When I was 13, my folks took our family on an extended trip to the Seattle World’s Fair. My home state, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, was the beginning point of an adventure that would cover over 3,000 miles and last over a month. The story gets better.
The adventurers included my parents, my brother, my three sisters, and a minister’s daughter my parents brought along to keep us in line. Our vehicle was a 1960 Ford station wagon that could hold nine. So, eight people in the car was a piece of cake. Ha.
On the way we passed endless cornfields, saw sites like the Badlands, Mt Rushmore, Old Faithful, and Mt. Rainer. A month of eight (8) people in a station wagon will bring the family together. Baggage was stored in a cartop carrier that Dad built. Essentially, it was a 4′ x 8′ piece of plywood, suction cup feet, and a custom-made canvas top that zipped open to review the contents.
Each traveler, except Mom and Dad, put all our stuff in clear plastic pillow covers. There was also a tent, gas stove, lantern, table cloths, tarps for keeping sun and rain off the cook – Dad. Each of us had a sleeping bag. Some were warmer than others. Everything had its place. If there was a hole, something was missing.
The World’s Fair was great. I’d never seen anything like it. To a young teenager, it was a lot to take in. Maybe something like EPCOT created just for the summer. I still remember the Space Needle gracefully soaring into the air, various exhibits from around the world displaying artifacts from their cultures. I was especially taken with a small exhibit showing off $1,000,000.00 behind 6″ Plexiglass walls. Wow, I thought that would be cool to own that some day.
On the way home, we camped through Glacier National Park, the praries of North Dakota, and the lakes of Minnesota. When we weren’t camping, we often stayed with cousins or friends of the family. I probably learned more about our family during those trips.
Each of us had various jobs suited for our abilities. As navigator, my job was to read the AAA TripTik, explain the many sites, and make sure we kept to the highlighted roads. TripTiks, and my job, have since been replace by a nice lady’s voice chirping directions from my phone’s GPS.
Keeping my brother, three sisters, and me occupied during the 3,000 mile trip was no small chore. The responsibility mostly fell on the shoulders of the minster’s daughter who my parents hired to keep us occupied. We played games, wrote in our diaries (small notebooks), counted cows, played the alphabet game, watched the scenery. Many years later, my wife, Sue, and I shared this country with our children. Sue created forms of Travel Bingo to occupy our three children. Look for a water tower, swimming pools, and police cars. Not that I needed it, but they were great early warning devices.
Adventures with children can be both fun and hectic. But, some of the most memorable times growing up can be traced back to trips with the family. Several tips to consider for your trip:
- Plan it out. Stop into your local AAA and get one or two of their travel books and a TripTik.
- Make it fun. Vary your day. Small things mean alot. Make sure there is something that everyone can be interested in.
- Take it in stride. Pushing 700 miles in one day so your vacation can begin on day two isn’t fun. The adventue starts the moment you begin planning.
- Frequent stops help. Pack a lunch. Cooler with plenty of water helps cleanup messes more than a cooler filled with soda.
- Take frequent side trips. Ten or fifteen miles out of the way may seem like a lot, but they can build depth to your adventure. The real Little House on the Prarie wasn’t as large as The Jolly Green Giant, but I remember them both.
- Take turns telling stories. Remember the trip is about family. What were your brothers/sisters like as a kid? What would you do if you had all the money in the world?
- Dress rehersals in the back yard or nearby park are great for making sure you have what you need.
- Prizes and Surprizes. Both my mom and my wife packed a small baggie of stuff for each of us each day. On the month long trip the surprises bag contained plenty of items like coloring books and kids card games to keep us occupied over a number of days.
- Nickels and quarters. Sibling squabbles with each other and with parents are inevitable. We children didn’t have much money and what we did was very valuable. So, mom provided us with five nickles at the beginning of each day. Each hit or loud voice could result in the transfer of a nickel to the victim. My sisters often ended up with my nickels and a bigger ice cream cone at the end of the day.
- Everyone helps. Traveling as a family is a lot of work. Each of us had several jobs to do. While these can be rotated, it still brings back a sense of pride knowing that we got where we wanted to go because I read the map.
- Cool it. Remember the first and last 200 miles are often the hardest. Sometimes a stop and a walk around the car helped Dad keep his sanity and it was often a good signal to the rest of us.
- Leave cell phones, iPods, and Game Boys at home. Adventure is meant to be played as a family – together. Distractions such as these serve only to separate. Growing up we took turns naming the next song to sing. Later, we took turns playing music in the car’s one tape player.
- Celebrate achievements. New state? Mini-golf tournament winner? Held their breath the longest going through a tunnel? Made it to the next stop with only two potty breaks?
We’ve lost much of the family adventure over the years. Perhaps a family adventure can bring you and your family closer together. Besides, a week or two away from the political ads this summer will make it all worthwhile.
How far will you and your family adventure this summer?
