Loralee Leavitt - Road Tripping: A Parents Guide to Planning (& Surviving) the Annual Car Trip

Introduction

It was Sunday afternoon in one of Glacier National Parks outhouse-but-no-water primitive campsites, the only spot left during a crowded Labor Day weekend. Wed spent Saturday exploring the park, hiking up dusty trails, and driving along windy mountain highways. By Sunday, the campsite had emptied out, so it was just our family, with my children playing in the forest and my husband packing up the tent. As I reveled in the quiet, I was struck by a feeling of utter peace, with no electronics, no novels, and no distractions taking me away from my family. The nine-hour drive to Glacier seemed a small price to pay for such a perfect moment.

Loralee Leavitt

In the fall of 1999, I was working at home as a freelance writer while my wife was being a mom and homeschooling our four children. We had nothing to tie us down. So we decided to take an adventure that admittedly only few families can take and we were only able to take once. For three and a half months we traveled around the country: six people in a minivan for fifteen thousand miles. We saw the leaves change three timesin upstate New York, in Connecticut, and in North Carolina. We slept overnight in a motel made of train cabooses. We survived a hurricane. We saw more museums and historical sites than most people see in a lifetime. That trip created many of our familys favorite memories and led to important learning and bonding. Its not for everyone, but it worked for us.

Rick Walton

To most parents, long road trips sound like torture. To the authors of this book, long road trips become exciting adventures. Ricks family has traveled all over the United States, including a fifteen-thousand-mile road trip from Utah all along the East Coast. Loralees family has logged over fifty thousand miles of road trips to Washington, Utah, Colorado, California, South Dakota, Arizona, and Canada. Weve packed babies along miles of sandy beaches, cajoled toddlers up forest trails, and urged reluctant children through museums. Weve seen incredible natural marvels like Niagara Falls, Californias redwoods, Colorados sand dunes, and Utahs rock arches. Weve explored manmade wonders like Mesa Verde, Mount Rushmore, and Hoover Dam. The wonder we felt at each stop was multiplied by our childrens reactions as we saw new sights through their eyes.

Weve learned how to plan trips, what to pack, and how to save money as we travel. Even more important, weve learned how to keep the journey fun, even when days get long and exhausting.

Weve also weathered countless road-trip catastrophes. Weve endured screaming children, vomit, dirty diapers, dead car batteries, flat tires on Oregon mountains, Utah blizzards, and forest-fire detours in Colorado. We know how hard it is to pack a car and hit the road. But every time one of our families prepares for a trip, we endure the headaches, the late nights, and the exploding list of labors because we know whats coming: family time we can really enjoy together.

People shake their heads in disbelief and ask, How do you do it? The truth is, any family can take a long road trip. All it takes is preparation, time behind the wheel, and determination to keep your familys spirits up, no matter the situation. In this book, well share all our tips and tricks, as well as ideas from other experienced travelers, for how you can take a successful road tripand enjoy it.

CHAPTER ONE

Where Are We Going?

Id been looking at maps of Utah, Colorado, and South Dakota, because I was jealous that my sister was about to take a road trip to Mount Rushmore. But wed already scheduled our family trip to go to Utah. Finally, I persuaded my husband that he needed to drive to Denver at the end of our Utah trip to visit his aging grandparents, and once we were there, I showed him the map. Mount Rushmores only six hours away, I urged. It wont add on much time at all! So we took an extra day, drove up to see Mount Rushmore, and then headed home along beautiful I-90. Loralee

Youre going to pack everybody in the car and drive off on a crazy adventure. But first you have to decide where youre going. How much time do you have? Will you be visiting family? Do you want to introduce your children to the wonders of Americas national parks? Or do you prefer theme parks, like Disneyland? Does your family love the outdoors? Big cities? Skiing? Do they like to hang out in hotels and swim? What is their favorite thing to do? Whats something new you want to try?

When youre deciding where to go, make it a family decision. Parents should have the majority vote, since its your schedule, your time behind the wheel, and your money. But you should involve your children as much as possible, because theyll enjoy the trip far more if they get to help plan it.

Here are some things to consider as you plan your trip.

Finances

A vacation doesnt have to be expensive. There are a number of ways to travel on the cheap. You can camp, you can stay with people, or you can stay at inexpensive motels. You can sleep overnight in your car in truck stop parking lots. You can buy food in grocery stores and prepare it on your own. You can go to nearby destinations instead of long trips far away.

On our fifteen-thousand-mile trip across America, we kept costs low by making it a business trip. I did twenty-two days of paid school visits in six states, visited publishers, and researched and wrote books. Much of the trip we were able to write off from our taxes. We kept housing costs down by camping and by staying with friends, relatives, and strangers. We figured out ways to cut other coststips you will find in this book. We also took into account the fact that we would be saving money we would normally spend on food, utilities, and other purchases if we had stayed at home. Rick

Combining Destinations

If you have several places youd like to visit, can you combine them into one trip? Many families tour the national parks, visiting locations like the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Arches National Park all in one trip.

Visiting One Area

If you like visiting one city at a time, there are thousands to choose from. In the United States, you might want to enjoy jazz music and southern cooking in New Orleans; visit national landmarks and historical museums in Washington, DC; or see world-class art and giant dinosaur skeletons in Chicago. In Canada, you might enjoy the international feel of Toronto, the fourth largest city in North America; the mountains, ocean, and islands of beautiful Vancouver; or the old city of cosmopolitan Montreal, the largest French city outside of France.

When youre visiting one area, consider staying for several days, a week, or even a few weeks. Youll have time to actually get to know the area. You can take your time visiting attractions such as theme parks, zoos, or museums, and even allow time for kid breaks. You can explore a new city and not spend all your vacation time stuffed in a car.

Our family enjoys getting to know a place. We stayed a week in Williamsburg, two-and-a-half weeks on a farm in upstate New York, a month in Florida, and a month and a half in the San Diego area. Extended stays allow us to get to know an area at our own pace, return to attractions that we like more than we thought we would, and take advantage of unplanned opportunities. And we can get much cheaper weekly motel rates. Rick