The Long Drive Dilemma

I’ve said it numerous times to my own kids: “If you want to travel to all of these fun places, we need to drive to get there. So, you need to get use to it.” Let’s face it though, almost no one honestly wants to be in the car for 14 hours in a day. That said, there is truth to the statement. To get cross country you’re talking about days on the road. There is always the alternative of flying. However, even with the issues of being trapped in the car there are two big advantages, especially for a family.

Number one, cost. Our last long drive was down to Myrtle Beach from up in Michigan. Round trip airfare for the 5 of us would have run 700 to 800 dollars when I checked. Gas might be quite a bit pricier now than when my folks were driving my brother and I, but not that much more. Fillups ran us a couple hundred bucks for the same trip. Even counting for wear and tear, that’s a third of the price

Number two, there is life between airports. I do enjoy flying, it’s a cool experience. It’s quick and efficient. To some extent, though, that comes at the expense of the overall experience. I happen to like rest stops and scenic overlooks; tunnels and bridges and changing scenery.

So if these reasons and others have you loading the brood in the early morning (or evening) into the car, how can you keep from not wanting to see each other once you get where you’re going?

Games

It’s a little cliché, but why not try to have a little fun on the drive. I have personally left out some of the “obvious” electronic answers to the tedium of the road here. This isn’t because of any overwhelming idealism of experiencing the trip together rather than in your own little bubble. I do tend to feel that way, but I also have a family of people who get carsick. Not looking out the windows makes this worse for my group.

This means that games are the more old school for us. Looking for different objects, different license plates, different car colors. My boys are still young enough to find eye-spy pretty entertaining, so that’s a good fall back. We’ve also found a couple versions of car bingo that have you looking for certain objects or land marks and marking them off on your Bingo sheet.

The sheer volume of in-car games could make their own article and then some. Get some options together before the trip and figure out what works best for your group. Just make sure you don’t have your heart set on one. Feel out the crowd and don’t push. Nothing ruins fun faster than being forced to enjoy something.

Music and Podcasts

Games and chatting with the family are great, but let’s face it, sometimes it’s just better to be entertained by an outside source. I’m a proponent of audio sources only in this instance. This is simply because I don’t feel like it takes away from the experience. If anything, it can enhance it. Why not add a soundtrack to at least part of your journey.

We’ve been using the podcast option lately. For the moment, at least, everyone can agree on the same material for the most part, and it actually leads to follow-up conversation. That said, my boys are still young. Again, don’t push. Hours of earbuds in and ignoring the rest of the family might not be ideal, but sometimes it’s better than fighting. I have no doubt those days are just around the corner for us, and I’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Speaking of bridges….

Interesting Facts and Landmarks

This is one my wife pulled out on our last trip. As we entered a new state she would read off the standard list of state facts. State bird, tree, etc. It might not have been as big of a hit as the podcast option, but it still worked pretty well. We also tried to point out and name major rivers, mountain peaks, bridges.

This is something that you could even throw into your trip planning. Have a little stat sheet for the different states, regions, and cities you’re going to pass through. Taking even a minute or two to say “Hey look, there’s such and such” relieves some of the monotony of the road. As I said, one of the things I like about driving is that you get to experience the in-between, so do your best to actually experience it. This brings me to the next key point.

Don’t Sweat Extra Stops

I know, you want the kids to stop asking if we’re there yet. Yes, you want to get there too. It’s a journey though, not just a destination. It doesn’t matter if it’s the same annual trip you take on the same roads, try your best not to rush.

I don’t remember where I heard it at this point, or I’d happily give the source credit, but I was once given the advice to never sacrifice your family’s bladder to save 10 minutes on a drive. This is something I have taken to heart the best I can. I make a point to remind the kids at the start of each leg of the journey: give me fair warning and I will stop at the next available spot.

This might mean a 10 hour day turns into a 12 hour day or 13, but having happier passengers can absolutely make for a better travel experience. You also never know what will happen when you stop. Visitor centers can sometimes give out freebies and always have fodder for future trip planning. Roadside parks and even so called “tourist traps” can be a good distraction and chance to stretch your legs before going back at it.

Night Driving

This is an option that certainly isn’t for everyone, and on a very serious note: know your limits. As I think we all know, falling asleep at the wheel is a real concern even among those who drive professionally. That said, having your passengers sleep through most of the drive puts a serious dent in stops and complaining.

I did this for the first time recently, and I’ve got to say, I’m a fan. Aside from the calmer car, it also made for a much calmer road. Not a whole lot of traffic at 3:30 in the morning on the interstate. I work nights at the moment so we piled in the car after dinner on a Friday and I drove through the hours I normally would be awake anyway with the boys blissfully out through most of the trip.

This meant a full extra day essentially. Even with a 13.5 hour drive, we got to our destination first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, we hadn’t quite planned this out that well. Despite being nice, it was considerably earlier than we had really thought. There was a certain amount of mental and physical jostling for what to do with the wrong clothes on and no place to change yet (thank goodness for a van). This leads me to my final tip.

Cut Down the Drive

Does piling that many hours on the road in one day reeeealy make sense? To me, this comes down to one simple thing: Time. If you can manage in your schedule to have an extra couple days to cut that 14 hour drive into two 7s… do it. Find a location along the route with a place to stay and at least one thing to see/do. Make it a part of the trip.

I feel that the epic cross country road trip (or trips) is an essential experience. However, this can take many different forms. You don’t need to be switching drivers and going through the night, but you can. It’s not a requirement that you stop and experience as many waypoints along the way as possible, but you can. Either way, you’re making memories. Do what you can to make the whole package, including the travel itself enjoyable for your own group, and those memories will end up far more good than bad.