Take A Road Trip Vacation

Most of the time we think of the time we spend in our car during a vacation as a waste. On our travels, we bring along books and gadgets to keep our passengers entertained while we drive at night and avoid side roads just to get where we want to go a lot faster.

But it's possible to turn the trip into the vacation, spend quality time with your family and make your vacation about the journey, not the destination.

With family scattered all over the country, we may visit them during long weekends or on the holidays but rarely do we plan our vacations around those trips. Consider changing your approach to these visits. Instead of making them a tiring trip there and back, plan a vacation route along the way and take your time reaching their home.

The National Lampoon movie "Vacation" might come to mind when you read this but it could turn into the adventure you and your family need to rebound. College students and young adults recognize the value of a "road trip" and sometimes take one just for the excuse to hang out in the car, listen to music and talk.

Why not do the same with your family?

Trips to visit in-laws, parents or siblings in another state, can be turned into something exciting. Instead of just driving on the nearest interstate, try going on an adventure by exploring other routes and getting yourself familiarized with other parts of the country which are unknown to you. Get the whole family involved in looking for places you'd like to visit, such as towns with interesting names, historic locations, interesting diners, festivals or whatever strikes your fancy. You'll never know, your one-day drive can turn into days of adventure.

On the way home, drive another way. Take time to enjoy a different selection of locales along the way.

For a more enjoyable experience, agree that no one will set up barriers around themselves, especially in the car. No escaping into a movie, game, book or cell phone. Some might consider that to be too tasking, a compromise can be made as to the limit of the escapes. A healthy way of getting to know each other is by experiencing each others musical tastes, take turns in picking the music or rotate the CDs. Share the music you listened to in your childhood and ask your children about their selections. It may open doors for more conversation. Make frequent stops, whether for food, a bathroom break, or to take pictures of an interesting cloud formation.

If you're into camping, consider sleeping bags and a tent for overnight stops, just so you don't have to worry about sticking to an itinerary. If you'd rather sleep in a bed than under the stars, find hotels and make reservations ahead of time. Don't wing it too much, otherwise the search of where you'll be staying for the night might ruin your evening and even leave you drained the next day.