Road Trip USA: A Familys Real Life Fun Adventures Driving The Length of America

We drove more than 4, miles, visited 15 different states, visited lots of friends and family along the way, and made lots of fun memories that I know will cherish for years to come. After our ill-fated first attempt at a road trip back in May, we were frankly just happy to finish our journey in one piece. Throughout our trip we had more than a few people tell us in love that they thought we were absolutely crazy, usually declaring that they could never spend that much time cramped in a car with their family.

If you are planning a road trip in the near future, or even in the distant future, here are our 10 tips for making the most of your time on the road:. We literally took it one day at a time. We wanted much of our trip to be spontaneous, and for the most part it was. But we did prepare in other ways.

The first, and most important, way is just in our general philosophy of parenting. Taking their toys away last year was one of those pivotal moments that has forever changed us. At home they watch very little TV and instead spend most of their time coloring or reading or using their imaginations. In the car, this translated to two kids who were pretty content hanging out in the backseat. They had books to read, coloring supplies, a few figurines, and their American Girl dolls to play with, and, for the most part, that was enough. From a work standpoint, I also spent a lot of time pre-preparing all my blog posts and finishing other assignments ahead of time so that I would have less to do on the road.

Getting a lot done before we left helped take a lot of pressure off. While we did have a couple of power days where we were in the car for ten hours or more, we generally tried to give ourselves lots of time and leeway to make it to our next destination. We found that keeping our daily mileage to or less was usually best. In our fast-paced world where we are seemingly always late for something, it can be hard to just slow down and take it easy.

It definitely took us a few days to get into the groove of not being in a hurry. Husband and I have traveled cross-country several times, and one of our favorite road trip traditions is that we always at least when it is possible stop at the state lines to take a picture with the state welcome signs. Small towns and out-of-the way places are the best. Husband and I have both lived in many different places, and now through blogging I have been blessed to meet friends who live all over the country.

Including Crystal , Edie , and Patty pictured above. Thus, when we travel, we make every effort to see as many friends and family as we can.

For the girls, meeting up with other kids along the way was definitely the highlight of the trip. When all is said and done, all they really want to do is play! Taking time the to see people is important to us because we know what it is like to be on the other end. We live in Florida, vacation capital of the world, and have often been hurt after finding out that friends or family visited the Sunshine State without bothering to let us know they were nearby.

Staying with friends and family is not only a good way to re-connect, is also a great way to save money on food and hotel costs. On this particular trip, we only stayed in a hotel for 9 of the 29 nights. We are so grateful for such incredible hospitality! This is a pretty amazing country filled with more sites than you could ever see in a lifetime. Slowing down the pace of your trip also means allowing time to stop for roadside attractions, historic sites, scenic overlooks, or famous landmarks. You never know what pit stop could end up being the highlight of your trip! We do have two Kindle Fire tablets that are loaded with lots of books and a few movies for the girls to use in the car.

For Princess, who is a voracious reader and apparently has a stomach made of steel, a Kindle full of books was more than enough to keep her happy. Trouble, on the other hand, gets carsick very easily. Looking down at the Kindle screen for any length of time only exacerbates the problem. Luckily we discovered the best road trip game app ever, On The Go Bingo , which we loaded onto both our iPhones and the Kindles so that we could all play at the same time.

I am not even kidding when I tell you that we must have played at least a thousand rounds of that game! On this trip in particular I ended up taking most of our photos on my phone, simply because it was always close at hand. Instagram and Facebook make it super easy to share your memories and progress with friends and family back home, too. Be sure to stop at rest stops while driving. On longer driving days, we would make the kids run around and do some races and jumping jacks on the grass, just to get their blood flowing.

Getting enough sleep at night is really important too! Staying up late then getting up early will take its toll quickly, so try to only do one or the other.

USA Family Holidays

The best part of a road trip? We took a cooler along filled with drinks, easy breakfast items, and sandwich fixings. But honestly the best—and downright incredible—meals Bourbon glazed ham! Granted after 29 days of really good eating, we are now in full-blown diet mode! Does your family do road trips?

What are your favorite traditions? What are your favorite tips for making your trip fun and memorable? Subscribing via email is the best way to stay connected to all the fun stuff happening here at Living Well Spending Less, and we invite you to join more than 1 million subscribers in receiving regular updates! When you subscribe, you'll also get instant access to our life-changing Goal Setting Workbook as our gift to you. Have a great time!

I went on many many road trips with my grandparents. It was always fun and very educational. My grandfather was a real planner. He had the trip laid out well in advance of the trip. It was good because grandpa shared his knowledge with me. One of the things we did grandpa insisted and I am so glad he did was keep a notebook. We wrote in it every day. I is amazing what we did…. So glad you had a good time! I love road trips, but usually have to plan everything in advance to keep my sanity.

That means all my hotels are booked in advance. It takes a way the spontaneity a little bit, but it makes me feel better. Of that total, gas was about a third! We are a retired couple and are planning a trip in mid Oct to beginning Nov for Route On our last road trip, we learned to start looking for a place to stay around 4pm. My kids went to 16 states they had never been to.

We ate almost exclusively from grocery store food. BTW everyone said I was completely insane or would be afterwards for taking on such an adventure! But actually I had a lot of quality time with my boys. They asked me a million questions as we drove. Was he THAT important?

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We all learned a lot! What a fascinating country. Thank you so much for all of your help making things smooth and less stressful! Dar Housnia was absolutely delightful. It was like an entire wing of a house to ourselves with perfect Moroccan decor.

Itineraries

The private area where we ate was so cute, the riad staff so accommodating. I loved waking in the cozy space with our family and hearing both call to prayer as well as roosters. I was a little unclear how to ask what time we were being picked up etc, but your office promptly replied to my emails - even on weekends- when we had these questions about transport times. You should definitely request him again in the future.

He was young 29 and energetic. He had a ton of hiking experience in Imlil as he was from there. He also seemed to know everything else about morocco, the desert, the culture, etc, etc. The hike was lovely - after rain the day prior in Marrakech - there was snow in the mountains. We may have been up for a longer hike up Mt Taboukel if I had known this was a realistic option for families I thought from reading that it was too technical for us. Yet not sure we had enough days for all these things always since getting in the desert was a priority. The mountain house, Dar adar, was just as described… very basic.

The wifi was broken which was a nice break when you have pre-teens addicted to phones, plus my husband called no wifi an amenity to not be available by email for his work! There was no heat and the fireplace helped a tad - but was so very cold in the rooms. My husband loved the rustic space, I may have gone up one step in niceness of mountain accommodation if I had to do it over again.

Yet, meeting the other families in this Dar Adar including another Tourdust family from England made this house very memorable. We were then joined by our driver for the next several days, Jamal. What a fun guy and a perfect driver. He could joke with my kids, he had a fun smile, and he had worked with Abraham before so they were a great team. The drive to desert was long as I knew it would be. It was nice to have the stop on way there near Ait Ben Haddu. The drive back from desert was long. The luxury desert camp was far and away the highlight of our trip.

The tents were adorable, I was sufficiently warm even at night inside the tent. We loved the camel riding, the ATV vehicles at a nearby camp, sunsets on the dunes, music around the camp fire, meals with others at the camp and more. The last night was at Riad Jona. This was so very very lovely. The food was amazing - such a good idea to eat here after our long drive back to Marrakech.

They had a small dining pool plus a hot tub which was delightful. It was almost more of a boutique hotel as it had several rooms. The trip was amazing everything was better than we could have imagined. There was a moment climbing the mount Kenya where my wife accused me of tricking her into doing this half kidding as some of the nights got pretty cold, but we were dressed well and the sunrise at the peak was astonishing. Safari was spectacular, Ben who was our main guide and driver was awesome!

We saw everything excepts rhinos which were more of a hope than a reality. We also were able to watch a rock python eat a Thompson gazel live. It was one of the most interesting and unsettling things I have ever seen. Just overall, so many moments that make you think wow or I can't believe I am here. Thank you for your help in getting everything set up. I don't believe I could have booked the trip without your help and guidance.

It was an amazing way to start our marriage and truly the trip of a lifetime! Best service, best staff, best food, best experiences, best facilities. We saw a cheetah kill, leopards, and white rhino which we were not expecting. If I ever go back to Namibia I will revisit. Maybe because it was right after Okonjima, but the service was lacking, the facilities were a bit run down, it was the only place with mosquitoes in the room with no net and no spray. Not sure if there are better options in the area, though.

There was so much wildlife with so little crowds. The Okaukeujo Camp had the best watering hole with animals coming in at all times of the night. A great experience exclusive to the camp. Food and service excellent. A nice stopping point on the drive. How they laid out and built it. The staff was on par with Okonjima. The car was perfect. They represent Tourdust well! We both suffered but enjoyed it immensely. Just how it should be!!!! Our route up the mountain, the Burguret trail is very arduous and certainly should not be used for people who are not very fit and experienced trekkers.

It mainly followers animal trails through the forests and bog lands around the mountain. The Chogoria route down was great. The guide and porters were great. Wild camping means just that, really just what I wanted, but I have lived in Kenya. Jonathan Bailey reviewing Mount Kenya: Burguret Chogoria Traverse on 24 September All the accommodation was great especially having the family rooms, I think our favourite place was the maramboi tented camp - everything about it was spot on, the location and service was excellent! The trek was fab, really enjoyed it! Was definitely a challenge but one worth doing.

Our Guide Mohammed was excellent, took care of our needs, patient and went at a suitable pace for us. Ali, the muleteer and cook made us the most remarkable dishes and such large quantities, we felt bad for leaving so much food The refuges provided us a great place to stay Thank you, to you and your partners in Morrcco, will recommend you to anyone who wishes to follow in my footsteps. Speke's camp was absolutely ideal - small and personal, with great hosts.

We'd definitely recommend the "tented safari" experience to others. The kid's didn't miss having a pool too interested in Safari. Our guide was brilliant. See below for the review we just posted on rip Advisor. I think the only negative of the trip was getting through Nairobi airport multiple security checks, and they ask you to "board" two hours in advance, which in fact means going into crowded transit lounge with no facilities , but there's not anything anyone can do about that.

It's also worth saying that Peponi really is a unique experience. It's a proper East African institution, with all the locals dropping into the bar. It's the perfect antidote to anyone wanting to get away from the soulless all inclusive resorts which could be absolutely anywhere in the world which seem to be a bit of a feature of Zanzibar. Lamu is still amazingly undeveloped. We stayed at Speke's camp for 4 nights in August - a family of two adults and two children.

For us it was the perfect location to experience the Mara. The camp is only a short drive outside the main Mara reserve and is in an amazingly picturesque location, set by a small river in the shade of trees. Wildlife roams near and sometimes through! You get to feel very close to nature when you have a buffalo rooting up grass just outside your tent in the middle of the night!

The camp itself is small and has a very personal feel to it. There are only eight or so guest tents, so you get to meet everyone passing through. One of the great pleasures was getting to chat to other guests over the evening meal or round the camp fire, swapping stories of the day's sightings. If you do want a little more privacy, then it's absolutely fine to eat in your own group. Whilst you do sleep and eat under canvas, it is an extremely civilised experience: What really makes the experience however are the wonderful hosts. Both Adrian and Veronique made a real effort to get to know us and ensure we were well looked after; and it's certainly worth picking Adrian's brains on the history of the region it's not called Speke's camp for nothing.

How to Have the Best Family Road Trip | Living Well Spending Less®

It was a real privilege to have our own land-rover and to be shown the reserve by such knowledgeable and charming individuals. Ambrose is a proper naturalist, can identify a lilac breasted roller at yards, and knows where to see the best wildlife without simply following other trucks. On our final afternoon, with 30 minutes before we had to leave the Mara Triangle, we had seen every animal and bird that was on our wish list including a live Cheetah kill , but had not seen a rhino.

Marco saw a speck on the horizon, Ambrose drove like the clappers and as a parting gift we were able to see this most elusive animal up close. Notwithstanding all the awe-inspiring nature, I think my wife's personal highlight was driving the land rover back to amp along the dirt track through herds of zebra and ambling giraffe. A truly amazing experience all round.

The Best Family Road Trip Ever

Fantastic holiday - I think we all really enjoyed ourselves. California is really relaxing, the people we met were lovely, and the scenery is amazing - so huge. Out of the airport within 30 mins of landing. We did download Google maps too, but sometimes the GPS worked better with co-pilot than Google maps although may have been the phone Argonaut hotel - Great location, pleasant staff. Included in resort fee is discounted bike hire if you get up fast enough to get them - that was a bonus.

Drive to Auburn - long! But a very good idea to get there the night before the rafting, meant the rafting day was much more relaxed. Holiday Inn - as expected. Nice pool and breakfast was good and cheap. We quickly learnt that it is really difficult to get food in US after about 8: In n Out Burger an experience. White water rafting - Our fellow rafters and helmsman Conner were good company for the day and we had a great time negotiating rapids, jumping in the water and taking in the scenery.

It was all safe without over doing the briefings. Would have been good to have some photos which were only available straight after the trip, rather than on a web site. Nearby Marshall Ward state park was good for non-rafters. Resort at Squaw Valley - The hotel was amazing. Buffet breakfast in Cascades was a fabulous extravagance - a real treat.

Mountain biking in Tahoe - tremendous. And local knowledge of guide set us up for the rest of the day - recommending places to eat in Truckee and places to visit on Lake Tahoe. Drive from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite beautiful - well worth going the eastern route so enter Yosemite from East. The drive through the pass was amazing, definitely worth emphasizing that people should make the most of it. Tenaya Lodge - hotel was a little tired. But we appreciate that Yosemite was getting full by the time we booked. And in fact, it was prob a good thing we were there - as we were out of the smoke in the valley.

The Ferguson Fire began the day we arrived. Sadly after the drive through on arrival, we saw little Yosemite scenery. On the plus side, Tenaya Lodge was cooler than the valley and had less bitey insects. Walking in Yosemite - guide was excellent. Offered lots of options, and was very informative.

Santa Cruz - great hotel. Organic supermarket, farmers market, Olita's on wharf - all great. The Mystery Spot was hilarious. The surf school were generous and allowed us to keep the boards for several hours after the lesson, as the waves were not that great the two days we were there. Everything was exceptionally well arranged and the whole trip, from checking in on line and printing out the outward journey boarding cards from home, until return to Heathrow, was completely seamless. Although arriving slightly earlier than scheduled, we didn't have to wait before being collected at Nairobi by Elijah, our guide and Samuel the driver.

This was very much appreciated by us as that first day was full on after that. They looked after us really well and both were very knowledgeable and good company and were flexible to our needs, with nothing being too much trouble for them. The accommodation you picked for us was spot on. We were particularly taken with Sunbird Lodge I could have spent the whole week there if it were not for being on the move due to the nature of the trip , which was quite informal and extremely friendly.

We then moved on to the Maji Moto Eco Camp, where again everything was fine. Having stayed in similar places before, at my age now, the one night suited well and I was surprised when Dan was so taken with the place that he would have liked to stay another night! I think the camp fire might have had something to do with it. The visit to the school was also well worth it from Dan's perspective.