The first “Are we there yet?” comes while you can still see the grocery store you buy milk from. Somebody has already opened the snacks marked FOR LATER, and the child who packed three stuffed animals is the one who can’t find her shoes.
Ten hours on the interstate can feel like something to get through. But if you’re already crossing a good stretch of the country, why spend the whole day looking at the back of a truck? Take the interstate when it makes sense. Then give yourself time to eat somewhere new, talk to somebody who lives there, or show the kids something they’ve never seen. Do it on the way there, on the way home, or both.
See what’s between here and there
A few hours down the road, the landscape can look different, the menu can change, and the town you’ve only ever seen on a highway sign can turn out to have a great little museum. There’s something about hearing a local tell you why the old theater is still open that you just don’t get from watching the mile markers go by.
Kids notice things we drive right past. Give them a say in what you do, and you might spend an afternoon hunting for animals in a mural or trying a dessert nobody at home makes. The grown-ups get to be curious, too. You’re allowed to pull over because you want to see the view.
Plan the things you’d hate to miss
Before you leave, look at what’s near your route. Maybe there’s a cave you’ve always wanted to visit, a museum the kids would pick themselves, or an old downtown you’ve driven around a dozen times. Give the things you really want to do a spot in the plan, and check the hours or book ahead when needed. Then leave some daylight for whatever catches your eye after you get there.
If you can swing an extra night, think about where it would buy you a slower morning or a whole afternoon you’d otherwise spend driving. If an extra night doesn’t fit the budget or everybody’s work schedule, a couple of good breaks can still make the drive feel different. The America’s Byways directory can spark ideas for a scenic stretch. Keep one backup in mind if the weather changes or your first choice is closed.
Three tools that make a holiday road trip easier to plan
- Build the drive in Google Maps. Add the stops you’re most excited about and see how they fit together. Build the drive home separately if you want to see something different. If cell service might be spotty, download the map area ahead of time. Offline driving directions work within the downloaded area, but you won’t get live traffic or alternate routes offline.
- Look for surprises with Roadtrippers. Use it to browse places along your route, especially if you don’t know what’s between two towns. The free plan limits how many stops you can save to a trip, so it can be handy for finding ideas even if you build the route somewhere else.
- Check the day-of details before you leave. Look up the National Weather Service forecast for the places you’ll drive through and check your state transportation department for road conditions or closures. For anything you’d hate to miss, confirm holiday hours and any reservation requirements directly with the place.
Try this before you book anything: put the drive, meal breaks, and time you want at each stop on the same day’s plan. If it only works when everybody eats lunch in twelve minutes and nobody needs the bathroom, give yourself more time, save something for the drive home, or see whether an extra night fits.
Find out what people eat and do there
If everybody needs lunch anyway, try a family-run diner or bakery a few turns off the highway. Ask what people come back for. You might hear about a pie you’ve never tried, where to see the town mural, or the shop that’s been on that corner since the owner’s grandmother ran it. A meal or a little purchase puts some of your travel money into the town, and a conversation can tell you more about a place than the view from the exit ramp.
Let the kids pick something, too. A mural, a little museum, a paved walk to an overlook, or a roadside dinosaur will do just fine. Funny how the child who couldn’t possibly put her shoes on at the last stop can have both on in six seconds when there’s a dinosaur outside.
Give the drive home something to look forward to
The way back counts, too. Save a stop you were curious about, or let the kids nominate a place for the return drive. Maybe you take the same highway and try the bakery you missed. Maybe you come home a different way. And if all anybody can manage by then is a picnic and a patch of grass, that can be exactly the right stop.
A trip like this gives the kids stories of their own to tell. The grown-ups get a few, too. Years from now you might not remember what time you rolled into town, but you’ll remember who spotted the dinosaur, who ordered the good pie, and who insisted the little museum would take ten minutes and was the last one out. Life goes fast enough. If you’ve got a little time, spend some of it seeing what’s out there.
From Michelle and the women at Envy Stylz
Michelle Engelhardt and the women at her boutique like pieces that travel easily: a graphic tee for the drive, a soft layer for the chilly car, or a cap for the stop nobody planned. You bring the good company and decide which road is worth taking.
At Envy Stylz Boutique, we’re partial to the little things that make an ordinary day worth telling somebody about. If your bag’s still open on the bed, our fall weekend packing guide can help. And if you’re new here, come meet Michelle and the women behind Envy. I hope you find something worth pulling over for and come home with a story you tell more than once.
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