Take an Old School Road Trip

When I was a kid, my family always went on really long road trips. I’m talking the 6 of us in a car for 17 to 24 hours. We lived in the Chicago area, and we’d head to upstate NY, Hilton Head, Sanibel Island, and on and on.

These trips were not for the faint of heart.

I remember one time when my dad finished filling up our conversion van in a small, rural TN town and then turned to notice a bunch of cars stalled on the road all around us. Long-story-short, the gas station screwed up, and our cars were all filled with water instead of gas. That was a fun night.

Or the time when it rained our entire trip. What I really remember from that one is flooding and these white water snakes swimming all around our legs when we got out of the car. I actually wish I didn't remember those ...

There was another time when the van filled with the most disgusting smell EVER … we were all plugging our noses when we noticed my older brother had removed his shoes. I can still smell it now.

Besides the dozens of things that went wrong (and are now all fond memories - except for the snakes), there were 100s that went right.

I will never forget those days. Seventeen plus hours of my mom and dad’s favorite cassette tapes (I love an incredible range of music as an adult!), conversations, games, gas station food, Waffle Houses, and the amazing things we saw out the car windows.

You know what we didn’t have? SCREENS!

Nowadays, the majority of car trips are spent with heads down scrolling on phones or eyes glued to the built-in car TV.

I’m not saying that spending a little time watching a movie is bad (my dad hooked up our old black and white box TV and VCR for a few trips…it was cool), but when screens replace conversations, games, and even looking out the window and seeing the changing landscape, it’s not only straining for your brain, you’re missing out on irreplaceable memories and time to get to know each other.

And you may miss out on a great chance to punch your siblings! (Does Punch/Slug Bug bring up any good – or painful –  memories?)

Speaking of Punch Bug … I know the screens happen a lot of time because the kids get bored, and we don’t like hearing their complaining or listening to them fight.

However, boredom is one of the BEST breading ground for creativity, and conflict can make you resilient!

Giving your kids a few ideas to get them started on a simple activity can lead to hours of fun (and hidden life lessons like conflict resolution).

With that in mind, we’ve put together a simple packet of car games for you to take with you for your future long – and short – road trips. Grab it HERE.

Once your kids start playing these, they'll come up with more and more imaginative things to do.

And I bet Mom and Dad will get in on the fun too, because spending meaningful time with your family, laughing and exploring the world together is so much better than anything a screen could ever provide.

Have fun! And please do remember, if your car starts to smell, do a shoe check!