jld Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 driving across the country? Where would you go? What would you do there? How long would you be gone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 driving across the country? :eek: Are you kidding? *shudder* no way... :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I would love to have an RV and just go wherever each day - to open the map, choose a park or a monument or a city that is close by and go there. In my dream, we would do this for a year or more. Of course in my dream, there would be plenty of money and no need to get back to work. And somehow there would laundry genies who would take care of all of the laundry needs without me having to do it on the road;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We are actually planning to go to CA next June. That will be our biggest trip yet and we will get to see most of our family on the way. We will be taking three weeks and going from FL to CA. The girls are awesome on the road and it's something we really enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I did go from Charleston, SC to Yuma, AZ with only dd who was a brand spanking new 3-year old. We are back on the east coast now. If I were just going on a road trip across the country again I'd hug the center of the country. Since we went from SC to AZ the from AZ to MT and MT to ME we missed all the stuff in the middle. St. Louis would be a stop. Then head northwest into northern CA and up the pacific coast to Washington/Oregon since we missed that corner in our previous journeys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We were gone almost 4 weeks last fall. Drove from AZ to MN over to CA and back. We went through 13 states total. It was absolutely wonderful! We pulled a tent trailer and stayed at various state parks. We have an RV which would have been better but we couldn't afford the gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bairnmama Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I would LOVE to do this! I would drive a BIG loop all over the country and hitting all the major national parks and monuments... then perhaps on to a cross Canada excursion to Alaska! Of course, I'd need an RV instead of the mini-van. Growing up, my family would always take a summer trip. One summer we drove from central TX to Washington state to visit family. On the way we stayed at KOA campsites, visited Yellowstone, stopped at out of the way places, etc. Then we took a ferry into Canada for a day. That trip and the one where my dad let my sister and I take turns choosing the direction we would travel for the day (we ended up seeing White Sands and Carlsbad in NM that trip) are my favorite summer memories! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I do!!!!!!!! I'm planning this, for the first time, next summer. I plan to take 6 weeks (or so) and go from WV to GA to TX to CA to UT to CO (with points in between obviously) and then back home to WV. We'll see a lot of family & friends and also visit some of dh & I's old stomping grounds in the Rockies. Dh will join us for 10 days in UT & CO (backpacking in our old haunts and then visiting his brother & SIL) but the rest of the time it will be the kids, me, and the various relatives and friends we'll visit. I have a lot of trepidation about being w/o dh for so long, but we've had some practice and do OK. My oldest will be 14 and if we don't get her backpacking in the Rockies next summer, we might never be able to. We can't afford to fly all of us. . . and I owe my brother in CA a visit very severely. . . and DH is a small business owner and every day we have to hire a replacement for him costs us as much as a plane ticket to CO. . . So, we'll maximize his vacation time by flying him out to join us and letting me handle the driving. . . I regret that he can't share all our adventures, but he can't, period. So, we'll make the best of it and have fun even when we are apart. At least, that is my plan. I have 10 months to work out all the details. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Shot Academy Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I love doing that! It is great for family unity and bonding! We have done two huge loops: Denver to Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, a CA beach, the Redwoods, Portland, Seattle and back home. #2: Denver to the Atlanta Aquarium, Hilton Head, SC and home. We usually stop off at a relatives, an aquarium and National Parks. We also do day trips to the Mountains, museums and National Parks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We have some of these journeys planned in the future. From the mid-west we would travel west: go see the Rocky Mountains (ds has only seen the mountains of Arkansas, beautiful in the fall, but not the wow! of seeing the Rockies for the first time) Grand Canyon Arches National Park (my favorite) Snowy Range, WY (go horseback riding in the summer) Devil's Tower (just cool) Mt. Rushmore Yellowstone Four Corners (I have a picture from there as a child) Vegas (so he could see real poker players) CA and drive up the coastline to OR and WA (so I could add them to my list of visited states) add in lot of spontaneous stops, some historical sites, and lots of things I have forgotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We did this - back in 2004. Each family member got to pick a destination and we played "connect the dots" with an additional family goal of reaching the Pacific Ocean (it bugged me that my kids hadn't seen the largest body of water in the world). The destinations picked were: Mt Rushmore Grand Tetons Giant Redwoods Four Corners Grand Canyon We ended up being gone for a month and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves seeing those and other things around. Our top list of 26 places we visited generally included Bryce, Yellowstone, Badlands, Chaco, and Sequoia - not really any of the original 5! We loved our trip so much that we took 2 months off 2 years later and did a more in depth trip - sometimes visiting places we'd already gone to and adding in ones we missed (did a slightly different loop). We've also spent 3 weeks in the Canadian Maritimes, 3 weeks in Florida, and a month in Hawaii. I don't regret a single one of them and the family bonding was incredible. My only regret is that our personal economy has gone down with the regular one and taking long trips like that is something we've had to do without since 2007. We have been tempted to sell our regular house/farm and live on the road, but for now, college and such things are in the way as the boys are older. Hubby and I will probably do that in retirement. That said, if we had the $$, I'd take a trip again leaving next week (I'd say tomorrow, but there really are things one needs to get set up for an extended trip). We've been to 49 of the 50 states (missed Alaska) and the eastern half of Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyWifeandMommy Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 When we are done with this tour I will be doing just what you asked except I will be tossing my children along with a cat and dog into a pick up truck pulling a 25ft travel trailor. Our first stop will be to IN to pick up the truck and RV and begin our trip to MN to visit family that live near the headwaters of the Mississippi, then head down to MO to visit more family, start traveling west to see the Grand Canyon, turn around towards TX and FL to visit friends (military) and then finally to our new duty station where ever that may be. I am already saving my change for when this wonderful event will take place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 (edited) We did this 2 summers ago. We were gone for 5 weeks. It was the most wonderful family vacation we've ever done and we have so many stories and memories from the trip. We drove from NJ to NC across to TX then up through CO to WY then back home through SD, MN, OH, PA. It was a great adventure! We saw many things we had planned to see like Yellowstone, Airforce Academy, Garden of the Gods, Jackson Hole WY, Grand Tetons, Mt. Rushmore, Painted Dessert, Badlands, Wall Drug, etc... then also a lot of things we just found along the way which were the most fun like a castle built by a man in the mountains of CO. The most unexpectedly fun place we visited was the Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead. It is set up as hands-on history and the kids get to do everything and touch everything. It was especially nice because dd and I had just finished reading all the books. We tied Yellowstone into our study of geology and earth science as well. Yellowstone is my favorite place so far. Edited August 7, 2010 by Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookie Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 BTDT - it's the best - go for it!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithie Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I tossed my three in the minivan and drove from SC to ME (with a stop in PA to see my BFF from grad school). I thought it was great. The kids, however, have told me that they prefer to fly :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ME-Mommy Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 driving across the country? N.E.V.E.R. -- :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookie Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 you do not need an RV. we did it in our suv. it's the usa. everything is available everwhere (except I-10! and some sstretches of montana!!). oh, no dvds or video games either! just audiobooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I would love to!! I do think about this now and then! I hope to talk my husband into it one day! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We would stop by the Creation Museum on the way to visit selh09! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 If $$ and time allowed - YES! Two summer ago, we drove from AL to CT, then CT to ME, then back to CT, then over to Indiana, then back down to Alabama. 5 kids. 2 adults. Seven-seater minivan. It really, really was fun. But if I did it again, and we were going west, with no family/friends to stay with, I'd rent an RV. That's my dream, anyways! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassiemc Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We are planning an rv trip across the country in the next year or two. We are planning on taking a year, maybe more. It's exciting and scary at the same time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Oh yes! When the kids were younger, I would wake them super early and stick them in the van for a surprise adventure. They have the fondest memories of those trips. We would be gone for anywhere from a few days to weeks. We've headed south (deep FL), north (NY), and west (CA). They were forewarned about the trip west:lol:. We never make any reservations in advance. Just stop when and where we feel like it. I really wish we could do this now, but the kids' activities seem to keep us on a bit of a schedule these days. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dominion Heather Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We are planning to do this... Most of DH's family is in CA or MT. We'd love to drive to see them. The main problem is that DH would NEVER be able to take that amount of time off work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We are planning to do this... Most of DH's family is in CA or MT. We'd love to drive to see them. The main problem is that DH would NEVER be able to take that amount of time off work. I would drive out with the kids and have dh fly out to meet us all there.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktwensel Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We would love to do this! We have talked about going from Ohio to CA sometime in the summer (dh is a teacher), but the money always stops us (did I say dh is a teacher :D). We think it would be fun and haven't ruled it out for sometime in the future. It would require some planning on our part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 (edited) I would love to have an RV and just go wherever each day - to open the map, choose a park or a monument or a city that is close by and go there. In my dream, we would do this for a year or more. Of course in my dream, there would be plenty of money and no need to get back to work. And somehow there would laundry genies who would take care of all of the laundry needs without me having to do it on the road;) You just need an RV with a washer and dryer on board, and change your name from Jean to Jeanie. ;) Edited August 7, 2010 by Teachin'Mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 you do not need an RV. we did it in our suv. it's the usa. everything is available everwhere (except I-10! and some sstretches of montana!!). oh, no dvds or video games either! just audiobooks. We did it in our minivan - all trips except Hawaii - and with a tent (also not in Hawaii). No electronic games or audiobooks or any sort of artificial in-car entertainment. My boys invented games based on what they saw and we talked. It was a blast. Extended traveling is probably the best overall thing we've done with raising our family - the best memories (that we still talk about) - the most togetherness, no pesky work or bills or "average" life to get in the way (unless you count laundry in laundromats, but really, we even had fun with that). There was no downside at all unless you count the finances needed to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bairnmama Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 you do not need an RV. we did it in our suv. it's the usa. everything is available everwhere (except I-10! and some sstretches of montana!!). oh, no dvds or video games either! just audiobooks. My kids would... or we would never get very far w/o stopping for a bathroom, lol! We've often driven from NC to TX and back to visit family and we have to stop so many times it's pathetic. Of course, ds was just 4 the last time we did it so that may have something to do with it.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I have no interest in going by car, but I'd love to go by train. Someday we're going to travel around Asia by train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Wow, how do most of your DH's get that much time off of work?? DH might could get 2 weeks. I'd like for the kids to get a bit older so they would remember it because we may never do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Wow, how do most of your DH's get that much time off of work?? DH might could get 2 weeks. I'd like for the kids to get a bit older so they would remember it because we may never do it again. Hubby's self employed so getting time off was never a problem. One does have to remember that no work = no pay, so plan accordingly. Others I know who have done it (including school teachers) have asked for an unpaid leave of absence and gotten it. Our youngest was 7 when we started our trips. I think, ideally, 8 would have been better. Our oldest at that point was 11/12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Wow, how do most of your DH's get that much time off of work?? DH might could get 2 weeks. I'd like for the kids to get a bit older so they would remember it because we may never do it again. We leave dh at home to work and fund our trip. He doesn't mind because the idea of that much car time, especially with the kids in the car, makes him insane. Actually being in the car that long....he might no longer be with us.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamonaQ Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I DO!!!!! Although, it does make me nervous heading out just by myself wo/ dh. My sis and I have discussed doing an extended road trip with kids, but her 2 yo that screams in the car has put a hold on that idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 driving across the country? Where would you go? What would you do there? How long would you be gone? Yes! We've been talking about Doug a US history tour for the past six months. We live in the West so we want to drive toy the East Coast and hit major sites from Boston to Charleston. When my youngest is a bit older I think we will do it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 driving across the country? Where would you go? What would you do there? How long would you be gone? Yes. I love to drive. I love hotel rooms. In my head, I plan trips all. the. time. In every direction. My top trips right now would be: MA/Boston/Maine GA/Atlanta/Savannah South Dakota NM/Abq/Sante Fe/ Taos, etc... Something all the lines of the book Confederates in the Attic -- drive to as many Civil War battle fields as I can Swim in every great lake in a certain length of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 You just need an RV with a washer and dryer on board' date=' and change your name from Jean to Jeanie. ;)[/quote'] Hmmm. I could see the washer and dryer in the RV but I still wouldn't want to take the time to do the laundry. I could hire a maid to come with us, named Jeanie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 (edited) I have done that twice - Route 66 from OK to CA. So much fun! We have relatives in CA so we usually spend a week with them before we turn around and come back. On our last road trip we took a detour through some national parks in Utah and went through Carlsbad Cavern as well. Amazing! Edited August 7, 2010 by Ferdie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I detest road trips. I get carsick if I don't drive. Sometimes I get carsick even if I do drive. The kids get carsick. Dh gets carsick if he doesn't drive. We're one barfy family. (actually we rarely barf, we just all get headaches & get cranky). Dh gets these ideas to drive to the Grand Canyon or Yosemite or Alaska & I'm all "Are you OUT of your MIND?????" No way. The longest I'll go is 6h in the car & then I want to stay put for several days, not just sleep over, eat & get in the box again. I'd rather fly to a destination & sightsee & then fly home. Driving around - bleh. Also, & this is heresy to my geologist & nature loving dh, I'm not that excited about a hole in the ground, no matter how large. Or a mountain. Or a forest. Seen one, seem them all or seen a postcard or a dvd about it. Good enough for me. I don't need to slog myself over there to see it with my own eyes. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I would do it!!! I would love to pack up the kids and drive from here in FL to NH. I will probably do it soon. I am trying to talk my mom into meeting me in Washington D.C. to tour it and visit the Smithsonian. I would also love to drive over to Hershey Pennsylvania, do the park and visit to Amish Country. She is in NH. We have recently just traveled to Tenneessee and the kids traveled quite well!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 We've done this several times. We've seen all the Little House sites in the north. Then another year we went through Kansas and Missouri; while in Missouri we researched and were able to find where my dh's great-great grandmother was buried. We've been to the Canyon Lands, national parks, and sometimes we just drive through little towns to get a feel for this country we live in. Just love to travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 It sounds really tempting, but a couple months ago I tried to go a few hours away to a botanical garden. Two and a half hours later, when we were where I thought we'd have gotten in ONE hour, I was starving and exhausted and begged my husband to drive us home! We compromised -- stopped and got food, and then went back about 5 miles to a smaller garden and had a picnic there. Apparently I am not as adventurous as I thought! I would also love to take a train cross-country, but something about being stuck in a vehicle with no way to get out scares me. My uncle did this with his kids when they were young, and they saw lots of historical sites. I think it was a nice idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I would also love to take a train cross-country, but something about being stuck in a vehicle with no way to get out scares me. Now THIS, I did & would do again in a heartbeat. I've been from Montreal to Vancouver on the train (3days, 4 nights) & it's wonderful. You can walk up & down the train, the view car is great, restaurant car is fun & you can get out on the platform & stretch your legs at regular stops. We also took the train in Europe & it's by far my fave mode of travel & I don't get sick on trains. If only rail in NA wasn't so expensive ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Now THIS, I did & would do again in a heartbeat. I've been from Montreal to Vancouver on the train (3days, 4 nights) & it's wonderful. You can walk up & down the train, the view car is great, restaurant car is fun & you can get out on the platform & stretch your legs at regular stops. We also took the train in Europe & it's by far my fave mode of travel & I don't get sick on trains. If only rail in NA wasn't so expensive ...... I priced a trip for a hypothetical adults and two kids across the country in a train and was SHOCKED by how cheap it was, actually (esp since airlines have stopped giving 1/2 fare discount for children). However, that was without a sleeping car, and I am not sure how smart that would be. My mother and I took the train on some journey when I was about 5, and while I don't remember where I went, I remember that I loved the train! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 However, that was without a sleeping car, and I am not sure how smart that would be. I wouldn't do an overnight without a sleeper car, though there are those recliners now which are kind of like what you get on a plane. Maybe for one night I'd consider it but having your own sleeping cot (or a whole sleeper cabin) is really nice. We sleepered several times in Europe too - they don't always have a private cabin, you just get a bed in a compartment but it's really comfy & I woke up all refreshed & ready to tackle another day of sighseeing. I think it's cheaper to go on the American side than on the Cdn side. In fact, I know someone who went down to Seattle & took the train East on your side of the border as it was a lot cheaper to do that & then take a jog up over the border again. And the prairie looks the same on both sides LOL. But our train goes through amazing long tunnels in the Rockies & I don't know if Amtrak does that too. There are railpasses too, just like the Eurorail so that you can get on & off unlimited times during a period of time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 (edited) driving across the country? Yes. Although not in a mini van. More like in an RV Van. Where would you go? Anywhere other than here. What would you do there? It would depend on where I was. How long would you be gone? As long as it takes. :D I know, not helpful. But as a former military brat now having lived in the same place for 11 years, every 2 years or so I feel the need to move :tongue_smilie:. Edited August 7, 2010 by Renai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Do you ever just feel like packing the kids into the mini-van and Shipping them cross country without me.....YEP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Hmmm. I could see the washer and dryer in the RV but I still wouldn't want to take the time to do the laundry. I could hire a maid to come with us, named Jeanie! Hmmm ... maid quarters??? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 I have a hundred driving trips I'd love to take - for an entire summer! I'd love to drive all the way out west by a northerly route then back by a more southerly route, stopping at all the wonderful parks along the way. I'd love to drive up into Canada and drive all the way out to Alaska and back, again by different routes. I'd love to drive up to Boston and take the ferry over to Nova Scotia (or go from New Brunswick) and travel around there, Cape Breton, go over to Newfoundland, PEI, etc. before coming back by a different route. I'd love to do an American Southwest route, although I've heard more recently that a lot of borderland park areas are closed due to immigration problems. I'd love to drive down to the Keys and take boat trips out to Cuba and various other islands. I'd love to drive down through Mexico and Central America into South America (if I thought it was reasonably safe)..... I love traveling in general and could pack my bags and live on the road, I think..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 (edited) I did that last year. The kids and I went to central Queensland. If it wasn't for the lack of money, I wouldn't be here now. I'd be at the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour because the kids were playing up so I didn't get to see it. I don't actually like bananas but I wanted a badge. We were away for a week and a half, which was long enough for dh to get his last major essay for uni completed. You know, I think I'm going to go have another word to him about getting a telecommuting job... Rosie Edited August 7, 2010 by Rosie_0801 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Nope, never. I'm done with travelling. BTDT for years, and years and years.. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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