I am a dreamer. I love to be spontaneous, and I love an adventure. For as long as I can remember I have dreamt of owning a campervan. The idea of throwing a few essentials into the van and hitting the road, in search of rolling hills, lakes or sea air…well there really is nothing quite like it. For the last two years we have explored the UK with our little ones, spending evenings on the shores of Loch Lomond, surfing the waves in Cornwall and Devon, and eating fish and chips on Tenby beach. So I guess it is safe to say that there are so many reasons why we love a road trip.
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I say that I am a dreamer, but really I just spend my days thinking about new adventures, with the hope of adding a few more pins to our wall world map. So how does a California road trip sound? Sounds amazing doesn’t it?! I have thought about a trip like this for so long, and I kind of already have it planned in my head. We would start in San Diego, and just spend a few days exploring. San Diego home rentals are an ideal option for a base to allow you to spend a few days here, explore and really take in the sights. We would stop by at La Jolla, Balboa park, and San Diego Botanic Garden, maybe take a Harbour cruise… before hitting the road and moving on in search of the next destination.
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We would travel north, passing through Los Angeles… through Santa Barbara..then continue north to Carmel, Monterey, and Santa Cruz before ending the road trip in San Francisco.
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Reasons to love a road trip
Travelling with kids can be daunting…overwhelming, even. As a parent you still have this wish to continue to travel, see the world and keep on ‘living that dream’…yet the thought of a long flight, an airport dash and lengthy transfer times, juggling the suitcases, hand luggage and tired toddlers – well it can bring on a headache just thinking about it. We have always tried to live by the ethos that our holiday starts the moment the journey begins. The moment we hit the road… our adventure begins. That feeling of heading off, with music playing in the background, and anticipation in the air of what is to come. So there you have it?! It really is as simple as that – we love a road trip.
A new day a new adventure
Wherever we travel, we always try to move on every couple of days. It breaks the journey up, and allows for us to pause and recharge our batteries. Each day brings with it a new adventure. Moving on every couple of days ensures that you really get to see so much in a short space of time. If you don’t fall in love with a destination…well you can take to the road and move on to the next. You are in total control of where you go and what you see and how you get there. When we travelled to Scotland a couple of years ago, a four-hour journey ended up taking us nine hours, mostly because we kept taking detours, making numerous stops to take in the beauty of our surroundings.
Time together
I know it sounds cliché, but I have some really fond memories of taking to the road, driving, and just chatting. We have honestly had some of our most important and life changing talks sitting stationary on a motorway with the radio on and the sound of the kiddies chattering in the background. Sitting in a confined space for any length of time allows you to get lost in a deep and meaningful conversation. To bond and to laugh. Needless to say I kind of love the old-fashioned car games, the hours singing at the top of our voices to our road trip play list, (there is nothing quite like I-Spy with a three year old who makes up the rules!) and I always smile as I remember the numerous detours for those emergency toilet stops and dashes to the nearest service stations for coffee and ice-cream.
Flexibility
Road trips bring about a certain freedom, and a break from routine. A time of having no real plans, where you can move on as often or as little as you like. Road trips mean that you are not confined to fixed times, and there is no set itinerary.
We are that family who are always late.Yes always. And yes, I really did miss that flight to South Africa. Road trips allow for you to travel at your own speed, with no set departure or arrival times. You can just travel when the time is right, throw in ad hoc stops when you drive by a beach where the sea is glistening through the car window… shouting at you to pause for a moment. You can call the shots.
Spontaneity
A couple of years ago we took a great British road trip. We had no plans, we had no idea where we were heading and we made no pre-booked reservations. When it rained, we packed up and moved on to a new destination and we told the kids that we were ‘chasing the sunshine’. Road trips allow for spontaneous travel. You can change direction, you can stop a night in a place that steals your heart. You can take a moment for an evening picnic, to enjoy the sunset and those new-found views.
A chance to slow down
The thing I love most about a road trip, is not only those moments of laughter and chatting, but also those quiet and peaceful times where you stop for a while, take in the scenery and gather your thoughts. Road trips force a period of unplugging from the world. Having no Wi-fi and sometimes a patchy phone reception allows for you to focus on your surroundings, clear your mind and concentrate on the here and now.
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So would you love a road trip?
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We’re HUGE fans of roadtrippin’. Our first holiday with our eldest was a road trip around Scotland. Like you, we loved the flexibility and also being able to cram the car with almost the content of our house. We also have dreams of one day owning a camper and after reading the intro to this post and your plans for California, I now have the theme tune to the OC in my head… 🙂
Oh, we love a road trip too, and your reasons are totally spot on! The freedom you have is so much better when you have young kids and the flexibility is paramount!
I really love a road trip! The freedom & adventure is fantastic. I have always wanted to explore California as well so this would be a trip trip for me.
You missed a flight to South Africa?? Now there’s a story I’d love to hear some time! I enjoyed reading about your conversations in the car. My son’s a big fan of road trips. He’s been badering me about when we’re next going on one!
We love a good road trip too! Good job really with family all over the UK;) I hope you make it over to California one day and hire a campervan for a trip of a lifetime from San Diego to San Francisco. I worked in San Fran for the summer before uni, it’s a free spirited city, you would truly love it x
I love these themes of spontaneity and flexibility. Too often when we travel we get overscheduled or too ambitious to “see it all”. Our kids always seem to relish the downtime, the lazing by the pool, the last-minute trip to that tiny barbecue joint or a last-minute vote on what to do that day. Inspiring post! #MondayEscapes
I can’t say I’ve ever done a road trip, I’m more of a planner. However I do like the sound of those quiet times to reflect. I do like the idea of a road trip in California though. 😉
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I hear ya! We love road trips and a US one is high on our long list of holidays. We’d really need months to do it justice. I know if we went for a fortnight we’d come back wanting more! Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes