A road trip? Sounds good to me. Just getting in the car and driving and seeing where the fancy takes me. Uh…one problem…I have four other people in my family to account for in my road trip fantasies. And therein lies the problem. In my younger days, when I had the time and maybe even a little money to go on a road trip, I didn’t. I went straight from high school to college. No break. I attended college thousands of miles from home…my college experience was a kind of 4-year-adventure of sorts. During summer vacations I worked help pay for my living expenses. After college, I was determined to get a job. No money to do any fun excursions. Nope, I needed a job…ASAP. Which brings me to today.
If I could mobilize the troops in the Musings from Me household, I would travel cross country this summer. Stops would include the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, L.A., some odd “Largest Ball of Twine”-type atraction, and maybe a few other locations thrown in for good measure. I’d need plenty of dough and plenty of time to do this trip, but the trip would be an experience for all of us.
For me, a cross country road trip is not about the places visited, souvenirs purchased, or meals eaten on the road. No, for me the trip would be a way to connect with my family. I blog about “Seizing Family Time” and by golly on a road trip I would seize as much family time as I possibly could. You see time is slipping away from me. My oldest is a Teen. Next I have a Tween. And my youngest is a Kid.
But, time feels as though it is slipping away from me. How can I possible have a high schooler??? Wasn’t she just a tiny kindergartener? No matter what I do I can do nothing to stop the passing of time. So, we do what we can to maximize on the time we have. We see movies together. We eat dinner together when we can. We go on day trips. We invite grandparents over or we visit grandparents. We watch each others’ sports activities and events. We stop for ice cream as a family.
Of interest to Musings from Me readers…some tips for family travel by family travel expert Emily Kaufman, “The Travel Mom.”
As families are starting to think past the backyard “staycation” and are rediscovering the freedom of the open road, Kaufman shares the following tips for a fun and safe family road trip:
- Create a boredom bag. Convert a hanging travel cosmetic case into a case full of fun and hang it from the seat back in front of the kids’ seats. Consider creating fun works of art with Twizzlers
Pull ‘n’ Peel Candy before snacking on them! - Take your trip “online.” From GPS systems to phone applications, trips are no longer a navigation nightmare.
- Think through the snacks you pack. Avoid packing snacks that are easy to spill like juice boxes or snacks that melt. Try plastic bottles with sports tops and bring along Twizzlers Candy or Twizzlers Nibs Candy – they are easy to share and don’t melt, making them the perfect car ride treat.
I’m writing today about Twizzlers…a favorite candy of my Tween. Twizzlers® Candy, the perfect on-the-go treat, is helping to sweeten family travel this summer with the Twizzlers Landmark Summer™ promotion. The promotion gives consumers the chance to win a trip to a well-known United States destination plus daily, road trip-themed prizes throughout the summer. Don’t forget to enter the Twizzlers Landmark Summer promotion!
I am writing this post as the entry method for the Twizzlers Landmark Summer promotion prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.All the opinions expressed in the post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.
