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MotherProof.com’s Summer Road Trip Tips
Jun 05 2008 by Emily Hansen
6/5/08
Car Vacation Still a Great Option for Families
I know, just thinking about taking a road trip this summer probably makes some of you cringe, what with gas prices and all. But before you click away from this page, I think you should read my top five reasons why the road trip is still a viable option for family vacations this summer.
1. Stories from family road trips are the fuel that feeds conversations at family gatherings for years to come.
2. Have you seen airline prices lately? Multiply that expensive plane ticket by three or more, depending on the size of your family and however many assistants you hire to make the trip go smoothly, and $4 per gallon gas sounds almost palatable.
3. They’re a great way to keep kids confined in a small space to promote meaningful conversations and bonding (aka – teen torment).
4. You haven’t lived until you’ve stayed in a small-town motel.
5. I’ll bet there’s a fabulous attraction within a day’s drive of your home that you never knew was there.
Keep in mind that I tend to be the parent who flies by the seat of her pants when it comes to summer activity planning. I tend to call around during the last week of school to line up day camps and swimming lessons for my brood. I can count on one hand finger the number of times I’ve planned a summer vacation during the winter. But the trusty road trip has never failed me.
The first step in planning a fabulous journey is determining your destination or theme. Consider things like a state capital tour or exploring a couple of state or national parks. Rand McNally offers ideas and trip-planning tools. If your style tends to be a bit more eclectic, you’ll find some terrific offbeat attractions using Roadside America’s website. I find that involving my kids in this part of the planning really helps get them excited about the idea of traveling as a family and usually diminishes the chance of mutiny while on the road.
Watch for more installments in MotherProof.com’s Summer Road Trip Series.
User Comments
Thanks for the tip Taylor.
Did you cancel last year’s plans? According to AAA, gas prices have increased an average of $.56 a gallon since this time last year. Let’s go crazy and say it has been $.75 a gallon in your area. If your summer trip is 1000 miles long and your car gets an average of 23 MPG, your fuel will cost $32.60 more this year than last. One dinner at home instead of eating out before you go will save that much. Is $32 any reason to cancel your vacation?
What does it really cost? When you add up all the expenses of a vacation, fuel only counts as about the second or third highest expense. Typically food and lodging will cost more than fuel. If you need to cut back, consider RVing or eating more meals in, or renting a slightly less expensive lodging.
(Excerpted from article - read it all here: http://www.roadtripdream.com/gas-prices.html )
Em, you make me want to pack ‘em up and go!
Great article! We’ve been working to provide other useful tips and kid-friendly activities to families planning road trips. Free printouts of classic games and coloring sheets are available at http://www.GetRoadReady.com. On our site you’ll also find Rand McNally’s Best of the Road routes already mapped out for you to plan a perfect road trip in your area. For a video of tips for saving on gas and enjoying every minute of your road trip, check out our how-to videos at http://youtube.com/user/GetRoadReady. Thanks!