Spring is in the air, and summer is right around the corner. As you plan your family vacation, why not consider a cross-country road trip where the journey becomes part of the destination? As my sister found on her family road trip last summer, moments in the car can become the fun part of the journey (really!). With a little preparation, the long hours cramped in the car will become bonding time for the family in between wonderful excursions exploring our country’s amazing landscapes.
My sister, Laura Smail, and her husband started what will become their family tradition. They began their road trip in their home town of Park Ridge, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago. They crossed the Mississippi River and took I-80, the second largest interstate in the US, where they finally saw some of America’s finest treasures sprinkled along the Continental Divide: the National Parks, the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rushmore, and the rugged land that holds rivers, wildflowers and bears. The part I cherished most was that they were using me—as I was then living in Idaho—as their final destination. (For more ideas on where your family can go, see: “The Family Cross-Country Vacation: Options for the Open Road.”)
They were thrilled to learn that they would receive a discount on their Cruise America RV once they agreed to rent one with the Cruise America logo. A few of their nights were spent at Kampgrounds of America (KOA), an easy place to work on the transition from RV to backcountry camping. KOA and Cruise America are also partners, so they received another discount for renting through Cruise America and staying at some KOAs.
With three children aged ten, eight and five, they had to ensure each had plenty to do on the ride. Rules were put in place—that each kid had to choose a seat and stick to it while they were driving—but books (or Mad Libs), crafts (like necklace making or art projects), and roadside stops for day hikes (they raced up a trail at Devil’s Tower National Monument) were scheduled to vanquish their car cabin fever. At one point during the drive up to Devil’s Tower, my sister stuck her head out of the RV window, took a deep breath and announced, “Oh, my gosh, what is that incredible smell?!” To which her husband replied, “That’s fresh air.”
