Vacay + Travel Series: Roadtrippin

You are so adventurous to take road trips with such young children. Tell us a little bit about your family.

Awe…thanks, Rachel! Thanks for having me and asking me these questions. I love to travel. So this is right up my alley. 🙂

We like to think of ourselves as adventurers and wannabe world travelers. I think we became that way because we got married young {I was 19, he was 21} and we had a whole lot of dreams we wanted to pursue. We got pregnant on our honeymoon. Yay for honeymoon babies!!!! And then we basically didn’t stop for 3 years…having a baby every year after that. Those babies are now 5, 3, and 2. Crazy as all get-out, but I think we’re keeping them since they’re good in the car. 🙂 People ask me all the time about our flexible parenting and how/why we travel with our kids in tow. Basically, it boils down to our belief in giving our children experiences, over things. And every trip we get to go on? Every place we get to see? Is such a gift, really. We don’t look at it like drudgery. Because there’s a beautiful world out there, and having the chance to experience it?

Well, we feel lucky every time.

Where did you go on your most recent Road Trip with the schooners?

Ha! I love that you just called them schooners too. 🙂 We went all over the southeast! We traveled through 8 states in 12 days and visited places like New Orleans, LA, Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC area, Myrtle Beach, SC, Lake Lure, NC, and Huntsville, AL.

Call us crazy. 😉

What are some things parents can do pre-Road Trip to help things run smoothly?

Be a planner! It doesn’t come naturally to me, and I’ve done it before where I just stuffed a bunch of stuff in the car and we left. But, I’m telling you. It goes so much better when you plan out your bags and your stops and your treats for the kids. If we’re going on a long trip, where we’ll be stopping in between, I nail down where we’ll be stopping and figure out if those places will have amenities we can use, like shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, etc. I then pack an overnight bag for those halfway points, so we don’t have to drag ALL of our luggage out of the car for one night in a random hotel in the middle of nowhere. This bag usually holds pajamas, diapers and wipes, loveys, a change of traveling clothes for the next day and maybe some snacks and a couple books for the hotel room. Keep it simple! I have a toiletry bag that holds all our hygiene supplies, and usually our pairs of shoes. And those are the two things that come in with us when we stop for the night. My husband packs those on top of all the other luggage.

I also go to Target a couple days before the trip, and I let my kids pick out a few small things to play with that are easy in the car {stickers, small cars, coloring books}. They get to pick out snacks that are special for us…goldfish, cheeze-its, oatmeal square cereal, etc. All things that are easy to handhold and NOT messy. Cheetos anyone? Not a good idea. We save these things for the trip and the trip only!

We have also always made it a habit to play up trips big-time to our kids in the days leading up to the departure date. I believe our attitudes rub off on them and if we are excited and looking forward to a trip? They will too. It doesn’t mean you’ll avoid meltdowns altogether, but overall, I believe having positive spirits shows them that the traveling part can be just as fun as the destination.

Can you give us a few tips and wisdom you’ve gleaned in your time on the road?

We’ve learned that leaving early enough for the kids to fall back asleep once you get them in the car, and late enough that you, the parents can handle driving all day, works wonderfully for us. We usually make it our goal to leave at 4am, but realistically get out the door by 5am or so. The kids usually go back to sleep, and it gives you a few hours of peaceful driving before they ever wake up. Then you can start breaking out your tricks. Snacks, toys, and the DVD player. Oh my. That’s money well-spent right there. The DVD player. My kids love that and we bring a whole case of movies for them so they stay entertained. By the way, we break all our normal rules on trips and become total pushovers on anything and everything. Want to watch another movie? Sure! Another graham cracker? Absolutely! Except for manners. We stick to our guns on that one.

Any big Road Trip no-no’s?

Hmmm…don’t drink so much diet coke that you have to pee every thirty minutes. Take it from me.

Even though the car can be uncomfortable and boring and there is major potential for cabin fever, do you recommend Road Tripping with your children?

Absolutely! You are giving your children the gift of experiences. The gift of seeing the world and viewing it as a place of opportunity…full of beauty. And I truly believe it helps shape their character and their view of the world