When taking a family road trip, you need to know basically two things: 1) where to go and 2) how to get there happily.
Based on my experience, these are some of the loveliest destinations for United States destinations. There really is beauty in the journey.
the park in "regular" shoes while seeing some of the most breathtaking sights in the country. The Carmel area is a great day trip along your route.
se to other state and national forests that should be on everyone's "must see" list. Make sure to check out Zion National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Most of the west coast is covered in natural hot springs, but this interactive map shows the best "hot spots" (no pun intended, well...maybe) across the entire U.S. Lots happen to be along some pretty interesting and centrally located spots, too.
You could combine visiting hot springs with driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is what some people call "America's favorite drive." Here's the route many drivers follow. Note that if you go
during Spring Break, some portions might still be closed due to weather. Always verify ahead of time.
Colonial Williamsburg makes a fantastic starting point for family road trips. Not only is it educational, but it's a great midway point between New York and the Carolinas. So, you can drive
either direction along the coast and see some amazing sights. Drive north to New York if you want to experience more "big city life." Drive south if you'd like something a bit slower paced.
Of course, Florida can be a road trip in and of itself. From theme parks to beaches to the Florida Keys, there's something for everyone---and enough to keep a family entertained for quite some time. Check your weather before hurricane season and enjoy the benefits of traveling off-peak if you can (although beaches will be colder, or much hotter, then).
As with all things, know your audience (in this case, the people who'll be in your car). Younger kids often, although not always, need a lot of movement. It may seem counterintuitive, but I plan to reach our destination as quickly as possible--and that might mean less movement in a single day. It might mean a single uncomfortable day, but then it's over. If you plan too many stops to "get wiggles out," it can become increasingly difficult to get back into the car every time. Drive the maximum amount you can handle before that mandatory wiggle time.
Alternatively, and what works especially well with older kids, is to make the journey part of the adventure. There might not be much between Albuquerque and Las Vegas, for example, but spending half a day to walk around Meteor Crater would be a really memorable adventure for the whole family!
"Road tripping internationally only comes with one tip...Know before you go. Things you need to consider if you’re planning an international road trip are:
These simple, plan-ahead tips will help ensure a more enjoyable road trip through most international countries."
"...We've done some epic road trips in the last five years including driving the ring road around Iceland with a baby, driving around Cyprus with a toddler and this week, we're driving the entire length of Taiwan by car.
We've learnt a lot on our long car journeys. [Among what we've learned], we've had disasters, adventures and a lot of vomiting! Some of our top road trip tips are:
"...We are in the car all the time and have learned how to make it a better experience for everyone. The best advice I can give is to break long trips up whenever possible.
When we first started traveling full-time we would drive five or six hours at a time. This made for some really long days. We all felt tired and cranky by the time we arrived at our destination. Now our travel days are only two or three hours. This means we are all in a better mood when we get to our destination and we have time to enjoy it too.
Shorter trips are not always possible for family's on vacation. You may need to get to your destination in one day. If this is the case you can still use this tip. Make sure you stop every two or three hours and let the kids out. When you stop for gas or a bathroom break, let the kids run around for a few minutes. It might make the trip longer, but it will be better for everyone to get out and stretch their legs." More at https://statebystate.net/holiday-road/
"...Listening to audio tracks is entertaining and educational. While road tripping through the Peloponnese region in southern Greece, we listened to interviews of Rick Steve’s free audio guides on the Eastern Mediterranean. While exploring Hawaii, we tune into hula music on the radio or a CD. When we toured Florida, we listened to Hoot, Flush, Chomp and Scat by Carl Hiaasen - youth fiction that takes place in the Everglades and Keys. We download Podcasts to listen together: KidsNuz, StarTalk and RadioLab. [Or] we sync to the car speakers with Bluetooth or an audio cable so everyone can hear clearly.
We love a very loose agenda when road tripping - with time and freedom to stop in an interesting looking shop or cafe, or run across a field. [Often, we] take breaks in small towns to get coffee and snacks, interact with the locals, learn about their town culture and history and to download another audio track!..."
"...Take good old favorites like the license plate game…but give them a twist. Make up rules just for your family like the first person who spots three different states gets to choose the music for the next (fill in time parameter). Or the next vanity plate or even choose a letter or number and the person who spots the most of that…wins! Third tip is choose music your whole family likes to sing along to!...Kids and adults sometimes like to snuggle and take naps on long car rides. Don’t think of the drive to your destination as “before the vacation” try and make it fun and “part of the vacation..”
"...Here are my favorite tips for road tripping with the kiddos.
"...We have mastered road tripping and ensuring that the ride is enjoyable for all. Start by thinking back to when you were a child and there were no electronics. How did your parents entertain you? Some of those tried and true games really work. To entertain my 6 year old our favorite is the alphabet game. For this game all you need is your eyes and signs or licenses plates. To play, everyone starts at A and whoever finds all the letters A to Z in order, wins. It’s a race and you can’t use the same “a,b,c…” as someone else. For my toddler, his favorite game is trying to get the semi-trucks to honk their horns. You play this game by moving your arm up and down as if you were pulling the string for their horn. He gets a big kick out of it and also is focused on finding “another big truck”..."
"...Here are my best tips for road trips with kids:
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