In my previous life, I would be working all summer long and the girls would be in summer camp but that is no longer and I have taken up the tradition that I grew up with (and so many of us grew up with), the summer road trip.
I love the drive. I love seeing the United States. I love the corney roadside attractions.
I hope that we will pass that love on to our girls.
When I was a kid, my parents would load us into the station wagon (later the Econoline van), and drive to places to visit relatives or possibly spend the weekend camping. My mom had a talent for fitting everything we needed (including all of the offspring which was 5 at its largest count), into the car, van, or boat and still leave room for us to feel as if we had our own space.
I learned quite a bit from mom and still use most of the ideas. Of course we have it easy now because so many things are smaller or simple enough to pick up on the way we don't have to pack it but that was not the case in the late '70s and after spending 7 days in the Subaru with my family this week (don't get me wrong, we stayed in hotels on this trip), here are some suggestions that worked for us.
Delegate. Dad used to say "Many hands make light work" and "Everyone works so everyone can play". The girls were absolutely responsible for carrying and packing their own suitcases and backpacks the entire trip as well as helping get everything to the car for loading. As for packing - I was supervisor and consultant, but they chose all that they wanted to bring - I had final say on toy count and if they needed to bring a sweater or not. Dad was responsible for the final hotel room walk thru to pick up any left items behind.
Reduce. Find what it is that you need to take and see if there is a way that things can pull double duty. We like to travel with snacks and water in the car so since we need ice, we freeze our refillable water jug and put it in the cooler. Saves us from having a cooler full of melted, undrinkable, water to deal with. Each person had 1 backpack and one suitcase and the suitcase had to be small so we could see out the back window. We were not carrying camping gear so I didn't want to use the roof rack this time around.
Share. Space, time, and stuff - yes, that wonderful stuff that I talk so much about. Travel experts will talk about fitting all that you need for an international vacation into one carry on. I've done it. Once. When I was single. This is about my family of 4, in the car, up the coast of California. Sharing hair brushes, sunscreen, towels, and electronics will help reduce the amount of stuff you need to stuff in your car.
Appreciate. Okay, so this one is not about fitting stuff in your car... this is a reminder that it is the little things that make a road trip. The stop by the big tree, the elk in the road, the 10 min of silence from the backseat... we just made huge memories from a lot of little things.
I can elaborate on each of these recommendations, but we have to meet some friends before we drive home today... so enjoy, and plan your next road trip with less stuff.
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