Does "family road trip" exist any more?

[Ilya]

My daughters are 16 and 12. They had flown many times, but were never on a cross-country road trip. By FAR the longest car trip either of them ever had was from Boston to Buffalo -- and that was one child and one adult in the car, so no rear-seat squabbles. (And returned by a plane.) My wife and I are certainly not "rich" -- upper middle class, if that (definiton of UMC is somewhat fuzzy), -- and this is typical in my girls' schools, although some kids are much poorer. AFAIK, none of these kids were ever on a "family road trip" either, and regard the idea with horror. Being cooped up in a car with their siblings of parents for hours, let alone days, they see as torture -- both for them and for their parents. Doing it as a vacation is insane. Even the kids from poor families who can not afford flying agree. General attitude is -- if you need to go to another state, you fly. If you can not afford to fly, you probably do not need to go. "Family road trip" is a thing of the past, and good riddance.

Do the rest you see this attitude?

[Noclevername]

Nope, and members of my family have gone on several such road trips recently. Cost issues were given as their reason.

[BigDon]

Ilya, no offense, but it seems like a personel issue.

[Jigsaw]

Yup. We spent the 1990s with three kids, driving around the U.S. of A. every summer, towing a trailer. We saw Kitty Hawk, Mammoth Cave, Roswell, Yellowstone, Sault St. Marie, and the Olympic peninsula.

Which because of the distances involved necessarily included a lot of being cooped up in the car for hours and hours with your family. And nobody thought it a hardship; nobody sat there and whined.

Maybe it depends on the family.

[NEOWatcher]

Ilya, no offense, but it seems like a personel issue.

Absolutely; For some people it's the destination, for other's, it's the journey.

I've always been the journey type. As a kid, I loved to see the scenery, and some of the local tourist traps that we stopped at along the way. (Does "South of the Border" store still exist?)

As long as we had books or crayons or something for the more boring stretches, it wasn't an issue.

We also had a 10 week driving/camping trip through Europe when I was a kid.

Although; I do see the local flavors and tourist traps disappearing, or maybe just deteriorating... So, maybe nowadays it is different.

[SeanF]

A couple years ago we drove from Sioux Falls to Chicago (573 miles). This summer, we're driving from Sioux Falls to Chattanooga (1046 miles!).

We drove to Chicago in a single day, but we're going to break the Chattanooga drive up into three days.

Of course, we've only got one kid, so there's no sibling fights to worry about...

[closetgeek]

My daughters are 16 and 12. They had flown many times, but were never on a cross-country road trip. By FAR the longest car trip either of them ever had was from Boston to Buffalo -- and that was one child and one adult in the car, so no rear-seat squabbles. (And returned by a plane.) My wife and I are certainly not "rich" -- upper middle class, if that (definiton of UMC is somewhat fuzzy), -- and this is typical in my girls' schools, although some kids are much poorer. AFAIK, none of these kids were ever on a "family road trip" either, and regard the idea with horror. Being cooped up in a car with their siblings of parents for hours, let alone days, they see as torture -- both for them and for their parents. Doing it as a vacation is insane. Even the kids from poor families who can not afford flying agree. General attitude is -- if you need to go to another state, you fly. If you can not afford to fly, you probably do not need to go. "Family road trip" is a thing of the past, and good riddance.

Do the rest you see this attitude?

No way! We all prefer the drive. It's fun, we get to experience far more from the trip then just one state. My stepfather works for a major airline so we could get tickets with insane deals, so cost has nothing to do with it. That's actually kind of a sad attitude, if you ask me. There is always talk about families not spending enough time with each other. Why not stop treating opportunities to spend that time as a "horror"?

We've driven from NY to Ohio, NY to St. Louis, NY to Fl, and now Fl to NY, Fl to Ohio, and Fl to St. Louis since my kids were babies. My kids are now 11,9, and 8 and they enjoy road trips. Of course they fight, on occassion, but they fight going from home to the supermarket too. It's not the length of time, they just don't like each other most of the time. However, we do have a lot of fun with signs. The Little Peedee River hides behind the Big Peedee River. Port Saint Lucie is married to Port Saint Charles. I have pics of all the South of the Border signs. If you can hit the Tenn. mountains during daylight, they are spectacular. Alright, Illinoise apparently has nothing to see but giant stacks of hay, no offense, but we try to find a little something about every state.

[AndreasJ]

I guess I'm betraying my un-Americanness by saying that the image the phrase "family road trip" put in my mind was of a one-day excursion.

The longest journey I've ever done by car was to Umeå (~800 km from here), and that was very much a "destination" trip - one day getting there, staying for a week, another day getting home.

[Darkwing]

It may be due to the fact that you've only gone on a roadtrip once--and then, not that far. If it becomes a habit, it becomes more accepted. I went on two cross-country trips when I was a kid, both by car. When I was 9 (and my sister 11), and when I was 13 (and my sister 15). But then, this was the '80s...

My family had also gone camping together at least once a year for as long as I can remember. Doing stuff like that even semi-regularly I think builds a family routine--even an expectation perhaps, to do stuff like that.

If I hadn't grown up doing stuff like that every year, and suddenly at at 13 my parents said "We're going on a long road trip," I probably would have been stunned. As to whether or not I'd want to do it would depend on where we were going to go. A trip to say, Yellowstone, or the Grand Canyon--cool! A trip to Buffalo? Not so much. (although Niagara is nearby, and one of my cross country trips did include that in the itinerary)

[Gillianren]

When I was in high school, my older sister moved up here for college. Altadena is . . . well, it depends on if you take I-5 the whole way north, which my mother categorically refused to do in the summer. (I-5 takes you through California's Central Valley, which is far too hot. We mostly took 101, which you can actually take all the way up, though we seldom did.) Anyway, it's about 1300 miles, depending on which route you travel. Maybe up to 1400 if you take the sort of route we did. And we did this once a year for three years.

I also remember taking a road trip of California's Gold Country. I don't know how many miles that trip was, because our travels roamed around the area, and we never got all the way up into the north. Mostly Angel's Camp, Sacramento, and San Francisco. We loved those trips, but then, my family's the sort who went to museums with babes-in-arms, who stops at roadside markers. I've toured probably half the missions in the California mission system. I've been to two state capitols--one's probably two miles away, if you don't mind swimming the lake--and the British Columbian legislature. I've been to museums in five states, Washington DC, and British Columbia. It's how I was raised.

[Swift]

Well family is just Mrs. Swift and I, but we do road trips. Two years ago we drove to the Adirondacks, and we have also gone to the UP of Michigan. Last year we went to California: flew and rented a car there. It is mostly determined by how much time we have and the cost/benefit of flying versus driving. It seems that any trip that would be less than 8 to 10 hours of driving is not worth flying for.

[Ilya]

It may be due to the fact that you've only gone on a roadtrip once--and then, not that far. If it becomes a habit, it becomes more accepted.

Perhaps, but the point of my OP is that it seems to be the norm in our neighborhood. It is not just MY children.

Although I admit for me it was always the destination, not the journey. When I was younger I used to go camping a lot, but the goal was to find and enjoy a good camping spot. The trip to and from was an unavoidable chore. I simply do not LIKE driving all that much. And while time spent talking to my children is valuable, I'd rather do it with my eyes on them, rather than on the road.

[Darkwing]

Well, if you don't like road trips, and neither do your kids, it seems like your family is in agreement. Perhaps the same attitude is prevalent in your neighborhood, and there's nothing wrong with it.

I don't have kids of my own, but my sister does, and she always enjoyed the family camping trips & road trips, and has made it a point to do it with her family, starting as soon as her firstborn was walking on two feet.

So the family road trip may be dying, but it's not dead yet.

[Neverfly]

I tend to enjoy the journey AND the destination.

Like Gillianren, I've been to every mission in California.
As well as (OF Course!) Ft. Ross, the Big wheels and all over the Bay area.

About the only place in California I didn't see was anything in Humboldt county.
Everyone knows you don't go riving through Humboldt.

I do have a more unique perspective though, having been in foster care. Some of the road trips were during that time.
And I can definitely see how it isn't some folks cup of tea.

I think it really depends on the company you're with and what they like to do.

Then, when I was in the army, Myself and several soldiers would take spontaneous road trips all the time. Sometimes we hit the road with no idea yet as to where we were going.

[danscope]

My daughters are 16 and 12. They had flown many times, but were never on a cross-country road trip. By FAR the longest car trip either of them ever had was from Boston to Buffalo -- and that was one child and one adult in the car, so no rear-seat squabbles. (And returned by a plane.) My wife and I are certainly not "rich" -- upper middle class, if that (definiton of UMC is somewhat fuzzy), -- and this is typical in my girls' schools, although some kids are much poorer. AFAIK, none of these kids were ever on a "family road trip" either, and regard the idea with horror. Being cooped up in a car with their siblings of parents for hours, let alone days, they see as torture -- both for them and for their parents. Doing it as a vacation is insane. Even the kids from poor families who can not afford flying agree. General attitude is -- if you need to go to another state, you fly. If you can not afford to fly, you probably do not need to go. "Family road trip" is a thing of the past, and good riddance.

Do the rest you see this attitude?

Hi, Riding in your car with your children is an opportunity for education,
sightseeing and working on manners.
Of course, whining is discouraged.
My parents had 11 children . We would travel everywhere...and enjoy it.
I suppose it is up to you and how you raise your children.
I only had one child, but she looked forward to sharing our car traveling experiences. Great views and sparkling conversation make for a great holiday
in my opinion.
But....that's us.

Best regards, Dan

[KaiYeves]

On February break my whole nuclear family drove to Mystic to check out the aquarium. (And, incidentally, watch the lunar eclipse)

[Larry Jacks]

I made many road trips as a child and as an adult. Road trips are great if you have more time than money. We'd pack food for the trip and avoid stopping at restaurants whenever possible. That saved both time and money. The longest trips we made with our stepsons were from Colorado to Alabama (and once on to Orlando, FL) and back. It takes about 1 1/2 days to make the trip each direction.

Since the kids grew up, my wife and I made many trips on our own. The longest was about 6000 miles over two weeks (Colorado to Portland, OR. then on toSan Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and home with a stop at the Meteor Crater. Good trip but long. We spend the time on the road talking about everything with few distractions.

[eugenek]

My wife and I are doing a trip in just a couple months. In September 2001 we had to drive from North Carolina to Michigan to attend a wedding. The planes weren't back in the air yet. It was a long drive to and from and we talked about one day making a trip which involved lots of destinations rather than just one destination 700 miles away. So, finally, we're doing it. We'll be stopping in Washington DC, Hershey PA, Cedar Point OH, various places in Michigan and Wheeling VA over a 2+ week period. We're really looking forward to it. I figure if my then girlfriend didn't kill me during a 14 hour trip then I should be okay with her as my wife. I think.

[Gillianren]

Like Gillianren, I've been to every mission in California.
As well as (OF Course!) Ft. Ross, the Big wheels and all over the Bay area.

About the only place in California I didn't see was anything in Humboldt county.
Everyone knows you don't go riving through Humboldt.

I've been to Fort Ross. I've seen the pictures. But my dad's in the pictures and my little sister isn't, so I was probably very young. I've been through Humboldt County more than a few times, too. Eureka's not a bad town. Actually, my younger sister went to college there, which would have raised the unsavoury population of the county by one while she was there.

[GeorgeLeRoyTirebiter]

About the only place in California I didn't see was anything in Humboldt county.
Everyone knows you don't go riving through Humboldt.

(sfx: a steam locomotive comes to a halt.)
TRAVELER 1: Hey, what we stoppin' fer?
TRAVELER 2: We in Goshen yet?
CONDUCTOR: Can't go no furthah. This here's injun territorah.
GOVT. REPRESENTATIVE: Well, then, it's treaty time!

Sorry, wrong Humboldt county.


I've never minded road trips. When I was a kid, my family would sometimes take driving vacations without a specific destination in mind. We'd stop to check out anything that looked remotely interesting.

The longest road trip I've done (twice, actually) was Kansas to L.A.

[Neverfly]

I've been to Fort Ross. I've seen the pictures. But my dad's in the pictures and my little sister isn't, so I was probably very young. I've been through Humboldt County more than a few times, too. Eureka's not a bad town. Actually, my younger sister went to college there, which would have raised the unsavoury population of the county by one while she was there.

And GeorgeLeRoyTirebiter too

The Humboldt County comment was a joke actually... But I guess getting it depends on a persons familiarity with certain goings on and traffic to and from Humboldt.

I've been to Ft Ross more times than I can count. It became a joke between myself and my siblings.
My brother, on a rebellious note, wore a button on his shirt on one visit (This was back in he early eighties) depicting a marijuana leaf. But my grandmother didn't realize what it was and commented on what a pretty button it was. That effort was lost until it was later explained to her.

One of the minor curses of being the Ross family.

[GeorgeLeRoyTirebiter]

The Humboldt County comment was a joke actually... But I guess getting it depends on a persons familiarity with certain goings on and traffic to and from Humboldt.

So it's known for a certain... agricultural product?

I've actually never been to that part of NoCal. I was making an even more obscure joke by quoting Firesign Theater's Temporarily Humboldt County. It takes place in some indeterminate place Out West, not the eponymous counties in California and Nevada, neither of which have a town named Goshen nor a Fort Stinkin' Desert.

[Torsten]

Not only does the family trip exist, it exists in the form of two families travelling together! I returned last night with my youngest daughter, G/F and her three boys from a week long trip to the south of our province. Each end of the trip consisted of an 850 km journey between here and my father's home. The kids on this trip range in age from 7 to 14, and generally they were fine. I lectured once on the need to keep the volume down as we entered the heavy city traffic at the end of the first leg, and that was all I had to do.

I've flown to places with my kids (Europe, Eastern Canada, US southwest), rented vehicles there and travelled quite happily with them on trips that totalled several thousand km. The tensions, disagreements and all-out fights that occur in the vehicle are no different than would happen in the home. Certainly, they travel better as they get older.

When I was a kid, we did a major road trip just about every summer. I have good memories of them, even if my sisters were pests. I'm sure they think I was the pest.

[Click Ticker]

We're loading up the kids and going to Florida over spring break. About a 1,300 mile drive in two days. We've made the drive non-stop before as well. I personally enjoy the drive and feel like I miss a lot when I just fly over.

When I was growing up, we made the drive from Michigan to Sacramento and San Franscisco, down to Los Angeles, then on to San Diego, over to the Grand Canyon, and back home. Did that twice. I can honestly say I have more fond memories of the scenery we saw along the way then I do of some of our "destinations". Driving through Bonneville was amazing. Pancake flat and straight as an arrow for miles. It truely give one an appreciation of geography and geology.

[Doodler]

I've done solo road trips from time to time. The longest was DC to Memphis. 899 miles in 13 hours without stopping. Average speed, 95-110mph. I'm a destination kinda guy.

[Click Ticker]

I've done solo road trips from time to time. The longest was DC to Memphis. 899 miles in 13 hours without stopping. Average speed, 95-110mph. I'm a destination kinda guy.

Your average speed was 69 mph - so you either did it with quite a few stops or you're inflating your dare-devil driving by a fair amount. I've done Grand Rapids, MI to Boston, MA in less than 13 hours, which is about 850 miles. Stayed right around the speed limit the whole way. Stopped twice for gas and restroom break.

Sorry - it's a science board. Somebody has to nag about specific numbers.

[jfribrg]

I've done quite a few. Philadelphia to Wisconsin and back. That one was definitely for the destination. Also went Philadelphia to Minneapolis (nonstop through the night) to Mount Rushmore to Colorado, and then back via Kansas City and St Louis. 4500 miles in 9 days, 3 of which I did less than 30 miles of driving. The scenery was fantastic and nobody seemed to mind the drive, except for the all-night drive the first night. It was me and 3 kids. The key for us was to remove the middle seat of the van. That gave the two kids in the back plenty of room. Just last week, the family went from Philadelphia to Tampa to Miami and then back. Not a very scenic drive, but if you're used to it, it is bearable. Playing DVD's on the laptop made things go fairly quick at times.

[Doodler]

Your average speed was 69 mph - so you either did it with quite a few stops or you're inflating your dare-devil driving by a fair amount. I've done Grand Rapids, MI to Boston, MA in less than 13 hours, which is about 850 miles. Stayed right around the speed limit the whole way. Stopped twice for gas and restroom break.

Sorry - it's a science board. Somebody has to nag about specific numbers.

Nashville and DC rush hours. The really high speed driving was mostly the long empty stretches. Near the major cities, things dropped to more sane speed.

[RalofTyr]

In America nowadays, the family road trips involves a moving van, the whole family and initiated by the county eviction sheriff as their home is in foreclosure and they are forced to move back in with their parents/grandparents/relatives....or go homeless...

[Nadme]

My 2 cents' worth?

In the 1970s (growing up then), families were more united. Divorce was rare; at least in the Midwest. Only celebrities and maybe the local doctor/lawyer got divorced. The traditional nuclear family was still strong.

You also didn't have all the oodles of distractions (from each other) such as iPods, cellphones, whatever other gadget. My family took many road trips -- including hamburgers & french fries for breakfast at truckstop cafes (the best! love those buttered and toasted 'burger buns). We talked, sang, told jokes, shared impressions of our surroundings, played games ("slug bug!") etc.

People were also less rampantly selfish. More gregarious and friendly, outreaching; not a sickening overdose of me-me-me-me.

It was a different time and culture.

Today? Good luck.