Road Trip: It’s Not About Where You’re Going

A big thank you to Discount Tires for sponsoring this conversation! As always, all opinions and ideas are my own. #mycopilot #mydiscounttire #spon

Our family loves taking road trips. It’s exciting for the kids to get prepared for the trip and map out our pit stops. We have driven to Florida from our home in Pennsylvania on several occasions without any complaints. During our last trip to Florida we even got a chance to visit the beautiful city of Savannah Georgia. I especially love when we get to experience something new together like these unexpected road buddies.

As I’ve mentioned several times before, creating family memories is a big priority for me. Even a road trip can be the perfect time to connect with your loved ones. However, all the memories we created were not thanks to our destinations, it was about the people we were driving with. I like to call them my co-pilots. They keep me entertained and even help out when needed. That’s why it’s so important for me to make the most of our time on the road, it’s all about them.

Say cheese! This was a road trip that happened before the little one joined us, and before I cut my hair. 🙂

So how do I do to connect with my co-pilots? Here are my top 3 ways to connect that you can also apply to your own future road trips:

Play a game

Instead of dozing off or cranking up the music, play a fun game that will get everyone involved. My kids enjoy playing I Spy, Name That Tune, and Who Am I? which requires everyone to ask questions to guess the person’s identity. Don’t forget to join in on the fun. We also like taking photos of beautiful landscapes during our trip to see who can get the best shot.

This was taken during a road trip to the Pocono Mountains earlier this month. Simply stunning.

Discuss your own adventures

With hours of driving ahead of you, why not connect with your children by telling them stories of your own family adventures while growing up. My kids love hearing about the trips I took with their grandparents and the funny moments that occurred along the way. It’s a great way to share your own childhood memories while creating new ones.

During a trip to Ocean City Maryland. Gorgeous views!

Simply talk…or listen

My husband and I have had some pretty deep conversations during our road trips. Whether you’re the driver or the passenger, take advantage of the time you have together to connect with each other. Just sitting silently during our trips and giving my husband the opportunity to talk, gives him the chance to open up about things he doesn’t always get to share with me. Recently during one of our trips we encountered what was possibly the worst snow storm while driving home. I’m talking snow squalls, wind and ice. I’m so glad neither one of us had to go through that scary trip alone and that we had sturdy tires that kept us going.

Remember that road trips can be as fun and memorable as you want to make them. “It’s not about where you’re driving, it’s about who you’re driving with.”

What are some your favorite road trip memories? I would love to hear from you!