First Family Road Trip...Help! :)

[luvalotmom]

Hi all

I am trying to plan a road trip for my family (myself, husband and 2 boys ages 4 and 8).

We live in Ontario (Kitchener) and I am looking to drive up through Montreal, Quebec City, Tadoussac and then take the ferry into Riviere-du-loup (I think)

We are also tossing around the idea of hitting some of the East coast.

The thing is we are looking for a trip between 1 and 2 weeks. We can not afford to spend $100 in a hotel every night. We do have tents and are open to camping, although I think we would like to also stay at Inns or B and B's or something of the like as well (variety). Maybe some hotels.

I have done some searching and I think we would like to hit La Ronde, the whale watching in Tadoussac (but seems very expensive???), Quebec City (near the Chateau), and also Village Vacances Valcartier ( we will stay in the tipis there).

I have to be honest in saying other than these specific things I am not sure what else we want. there is just so much information that I am not sure what should be on our itinerary.

I see another forum with places to hit as a single person...but not as a family.

And although I want my children to have fun and also learn a lot while on this trip I also do not want them exhausted either by doing too much.

We will be leaving around mid-August.

Any suggestions on where/how to drive there, accomadations, recommendations of activites and places that would be great to see within this time frame would be great.

I would like to see NFLD...but not sure that is realistic...


Thanks so much!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Fortunately, there are a few regular contributors to these forums from that general neck of the woods, so have a read through some of their recommendations for Quebec and the Maritimes (1, 2, 3, 4) and New England. Many of the suggested stops are suitable to both adults and children, but the things I think that would most appeal to your kids are the ferry over to PEI and playing on the beach and in the red clay soil, and a visit to the Bay of Fundy and some of the world's highest tides.
Newfoundland, I'm afraid, would be a bit much for your kids and your time frame.

AZBuck

[Lifemagician]

I see another forum with places to hit as a single person...but not as a family.

And although I want my children to have fun and also learn a lot while on this trip I also do not want them exhausted either by doing too much.

Having made many long roadtrips with our brood of five - albeit in Australia -allow me to pass on some tips which worked for us. Especially with children as young as yours.

1. Try to keep your time on the road between 8am and 4pm.
2. Make good use of the wayside stops - around every two hours - to get out of the car, run around, have a drink/snack and visit the bathroom.
3. Try keeping meals to the normal times and types.
4. Try making most stops for a couple of nights, at least, more if possible. Little children tend to get unsettled moving on every day.
5. We always carried all drinking water from home in a large gerry can. Children can quickly get upset tummies from frequently drinking different water - no matter how good it is. And the last thing you want is sick children.

As for all the rest.... I am sure some more knowledgable than I will be along shorty. :)

Enjoy your trip

[luvalotmom]

Thanks for the tips so far. i will make sure to read carefully the previous posts (once the kids are in bed :)

If we want to do all of the above things, including some of the things mentioned above (ferry to PEI, red clay, fundy, etc.), is there anybody willing to help me prepare an itinerary (from home, to the above places and the best way to get home again) ? I would be grateful as I am having trouble figuring out how much time it will take to get to each place...as well as how much time to stay in each place.

Where would the ferry leave from to go to PEI?

Thanks again...you guys are great!

[AZBuck]

We don't really plan itineraries here. The point of a RoadTrip after all is that it goes where you want to go, doing what you want to do at your pace. Besides, you couldn't possibly do everything that was recommended in the posts I pointed you to. What we can offer are suggestions, rules of thumb, and very general advice. For starters, you should plan on no more than about 400-500 miles of driving on your 'worst' days. That will give you and the kids time to stop for a lunch break, an hour or so at two or three small parks or attractions, and still be off the road and have time to set up camp well before dark each evening. I've found that small children love small parks and ferry rides as much as anything so don't worry too much about finding big attractions or events for them. Share the planning with them as well, they'll offer ideas for what they want to do and you're far better off doing those things than anything I could suggest. You can find information on the ferry to PEI here. You can cross to the island from Cape Tormentine, NB to Borden-Carleton, PEI via the Confederation Bridge and then after enjoying Prince Edward Island National Park and Charlottetown, take the ferry from Wood Island, PEI to Caribou Island, NS. Another great ferry ride would take you from Yarmouth, NS to either Bar Harbor or Portland, ME so you could see some of New England on your way home. That should get you started. Happy planning!

AZBuck