3 Questions to narrow down your road trip destination

We all whine about being holed up in the winters and dream of all the fun road trips we’d embark on once those warmer temperatures arrive and yet…how many of us have made the most of it now that it’s here? The doggone days of summer have arrived and instead of just laying around a patio we’ve decided to explore places that are nearby to us.  Air travel can get expensive with kids but packing the car and hitting up a city or town nearby is a fabulous way to explore and have fun a bit more economically. The toughest part, at least for us, is deciding where exactly to go. Visiting family is always an option but sometimes you just want to go somewhere NEW and Exciting-but where? We’ve got three questions to help you narrow down what your options might be!

• How much vacation time do you have? Is it a weekend, a week or a month? For a weekend our family will go anywhere within 6 hours of driving. A week can see us up to 15 hours and a month we’re willing be on the road for a week each way with breaks in-between.
• How long can your family be on the road for each day? For us we know that 9 hours is ideal with the option to push to 12 hours in one stretch if absolutely necessary. Don’t worry we take plenty of breaks for diaper changes and meals but we can complete 12 hours without the need to check in to a hotel.
• What is the family looking for? Do you want a lazy cottage, a bustling city or a small town with a mix of culture and good cuisine?

These three questions will undoubtedly narrow down a list for you. Pull out a map (or Google) and see what places meet your criteria. You’d be surprised to discover new spots you’ve never even heard of. For example we’re based in Toronto and this year we’ve done weekend trips to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Stratford, Ontario. We also took an extra-long weekend drive to Chicago. We’re yet to take an entire month off but if we were to have that option, we’d most certainly drive coast to coast taking in a few days in each of the big cities we pass through.

Living in North America we have many places within easy access and depending on our moods and what we want to do and see there’s always a new city or town waiting to be explored. Where will the rest of your summer take you?