The Great (North) American Family Roadtrip '09:
Preparing for Take Off
Telling people you plan to make a 5,000 mile road trip with three kids is like telling people you plan to have three kids. Those who haven't been there/done that, think we are nuts. Those who have been there/done that assure us it will be the time of our lives.
I like to think they are both right. It's not exactly the first crazy journey Patrick and I have taken together. We've always loved being on the road, and the children are finally at an age where traveling with them doesn't feel like a kidnapping gone bad. I'm confident we're in for a great adventure.
We head out Sunday across Tennessee, and then head north. We hope to roll across the Canadian border on Canada Day, and should pull into my mother's driveway on the Fourth of July. I'll be seeing my sister, her husband, and their kids (one of whom you see pictured above on my kitchen wall) for the first time in four years. I've got a high school reunion to catch. And lobsters to eat. If the van ran on anticipation, we really would be flying.
Labels: roadtrip2009, we are family
—Kyran, 6:46 AM
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18 Comments:
Have fun! We drove across Canada in a rented van the summer I was 8, my sister 6 and my brother 13. We took two weeks to get to Vancouver for a wedding. We spent two nights in each province and camped the whole way. It was great.
Sounds like you're pacing yourselves. You'll have a great time!
Thanks! We figure 8 hour days, with a hotel pool as the carrot on the end of the stick. We'll be popping in on some family and friends along the way, too.
We'll be crossing paths with you as we head east from Ontario to New Hampshire and then north again to Montreal. Honk if you see a blue Suburban towing a couple of rowboats!
cid, if you're twittering from the road, keep me posted!
Enjoy your trip! It will be a forever memorable event for everyone.
On roadtrips with the family I like staying at Hampton Inns. They're usually not expensive and offer free breakfast buffet. Good Luck.
It's not the trip there but the drive back that would make me nuts. You're a brave woman, a hero.
We've done it several times. You'll live through it and you'll have some great memories. Happy trails!
Last summer my husband and I and our 2 kids (then aged 7 and almost 5) drove from Toronto to Halifax, round Nova Scotia, and back again through the US.
Some said we were crazy; some said we'd have a great time. The latter were right.
We just drove 3000 miles from Seattle to our home in Eagle River, Alaska. A definite road-trip adventure up the Alaska-Canada Highway. Our son is 9 and he loved the trip as much as we did. I've always loved the long conversations that car rides inspire. Have a wonderful journey!
Don't listen to the naysayers. When our kids were 3, 6, and 9, my wife and I took them on a month-long road trip that took us from Fayetteville, AR to Jackson, WY to Minneapolis, MN to Syracuse, NY to Boston, MA and then back to Fayetteville. We put just about 6,700 on the minivan and had a really wonderful time. Have a great time!
We are in the middle of a cross-country journey ourselves ... so far 800 some miles ... next week we add on another 1,000 I think?
Have a wonderful time ... stop to smell the roses at those rest stops while you're at it.
Safe travels.
We are leaving in the morning to travel a mere fraction of your trip from MA to VA. Our girls are 3,6, and 9 and the last time we did this trip was 2 years ago and it was a bit rough. I'm hoping for smoother sailing this time around!
Have a great time - I can't wait to read about your adventures!
I'm glad to hear other people do this. We are taking off on a road trip later this summer and, frankly, I'm terrified some of us may not return.
travel safe! can't wait to see you!
You will have a wonderful time. It is so fun to travel.
Happy Canada Day!
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