CA to FL via TX in 5days with 4 KIDS...help please.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Thanks for the input from all,

Your original post about the use of DVDs has generated a good deal of discussion both on and off-line around here. The consensus from the editorial staff has caused me to modify my position a little. Since most folks, kids, (me too) watch a certain amount of TV/movies each day, a reasonable approach would be to encourage DVD/TV use for a similar amount of time while on the road. Not more and not necessarily less. Peace and quiet for the driver's is pretty darn important on such a cross-country ramble. Obviously there is the caveat that the time for watching shouldn't be on a curvy, scenic drive section of the trip. Being car-sick on such a trip is no fun for anyone.

So, thanks for the discussion.

And the suggested driving hours have also prompted a whole bunch of talk. Personally, in good weather I like driving at night. But I am still a little concerned about your husband getting enough rest to stay alert and calm.

One thing about that early morning driving -- which I recommended -- it doesn't work for everyone -- in fact, for me the worst 2-hour stretch of drowsiness in any 24-hour period is always 5:30 am to 7:30 am with the worst always hitting me from 6:45 to 7:15 (it doesn't seem to matter when I started driving. I could start at 6:30, wide-awake, rested and raring to go and I will be fighting droopy eyelids at 7:00 am). So, based on my personal experience -- I would recommend the following schedule. Get up at reasonable hour, have breakfast, play with the kids in the pool, etc. Hit the road by 11:00 am. Drive for two hours. Have lunch and couple more hours of enjoying the area you are in. Hit the road again at about 3:30 pm and drive until 10:30 (dinner out of cooler for a stretch break) Go to bed and get up and do it again. Alternate a couple of those days by driving from 11:00 to 8:30 (lunch and dinner from cooler) and call it an early day -- maybe even before the motel pool closes for the night.

What do you think?

Mark

[RoadTripper Brad]

Personally, in good weather I like driving at night.

I do too, even if the weather is a little choppy. There is nothing I like better than getting into a big city at night. Traffic is usually non existant by then, and for me, the feeling of coming from a rural area and coming 'round-the-bend' and seeing the city lights, all the homes off to the distance, the signs of the retail stores and gas stations all aglow, ITS INCREDIBLE!

If it didn't mean passing up some great scenery, I would do all of my road trips at night!

Brad

[Mark Sedenquist]

I do too, even if the weather is a little choppy. There is nothing I like better than getting into a big city at night. Traffic is usually non existant by then, and for me, the feeling of coming from a rural area and coming 'round-the-bend' and seeing the city lights, all the homes off to the distance, the signs of the retail stores and gas stations all aglow, ITS INCREDIBLE!

I have several favorite cities to reach at night -- the view always makes me smile. Las Vegas and Pittsburgh would be my top 2!

Unfortunately my night vision isn't as good as it used to be -- and I no longer feel confident to push the envelope at night, but I do love the sound that a highway makes at night -- and the effect that high-beams have on the surrounding topography. But these days, if it is raining or snowing, I generally have to find a safe harbor at night. I also love seeing those tiny hamlets that can only been seen at night in the wide open places -- tiny pin pricks of light. On the east coast, I really like seeing the candles in the windows at Christmas time... There is often magic at night on roadtrips. Just gotta notice.

mark

[PNW Judy]

While I agree that it's easier to find hotels earlier in the day, than later....a vacancy is a vacancy. Hopefully you won't have to drive past the point where staying awake is difficult to find that vacancy.

Here's what I said about driving with the sun in mind:

If you're traveling west, get up early while the sun is at your back so you can plan to stop, either for the night or for a rest, while the sun is setting and is blinding you. Conversely, if you're driving east, you might want to delay leaving until a bit later in the morning to avoid driving into the sunrise, and plan for driving later while the sun is on your back.

So, really, your plan would work well for one direction but not the other based on the sun theory of scheduling.

Of course, is you're night people, you might want to drive later. If you're morning people, you might want to start earlier. We all have to listen to our own rhythms to find what works best for us. I don't need much sleep. It's not unusual for me to be up until midnight or later, and still wake up without prompting at 5am. The older I get, the less sleep I seem to need. I did need more when my kids were younger. They do wear you out! So plan accordingly.

I also sometimes do like a nap in the afternoon. I will do this on roadtrips. It's not unusual for me to pull over at a relatively busy park, lay out my blanket, and catch some zzzzz's on a nice day. (Caveat: I try to pick a nice park with lots of kids/parents, etc. around. I feel safe in those types of settings.) The best sleep is outside in the warmth of the sun, imho. 10-20 minutes and I'm like new. (However, I do wake up slow and need about 10 minutes of reading, walking around, etc. to get the blood flowing to my brain again.) If your husband is able to nap, you might use one of the kid's play breaks to get out the wiggles for him to take a revitalizing nap during the daytime.

If he really drives best in the morning, you might try leaving at 5am. (Unless, of course, you're a 7am sleepyhead like our Editor.) Carry the kids out to the cars in their PJs, strap 'em in, slip a pillow under their head, a blanket over them, and drive for several hours while they're still sleeping. My kids would often sleep longer in the car this way then they would at home. While they usually woke up around 7am at home, they might sleep in the car until 8-9am. That gave us several good hours of quiet-time driving.

Re the DVD issue....in my previous post on this I said:

If you find that you really must let the kids watch a DVD while on the trip because maybe you and your husband just need a bit of peace and quiet for yourself, then I would limit it to one DVD per day at most. Occasional uses of these things aren't bad as long as you don't, and your kids don't, become dependent on them.

I strongly agree with Brad about not wanting to reward bad behavior. I didn't make my meaning clear so I want to emphasize that should your kids become crabby, whiney, whatever, that you tell them that if they stop, and don't do it again all day, that they can have a DVD later in the day. I would never use it as a way to quiet them down while they're being naughty. I assumed that was understood. Just wanted to clarify.

I never did this with my kids but I remember somebody telling me that they would give each of their kids $xxx for their own spending on a trip. However, if they started acting up, they would be fined out of their own cash stash. A quarter here, a buck there really added up. You might consider doing this with DVD time. Like have a set number of minutes that they can watch DVDs per day and then deduct 5 minutes each time they get unruly. Just a thought.

Gee, is it bad form to quote yourself twice in one post???? :-)