The Grand Finale – Part 1
Let’s go back to the beginning.
With our 50 states quest officially over, I thought it might be fun to do a series of posts looking back on the journey. When you accumulate 11 years of shared experiences, you would hope that we’ve learned a few things along the way. For this first retrospective, I thought I’d comb through our photos through the years for what will hopefully be a helpful visual guide to traveling with a family.
Here are the Do’s and Don’ts of U.S. Road Trips:
DO start off with breakfast at Wawa. Every successful road trip starts with donuts. While many things change over the years, the early morning stop at Wawa for breakfast has been a constant, sure to get us off to a good start.
A lot can change in 11 years. Look at these little guys! They were so small they were willing to sit three across in the minivan! (2010)
DO bring snacks. You can handle anything on the road as long as you have enough cheese balls. (2010)
DON’T worry about your fashion choices in the moment, even if the brown-tinted sunglasses and ill-advised goatee comes back to haunt you decades later. At least tucking your t-shirt into your jeans never goes out of style. (Shenandoah National Park, Virginia – 2010)
DO push your kids to become junior rangers at national parks. Let the record show that the first Junior Ranger badges were earned at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in April 2010. This has been a constant over the years, and a very worthwhile program offered by the National Park Service. Some parks do it better than others, of course, but it really does help with engaging the kids’ interest. (Kitty Hawk, North Carolina – 2010)
DO keep a record of your travels. It’s fun to watch it fill up over the years. That 2010 map just looks so….empty, doesn’t it?
DON’T drink the Beverly! (Disney World, September 2010)
DO let your kids get as wet as they want in the jumping fountains. Or any fountains, really. At least until the cops make you leave. (2010)
DO ask for ketchup. (2010)
If you have a chance to see something unique,
DO take the opportunity to go. In other words,
DON’T set yourself up for regrets later in life.
So if you’re in New Hampshire, for instance,
DO take the hike to see a frozen waterfall. (Flume Gorge, New Hampshire – 2011)
Or if you’re in Ohio,
DO visit the restaurant with the X-Wing fighter. (Mike’s Place, Kent, Ohio - 2011)
DON’T let your kids grow up to be Dallas Cowboy fans. (Football Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio – 2011)
DO practice good hygiene. (Benton Harbor, Michigan – 2011)
DO try new places and experiences. One of our best rules for travel was to never eat anywhere that is readily available where we live. The meals become so much more memorable when we’re not constantly stopping at Applebee’s or McDonald’s. Trying something new yields two possibly outcomes: you either discover something you love, or you have a great story. (Lynn’s Paradise Café -sadly, now closed)- Louisville, Kentucky – 2011)
DON’T let your kids go into dangerous situations. (Louisville, Kentucky – 2011)
DON’T do…whatever this is. (Virginia – 2011)
DO swing for the fences. Look, travel is expensive. There’s no way around that. But we were able to do most of these trips as a single-income family. I’m not saying it’s possible for everyone, but I am saying it’s more possible than you think if you plan for it, save, and make it a priority. Shared experiences are so much more valuable than material items.
Like that time we surprised the kids with a few days at Disney World when they thought we were going home. Totally worth it. (Disney World – 2012)
DON’T let yourself get lazy. Nobody wants to drive 8 hours in the middle of nowhere or do the hike with 500 steps straight up, but knowing something special is at the end...totally worth it. (Oahu, Hawaii – 2013)
DO plan your routes ahead of time, and bring a map just in case. (Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii – 2013)
If you have the chance to see volcanic activity but you have to give up your sleep to do so,
DO it anyway. (Hawaii – 2013)
DO be prepared for surprises along the way. (Delaware, 2014)
DON’T exasperate your kids. (Hoover Dam, Nevada – 2014)
DO take the dam photos, and make as many dam jokes as you want. (Nevada – 2014)
DO study up on photography tricks and skills. The beauty of digital photography is that you can take thousands of photos just to get lucky and get those one or two priceless shots. (Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah – 2014)
DO get up early to beat the crowds. If you’ve learned nothing else from me, it should be that Rope Drop always works. (Zion National Park, Utah – 2014)
DO develop a strong stomach, and be prepared for accidents. (Arizona – 2014)
DO watch sunrises and sunsets. (Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona – 2014)
(Continued next post...)