![]() 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.
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