![]() After our interview was featured on http://exploreall50.com, we have had so many questions and lovely comments about not only the interview, about our trips we have taken, and also interest in our blog. The question that it seems that everyone asked the most was - Why do you roadtrip? In truth, a big part of it is about affordability. The greatest expense of most vacations can be airfare. Saving on airfare and driving can also help you save in other ways.
Saving money in these areas allows you to spend it on activities for your family, and extending your vacation by a couple extra days to cover more miles and see and do more things. Roadtrips are more than about saving money though, and I have been very insistant on making sure our family gets a few of them a year and here is my reason why. Roadtrips are about my little family and the time we spend together. In a world where everyone is moving too fast, and everyone is plugged into some kind of technology, these trips are the best way for us to stay connected with each other. When we get out on the open road, we put the electronics away, and we get to spend "quality" time with one another. Jason and I as spouses get to talk and get reacquainted without his work calls or either of our usual daily responsibilities. Ethan and Emily as siblings are "forced" to share a backseat of space and get to know one another better and even become friends, without electronic games distracting them from one another. And our family will have so many wonderful memories to last a lifetime. The time we have with our children seems to be disappearing so quickly, and one day we won't all be under the same roof anymore. These trips allow us to leave our children with as many wonderful memories of their time together as we can. So why do we roadtrip? It is so that we can ESCAPE as a family away from work and life, and follow the road wherever it leads us. About the electronics.... if you plan to use one, just make sure it is for capturing those family roadtrip moments in a picture. #maphappymom #wanderlust #roadtrips
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![]() Oh how I love our getaways! I love the planning of them almost as much as being on them. Yes, I know that's weird. Some people hate the planning. Not me though. I thrive in it. Planning a trip at our house goes something like this...
Yep, for me it's all about that map! I will be very honest and direct in this next statement. I am not a GPS Girl, at all. We usually bring a GPS with us on the road, but it is also usually left sitting under the drivers seat, because the fact is that our GPS has steered us wrong on more than one occasion, even when my internal compass was screaming at me the whole time telling me something wasn't quite right. I think I have studied enough maps in my life that it has created that internal compass. Perhaps this is where I should also mention I was a geography major in University! And that my parents are travelers as well and always have been. So I have seen my fair share of maps. Maps to me are faithful and loyal. One of my favourite parts of the trip planning is getting home from CAA/AAA with a handful of new maps for the next state, province or city on our list. Unfolding that piece of delightfully coloured paper is bliss!!!. You know that feeling that some women get with a new pair of shoes, well that's how I feel about paper. A new map or a new book, total HEAVEN! When reading a map, the fun is in discovering the highways, towns, rivers, mountains or parks along the way. Using a map can be a big part of the adventure for our family. It often determines not only where we are going, but sometimes where we are not going to go. You see, we don't always just choose the interstate or provincial highway that will get us from Point A to Point B as quick as we can. When we are on vacation and not in a hurry it is likely for us to choose the path that will show us something interesting and new along the way, even if it makes the drive a few hours longer. The adventure in road tripping is the time we get to spend together discovering new things to see and do. For instance, we are currently planning this summer's adventure. We could take the interstate, but if we take the smaller highway instead we could pass by three significant National Historic Sites which we would have missed if on the interstate. One is a famous volcanic mountain, one is a Dinosaur Discovery Field and one a Trail made famous by Lewis and Clark. Each of these will provide us with an amazing opportunity to learn something new. Each of these will get the kids a new stamp for their National Park passport book, and each of these will make getting from Point A-B a little bit longer. We don't care that mapquest.com tells me it will take us 7.5 hours from Point A-B, instead of just 5 hours. What I do care about is that we will get to spend more time together, unplugged, learning and loving everything we get to see. When I get out the map, I like to examine it closely, and follow each section of road. By doing this you discover the hidden gems along the way such as; discovering a lighthouse along a coast, determining the height / elevation of a mountain pass tunnel, and even like the time we realised we would have to board a ferry to get across a lake in Saskatchewan. These were all things that were new and exciting and different from home. They were all things worth changing route, and taking the time to stop to see. By opening up and exploring the map you can actually start to create your trip. You can follow your route, and see what cities , towns or sites are along your way. You can look them up, read about them and decide if its something you would like to stop and do. You can discover that you might want to stay a day or two longer, because there was so much to see, or a special place to eat that you just have to try. Opening the map and doing all the leg work before I leave does two very special things for me.
![]() https://roadtrippers.com/stories/kentucky-fried-chicken?a1=x!-96.70166015624999,y!40.830436877649255,z!5 Every day I log onto my computer, read my email, and browse my social sites like facebook, goodreads, and look for fun new things to pin on pinterest. Sometimes its just advertisements, sometimes it's quotes and fun things to make me laugh, but sometimes it's something that makes me stop and read and wonder. The roadtrippers.com article above did that for me today. The story is about 6 Canadians who drive over 6000 miles for some Kentucky Fried Chicken. Now, we all know that Canada has their own KFC branches. But this family wanted the real thing, right from the founding location, deep in the heart of Kentucky itself. So it made me think about how many people have a craving for something that sends them out on a roadtrip to get it? Miles from your home, what would you travel for? If I ever had a craving it would be Persians from my hometown of Thunder Bay. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Persian-Man/399721353422346 Today we received mail from Alisa at exploreall50.com. New luggage tags and an invitation to do a guest blog. I am so excited.
![]() I discovered this pin on pinterest earlier today. It stopped me in my tracks and made me think how many times we have been on a road trip somewhere and we were surprised by how many people were in a hurry, just rushing by a location of beauty or a monument of significance. How they were too busy on their cell phones or arguing with one another to actually open their eyes and their ears to take in what was right before them. Not only do they not use their senses, but they also lack common sense. So many people spend so much money taking a trip, that they don't stop and pause to actually enjoy it. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/139963500896566275/ Follow the link to explore our exploreall50 interview!!!!
Thank you Alisa for such a fun and wonderful opportunity! http://exploreall50.com/2015/03/meet-the-richard-family-canadians-exploring-their-southern-neighbor/ |
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