A few weeks ago, I was listening to a nationally syndicated country morning show after I dropped the kids off at daycare. They were interviewing an artist, asking him what his road trip necessities were. Listening to their conversation got me thinking.
Thinking about family vacations when I was a kid brought out loads of nostalgia.
When I was a kid, our summer vacations were always camping trips. We camped a lot in East Texas and those trips are remembered fondly by me and my siblings. Traveling to our destination was half the fun. Our trips included paper maps (gasp!), sandwiches and snacks (see fudge rounds, sunflower seeds and chips) put together by my mom and music picks by my dad. My brothers and I learned the words to most George Strait and Garth Brooks songs during these trips. The cassette tapes for both artists dominated our music choices through our teens. We played I Spy and Punch Bugs and had loads of fun with no electronics in sight.
Road trips have evolved a bit since the late 80’s/early 90’s.
While today’s road trips involve lots of GPS (thank you google maps), Instagram and snap chat posts, the spirit is still the same. You may not be loading up in mom’s station wagon and playing punch bug with your siblings, but they can still be fun and in keeping with what you remember and experienced when you were a child. My littles are still young, so I like to pack water wow books, word and sensory books and little toys (read matchbox cars or transformers toys). I download cartoons and movies on Netflix ahead of time in case we need to stave off a meltdown or distract them. And of course, we pray the kids take naps.
Whether we head east or west on I-10 (Texas or Alabama and Florida), our road trip necessities are the same each time.
Water, snacks, travel trays, phone chargers and a great playlist are our necessities. I love to bring a reusable water bottle for each of us, so we stay hydrated. Road trip snacks include sunflower seeds, gummy bears and chips for my husband and me, and fruit snacks, pretzel crisps and gold fish for the kids. I know a fellow mommy who even keeps a portable training potty in the back of her car for potty emergencies. As for music, I still love classic country so you can find me blasting George Strait’s greatest hits.
