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Post by txdancermom on May 30, 2015 21:51:05 GMT
For a road trip - I like to start early morning, and drive 1.5 - 2 hours at a stretch and then making a quick potty/beverage/snack stop, more to get out and move around. stops are no more than 10-15 min usually. unless we are stopping to see something on the way, will drive until late afternoon/early evening and then stop for dinner and the night. we usually have a stopping place or two in mind, with motels picked out and will call one on the way late afternoon. we may drive 400- 500 miles in a day if we are trying to get somewhere.
2nd day, will do the same, usually with the hope that we get where we are going early in the day (most of our destinations are 800-900 miles from home).
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katie10
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Jun 26, 2014 10:20:04 GMT
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Post by katie10 on May 31, 2015 11:30:43 GMT
We love road trips in the US. So much easier than here in Australia, where you can drive for hours without anything at all - to see, do, eat or drink.
We book hotels ahead, always have a GPS, and pack a bag with drinks and snacks but also stop at Starbucks, Chick Fil A or Panera, and take CDs. Whoever isn't driving reads local newspapers - and reads out the interesting snippets.
Because we don't live in the US, we love just looking at the countryside and stopping at small towns. There really isn't ever a long stretch, as far as we're concerned,
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on May 31, 2015 11:35:01 GMT
We drove to Chicago for Christmas about 12 hours. We stopped both ways. On the way there traffic in Louisville put us off an hour or so and we decided to stop after we were through it.
On the way home fog in the smokies, near Gatlinburg made me stop. I was the only driver!
I would plan out the over nights and make it part of the trip.
We love books ons tapes. It really makes the day go faster.
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Post by walkerdill on May 31, 2015 12:28:16 GMT
Thanks for this suggestion! Looks right up our alley! Definitely adding it to our list.
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raindancer
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Post by raindancer on May 31, 2015 14:38:07 GMT
I would plan stops for the night, and definitely book for Yellowstone, it gets tricky if you don't.
I would have a plan for motion sickness as well, even though my sister doesn't normally get sick, she struggled in an RV, and I was just down for the count. Even dramamine was not enough for me. I would get medicine and sea bands . That's a long trip if you can't handle the sway of an RV.
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janeinbama
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Jan 29, 2015 16:24:49 GMT
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Post by janeinbama on May 31, 2015 14:48:47 GMT
Sounds like a fun trip. We camped with a pop-up and pull behind trailer for about 10 years with kids. 6-7 hours was a good day for us, maybe more on day 1 since all we had to do was wake up and start driving. Setting up/breaking down camp takes a bit longer. DH did all the driving and most of the setting up if that is the case with you guys, he will be tired. I tried to have quick meals for our travel days. We always had special treats we only had camping and the kids still remember it. We are more of drive straight to destination then and it is a habit we are trying very hard to break years later.
DH's dream way of RVing would be for me to be cooking lunch as we rolled down the road, we never bought a driving RV though.
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Post by brina on May 31, 2015 15:08:03 GMT
My preference is to do a big portion of the trip the first day - For an 18 hour trip we would probably get in 12-13 hours the first day split between dh and I. The second day then feels really short and we arrive at our destination early enough to enjoy it that day.
When my kid and I did a road trip without dh we did it differently. We found some places along the route that interested us. First day we drove about 9 hours and then we stayed for 2 days exploring the city. then we did another 9 hour drive to our destination. On the way home we chose a different place to spend a couple of days.
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 19:55:35 GMT
I would give your kids each a map and a pen/marker and a notebook and have them help with the directions, stops, notes of interest, etc. If they feel like they're "navigators" and not just bored passengers, it will help pass the time. We used to start out about 9 or 10 in the morning and stop for the night around 6 or 6:30. This is important, especially if you're driving west, as the setting sun will be right in the driver's eyes soon after that time. Hope you have fun and that you and your family learn lots about the places you visit!
Excellent advice! Didn't even think about driving west into the sun!
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:00:33 GMT
If you have an RV I am assuming you will be staying in that? We like to do about 350- 400 miles per day since we travel a bit under the speed limits & especially towing something. Amom is right , we are willing to drive farther/longer in a car. I like to make reservations ahead so we are not trying to find someplace in the dark & still having to level, set up & cook (assuming you are doing that. ) If you are able to take your time getting to Yellowstone, I would have a day where we parked & then take the car to see some sights. Gives the driver a break. We like to take secondary routes rather than interstates-generally more scenic. As for the kids... Electronics are your friend. ?How about a book on cd that the whole family would enjoy? I also love gramasue's suggestion about them learning to read a map. Take lots of pictures & have a wonderful time.
Good advice ... We do pretty good setting up the RV in the dark! LOL (It's my preference not to though. LOL) We will be cooking in a lot of meals. The kids will have electronics. There's a DVD player in the RV so that would keep them busy too. ;-)
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:03:55 GMT
Ohhh! great suggestions! I recently downloaded the "Game Words" app by The Game Gal. We used it to play Pictionary on this last long, rainy camping weekend. LOL
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:08:12 GMT
When it's time to stop for a potty break give the kids 10-15 minutes of warning so they can get their shoes on and get ready for the stop. When you have a long road trip like that you don't want to spend 30 minutes at every potty stop. My favorite places to stop when traveling are McDonald's. They're well lit, easy to find, the bathrooms are clean, and if you need a snack it's right there. Rest stops are hit and miss as far as safety and cleanliness are concerned. YES! YES! YES! If/when you see something of interest along the way stop and check it out. America is an amazing country and there's no better way to fall in love with it than to go on a road trip and seek out adventure! Do you have reservations for Yellowstone? I think that most of the camp sites used to sell out, but I don't know if they still do or not. Take lots of pictures! Take a different route home than the one you used to get there if by doing so you'll be able to see some interesting things. Do you kids have a Kindle or other type of electronic device? I'd download books, puzzles and games for them. Just know that while you're driving you likely won't be able to access the internet. Headphones and bonine will be appreciated. Every time you stop throw the trash away.
LOL on giving the kids warning before we stop ... You must be in the car with us on our daily journeys! My DD 12 is the slowest slow poke about getting out of the car when we get somewhere! LOL
We are working on reservations for Yellowstone.
Smart idea about taking the trash out at each stop.
Love the idea of stopping @ McDs for rest stops.
We will have electronic devices. I'll make sure they have stuff on them that isn't internet dependent.
Thanks!!!
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:09:45 GMT
Take a different route home than the one you used to get there if by doing so you'll be able to see some interesting things.
So smart! Just made a note of this! Cool!
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Post by cindyupnorth on May 31, 2015 20:10:29 GMT
We JUST got back from Yellowstone!! I take it you have a campground already booked there? I hope so. We were supposedly there during the "off" season, start of season, and it was already crammed. We kept saying, we would hate to be there during the busy season. It would be crowded!! Has your dh drove the RV in the mountains before? I tell ya, I would NOT want too. I hated just driving them in our SUV. crazy steep, and lots of up/down hills. Not a lot of places for RVs, etc to park either. The other think you need to be aware of is that there is NOT a lot of wifi in Yellowstone. We stayed at a ranch outside of Yellowstone in cody and the ranch had NO wifi. My girls did not like that. No tv either. I thought it was good for them! We didn't plan our trip out, we drove for as long as we could each night, and we stopped along the way and saw the sights. Stayed 1st night in Mandan ND, cool town. Saw Little big horn battle ground. Theodore Roosevelt Natl park, Bill Cody museum in Cody (very nice museum!) and Devils Tower on the way home. I packed a whole tote full of snacks, and we had a cooler of pop. Any other questions let me know! One of the main roads to Old faithful is closed. I'm not sure when it will reopen, they are putting in a new bridge. We had a great time there!!! Even though the weather sucked. Bring lots of warm clothes, and rain coats.
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:11:27 GMT
Remember that you can pull into most any walmart parking lot and spend the night there. Takes the pressure off the hotel room enroute if needed. I have with a camper. Some people ask at the service desk. I just do it without bothering them if I see another camper. Stay off to the back/side and one night is the official maximum. But really...who wants to spend more than that in a parking lot. Truck stops are your friend and stay gassed up when traveling between midnight and 6am. Don't use roadside rest stop bathrooms. Truck stops. Walmarts. Fast food. Drug stores. Hotels. All better options and safer.
I'm making a list with all of this very valuable advice! Thanks!!!
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:15:18 GMT
We JUST got back from Yellowstone!! I take it you have a campground already booked there? I hope so. We were supposedly there during the "off" season, start of season, and it was already crammed. We kept saying, we would hate to be there during the busy season. It would be crowded!! Has your dh drove the RV in the mountains before? I tell ya, I would NOT want too. I hated just driving them in our SUV. crazy steep, and lots of up/down hills. Not a lot of places for RVs, etc to park either. The other think you need to be aware of is that there is NOT a lot of wifi in Yellowstone. We stayed at a ranch outside of Yellowstone in cody and the ranch had NO wifi. My girls did not like that. No tv either. I thought it was good for them! We didn't plan our trip out, we drove for as long as we could each night, and we stopped along the way and saw the sights. Stayed 1st night in Mandan ND, cool town. Saw Little big horn battle ground. Theodore Roosevelt Natl park, Bill Cody museum in Cody (very nice museum!) and Devils Tower on the way home. I packed a whole tote full of snacks, and we had a cooler of pop. Any other questions let me know! One of the main roads to Old faithful is closed. I'm not sure when it will reopen, they are putting in a new bridge. We had a great time there!!! Even though the weather sucked. Bring lots of warm clothes, and rain coats. Soooo cool! We have NOT driven the RV in the mountains. Actually, I've never even been to the mountains! I'm a little scared of that but I guess people do it! I'm gonna try to do a bunch of reading on it before we go so I can tell my DH how to drive from the passenger seat. LOL
I am working on reservations and trying to figure out where to stay ...
About no wi-fi, I think my DH and me would be more upset than the kids. LOLOL!
Good advice on the warm clothes and rain coats.
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:18:22 GMT
I think it is helpful to decide ahead of time what sort of trip you want: "get there then enjoy" or "the drive is part of the vacation". But -- I love road trips of any sort. AAA is a great resource -- I love their City Guide and Trip Tix. Trip Tix are easy for younger kids to read and they can let you know what services are available at any upcoming crossroad. My DS grew up with Trip Tix! You can also review them ahead of time and find interesting things to see and do along the way. We would never have stopped in Sioux Falls without the City Guide telling us about the "falls" --- pretty place, good for stretching and breathing, then move along. One of the well known "traditional" map companies has a really good road atlas for kids -- games, interesting stuff and maps. Car games are just silly fun -- the ABC game (finding items along the road in alphabetical order -- some state is supposed to have a road sign "XYZ" !!), the license plate game (I have a scrapbook page memorializing one license plate game - and the construction of that page is a crop group legend, the story told at every gathering!). Long trips are great for conversations -- don't let your kids be buried in electronics the whole time! We find McDonal's a good stopping place -- also Flying J and/or "Loves" gas stations -- well lighted, clean and feel safe. Visitor or welcome centers are usually a good stop -- it was a visitor's center where we learned of a special night event at Mt Rushmore -- and it was a beautiful and memorable experience!
Very good point about "get there and enjoy" vs. "the drive is part of the vacation". I talked to DH about this because I thought he would just want to drive and get there. Surprisingly, he liked "the drive is part of the vacation". That's what I like too!
Thanks for the advice!
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Post by cindyupnorth on May 31, 2015 20:19:11 GMT
Nicole, what do you mean you are working on reservations?!!! where are you looking? I'm really doubting you are going to find anything IN the park for this summer. I think there are sites outside the park. Seriously, the passes IN to the park are crazy! no thank you driving an RV! Have you thought about camping outside the park, parking the RV, and driving in?
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:20:12 GMT
Let them know at the beginning of the day how long before you stop for lunch and for the day. Rest stops can be your best friend because exercise is a nice outlet. Some my favorite memories are road trips as a kid and with my own kids. Have fun!
My older DD loved to know this kind of stuff. Plus, it could eliminate ... Are we there yet?? LOL Well, maybe not! Haha
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:24:50 GMT
Nicole, what do you mean you are working on reservations?!!! where are you looking? I'm really doubting you are going to find anything IN the park for this summer. I think there are sites outside the park. Seriously, the passes IN to the park are crazy! no thank you driving an RV! Have you thought about camping outside the park, parking the RV, and driving in? I was surprised too! I couldn't believe the week we are going there are still some open in Fishing Bridge IN the park. (Well, at least there were yesterday. LOL)
I haven't booked yet because we haven't fully decided whether to stay IN the park in Fishing Bridge or outside of the park in one of the RV places. (Then we could drive our car into the park like you mentioned).
I have read some reviews that Fishing Bridge is very crowded and I think we may enjoy staying outside of the park better. But if it's only for a couple of nights and you would already be in the park would save time ...
Ugh ... I need a trip planner!
If all else fails, my back up plan is to drive to the Florida panhandle! LOL
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:26:59 GMT
When we had the kids for the FL they were about 10 and 13. We stopped at Redbox along the way and rented movies for them so they would have new ones to watch. They had other electronics with them to keep them occupied as well. When they were really little I used to pack little gifts for them to open everytime we stopped for gas, usually something from the dollar store. Have fun! Forgot about the Red Box. We do have a DVD player. That's great idea!
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:29:05 GMT
The furthest we've driven is 15 hours from Houston to Omaha. Always straight through. When the kids were small we would do it overnight and DH and I would alternate sleeping and driving.
I wish I could sleep while someone else is driving! I just can't do it! Usually I end up doing most of the driving because of this. LOL
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:32:39 GMT
Three years ago my then 15-year old daughter and I did a two week road trip. I did book our hotels in advance based on what we planned to do each particular day and how far I planned to drive. I did a TON of planning for things to see along the way and places to stop. Some of those stops were nothing more than stopping along side a river to eat our lunch. We mostly stayed off the interstates and took state highways. One of my favorite sites for finding unique things to see along the way is Road Side America. Since neither of us like fast food, we packed lunches each day. Mostly we just kept a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter with us for lunch. I had a cooler I filled with ice each night and kept string cheese, yogurt and fruit too. At the time, she loved the Man vs. Food show, and it happened we were in several of the cities where it had been filmed, so for our evening meal, we went to restaurants she had seen on TV or had found online. 24/7 for two weeks with a 15-year old, and after it was over, we still liked each other!
Thanks for the link! Gonna check it out.
That's awesome you survived the trip with a 15-year old! LOL!
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:34:43 GMT
Whoever isn't driving reads local newspapers - and reads out the interesting snippets. Cool idea!
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Post by Scrapper100 on May 31, 2015 20:35:26 GMT
If driving s car with DS we try to limit it to only a few days of 8 hours or less. It helps to stop and stretch and see something. I grew up with an RV and we broke it up by mileage nothing over 400 miles a day. It is much more tiring and stressful and slower going.
We have a portable DVD player and electronics to keep DS happy. We stay at places with a pool and DS knows that he had that to look forward to and that helps as well. We also stop to stretch for potty and good breaks every few hours but with an RV you won't need to stop as often unless the driver wants to.
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2015 20:37:31 GMT
I would plan stops for the night, and definitely book for Yellowstone, it gets tricky if you don't. I would have a plan for motion sickness as well, even though my sister doesn't normally get sick, she struggled in an RV, and I was just down for the count. Even dramamine was not enough for me. I would get medicine and sea bands . That's a long trip if you can't handle the sway of an RV.
You and Mary Kay Lady both suggested motion sickness meds. THANKS for that tip. I wouldn't have thought of that! We have some Bonine left from a deep sea fishing trip a year or so ago. I'm going to put that on our packing list. (Actually we started taking it a day early for the fishing trip). worked good!
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Post by cindyupnorth on May 31, 2015 23:05:24 GMT
I am surprised there are openings. Yes, the camp sites are pretty jam packed. But then again,,,EVERYTHING inside Yellowstone is jam packed and crowded honestly.
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Post by mikklynn on Jun 1, 2015 0:11:16 GMT
No advice, just want to say have fun! Yellowstone is probably my favorite place on earth.
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Post by melanell on Jun 1, 2015 0:49:12 GMT
How many hours a day do you drive?: DH & I are not good with putting in a ton of hours per day. 6-8 we can do easily. By 10 we're getting testy. So in your case, we'd probably try to split it right down the middle. Do you know where you're staying already, or find something along the way?: On the way there, we'd most likely have a place lined up. We'd know that we needed to be ready to roll the next morning and we'd want to definitely have a place to crash as we were approaching that 10 hour mark. On the way home, we'd be more willing to wing it. Do you stop and see the sights? Again, this is something we like to do on the way home. We find that the excitement of the trip is typically enough to keep us going on the way to a destination, but on the way home we need some morale boosters as we head home instead. what time of day do you drive? We do not like to drive at night. So we head out as early in the morning as possible to get in some hours of travel before the roads get too clogged up. As a kid I recall one year when my parents did try the drive through the night thing, but what happened was that the next day, the kids were well rested and ready to roll, but our parents both felt exhausted. Not a way that they preferred to be while on vacation, so we never did that again. Lastly, any suggestions for keeping the kids (DDs 12 & 10) busy while we're on the road?: Movies and audio-books are good ways to eat up chunks of time. our family particularly likes audio-books. Beyond that, a lot depends on if the kids are able to do certain activities in the car. i used to read as a kid, but my poor mom couldn't read at all in the car. My son likes to draw. My mother & I used to like car games.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 1, 2015 15:59:01 GMT
I like road trips with my friends and have been on far too many to count over the years. Usually we have a place we're going for a retreat, convention or something but getting there and getting home is more than half the fun especially if we have some extra time to meander along the way. I can honestly say I have never been on a road trip with DH, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy that very much. He's definitely a "get from A to B as quickly as possible" kind of guy who doesn't like crowds, shopping or stopping to look at anything interesting if it means a detour off of the interstate. We have traveled together for vacations over the years, but usually that involves air travel because it's the quickest way to get where you're going. I'm lucky that I have friends who like to travel the way I do, and I'm also lucky to have a husband who doesn't mind that I go off on my own with them from time to time.
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