorite road trip traditions is that we always (at least when it is possible) stop at the state lines to take a picture with the state welcome signs. We’ve now passed this tradition torch to our girls and have made it our goal to get the two of them in front of every state sign by the time they turn eighteen. Although we knocked out quite a few on this latest trip, we’ve still got a long way to go!
4. Always stop for pie
Small towns and out-of-the way places are the best. Our other road trip rule is that if we happen to see some small diner or cafe along the way, one of us will say, “I bet they have good pie,” and then we have to stop, just to check. Sometimes it really is great, sometimes not so much, but it is just one of those fun and silly stops that makes a road trip memorable.
5. Try to visit everyone you know along the way
Husband and I have both lived in many different places, and now through blogging I have been blessed to meet friends who live all over the country. (Including Crystal, Edie, and Patty pictured above.) Thus, when we travel, we make every effort to see as many friends and family as we can. Because this trip was so minute-to-minute, that often meant calling people the day before and saying, “hey we are going to be passing through, do you mind if we stop by?” More often than not, that spur-of-the-moment meet-up was better than anything we could’ve ever tried to plan ahead of time. For the girls, meeting up with other kids along the way was definitely the highlight of the trip. They made lots of new friends and reconnected with others they hadn’t seen in a while. When all is said and done, all they really want to do is play!
Taking time the to see people is important to us because we know what it is like to be on the other end. We live in Florida, vacation capital of the world, and have often been hurt after finding out that friends or family visited the Sunshine State without bothering to let us know they were nearby. While it doesn’t always work out, at least make an attempt!
Staying with friends and family is not only a good way to re-connect, is also a great way to save money on food and hotel costs. On this particular trip, we only stayed in a hotel for 9 of the 29 nights. We are so grateful for such incredible hospitality!
6. Stop to see the sites
This is a pretty amazing country filled with more sites than you could ever see in a lifetime. Slowing down the pace of your trip also means allowing time to stop for roadside attractions, historic sites, scenic overlooks, or famous landmarks. Never be in such a hurry that you can’t stop to explore. You never know what pit stop could end up being the highlight of your trip!
7. Play interactive games
We do have two Kindle Fire tablets that are loaded with lots of books and a few movies for the girls to use in the car. For Princess, who is a voracious reader and apparently has a stomach made of steel, a Kindle full of books was more than enough to keep her happy. Trouble, on the other hand, gets carsick very easily. Looking down at the Kindle screen for any length of time only exacerbates the problem.
Luckily we discovered the best road trip game app ever, On The Go Bingo, which we loaded onto both our iPhones and the Kindles so that we could all play at the same time. I am not even kidding when I tell you that we must have played at least a thousand rounds of that game! It was such a great way to take advantage of technology but still interact as a family, and we had so much fun playing together that even now that we are home we are constantly pointing out “bingo” sightings along the way.
8. Take lots of pictures
I love the quality of photos I get from my DSLR camera, but I really love the convenience of my iPhone. On this trip in particular I ended up taking most of our photos on my phone, simply because it was always close at hand. Instagram and Facebook make it super easy to share your memories and progress with friends and family back home, too. The one thing I wish I would’ve done differently is come up with our own Instagram hashtag, such as #SoukupsOntheRoad or #LWSLBestFamilyRoadTripEver. Sigh. Maybe next time!
9. Rest
Travel is exhausting. Be sure to stop at rest stops while driving. On longer driving days, we would make the kids run around and do some races and jumping jacks on the grass, just to get their blood flowing. Getting enough sleep at night is really important too! Staying up late then getting up early will take its toll quickly, so try to only do one or the other.
10. Eat well
The best part of a road trip? Definitely the FOOD! We took a cooler along filled with drinks, easy breakfast items, and sandwich fixings. This allowed us to save some money by eating “in” for two meals a day, then splurging on regional specialties whenever we could. We enjoyed Shrimp Po’ Boys at Pirate’s Cove in Mississippi, Beignets at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, barbecue at Corky’s in Memphis and Jack Stack in Kansas City, and pizza at Home Run Inn in Chicago. But honestly the best–and downright incredible–meals (Bourbon glazed ham! Low Country Boil! Shrimp & Grits!) courtesy of our awesome, talented, and amazingly hospitable friends.
Granted after 29 days of really good eating, we are now in full-blown diet mode! Oh, but those 10+ pounds were worth every calorie! 🙂
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What a fun trip. We are doing a 35 day/ 19 state road trip this summer w/ our boys ages 11 & 13. Did you use any apps to locate the State Welcome signs or restroom breaks?
I realize that this post is now slightly dated and Pinterest has just led me to it, but I felt the need to 1.) commend you and your family! and 2.) praise you for showing how amazing a trip can be when done in the car! My husband and I live for the spur-of-the-moment roadtrip. We drove 25 hours to Las Vegas on a whim and got married, and here we are, still going strong! Since then, we’ve been back to Vegas and beyond-In the 3 years we’ve been married, we’ve been to 20 states together, and have probably spent more time in my tiny, 2-door Honda Civic than anywhere else. I’m originally from Pennsylvania, which is an 18+ hour drive from Arkansas, but that will always be my home, so we’ve made that drive as well, 3 different times! Our son Carson is now 13 months, but when he was only 2 months he took his first roadtrip to Pennsylvania. The thought of our normal in-car adventure with a baby in tow terrified me…at first. But we left in the evening (if your child can sleep in the car, leave in time for the sunset! Yes, it will SUCK for you if you’re the driver and everyone else is out like a light, but its worth it!) Carson literally slept for nine hours straight, we only woke him so I could feed him and stop my own discomfort! He loved getting out of his seat, getting a little cuddle time with Momma, a full belly and a clean butt, and then drifted right back off again, no matter what. Now there are THOSE moments when a meltdown commenses and I am climbing between the seats and wedging my butt in a 2 inch space just to hold his hand as he drifts off again (you can’t exactly pull all the awesome kid roadtrip tricks when they’re super young!) But always keep in mind that it may seem like a daunting nightmare, a roadtrip with a kiddo is a great experience-for everyone! Plus, its so American traditional to load up the car and stare out the windows at all the random scenes that whiz by-EMBRACE YOUR INNER GRISWOLDS, PEOPLE! 🙂
Since that first trip at 2 months, we’ve traded our Civic (bye bye, amazing gas mileage!) for a 4-door Charger that feels like we’re travelling by yatch compared to our previous vessel. And Carson is older, and full of life and hilarity and trouble! We’ll be heading to Pennsylvania in 2 weeks, and we are open-minded about how much fun he’ll have squealling at the people we pass and jammin’ like a rockstar to his Momma’s music! So thank you for sharing your adventure with us; those of us with inner wanderlust appreciate it! 🙂
That looks like a fabulous trip! We are about to do a similar one around the Deep South, very excited! Thanks for the great tips
Did you blog where you stopped??? Would love to know some of your favorite spots. Driving from wis to fl in December with a 3 and 4 year old
I didn’t blog specifically about our stops, but some of our favorite places were the Field Museum in Chicago and the huge children’s museum in Indianapolis. We also loved Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, and Savannah, Georgia was absolutely beautiful. The kids were happiest when we were stopped at friends’ houses along the way and they had new friends to play with!
Hi Ruth! I’m from Malaysia and I’m writing an article about road trips tradition, I like that you take pictures with the states welcome sign. So, I’m planning to add that in the article. I would be so happy if you allow me to use the pictures of your daughters and the signs for the article. Hope you can give me your consent. Thanks a lot.