Multi-State Road Trip in 10 Days – We did it!
Our First Visit to the Grand Canyon.
Even with two incomes (and like most people), we’re on a budget. We waited and waited….. and waited for airline fares to drop in price so that we could purchase them for an upcoming trip to my sister-in-law’s Arizona nuptials. However, instead of going down, the prices skyrocketed.
We had no other choice, but to bite the bullet and pack our sedan (and girls ages two and eight) for a multi-state (New Mexico, Arizona, and California) road trip. I can’t speak for our driver (my hubby), but I was both excited yet apprehensive before embarking on our journey. After all, the last road trip only took us a mere six hours and within the first 15 minutes, our toddler threw up all over her car seat. Needless to say, we had that stench throughout the entire trip.
With a new car seat in place, plenty of snacks, games, blankets, Pillow Pets , dvds, and separate compact dvd players to keep our girls busy, we not only survived, but THRIVED! The key was to leave early so that the girls could sleep off most of the hours on the road. What also saved us were the frequent stops along the way (Note to my home state of California – please do a better job of cleaning up your public restrooms).
Was our trip stressful? Yes – a tad. But that’s to be expected when traveling with a toddler and a tween. They bickered, but they also got along beautifully. We enjoyed the sights and the fact that we had the freedom to adjust our schedules (no rush to the airport or trying to squeeze everything into a carry on). Moreover, I’m sure airline passengers thanked us for not contributing to their misery (no crying, fighting, or excusing ourselves every five minutes for a trip to the restroom).
We saved money and we more than made up for any missed family quality time (for all those instances we shuttled our girls to daycare, their activities, and then back home before getting ready for bed). I highly recommend a family road trip!
Our family visited Tucson (for the wedding), California (to visit with my parents) and then visited Sedona (absolutely breathtaking!), the Grand Canyon (we had enough time to complete a few activities earning our eight year old her a badge as a Junior Ranger), Meteor Crater and several alien displays along the way.
Tags: family car travel, family road trip, grand canyon, junior ranger, kids activities on car trip, kids activities on road trip, pillow pets, sedona vacation
Lots of driving, but a lot of fun
Thanks, Mina. It was fun. In fact, I’m looking forward to our next one.
Sounds like you guys had a fun and memorable trip!