Scared First Time Road Tripper!

[dawnv]

OMG! Thanks again! Dick had me convinced to forget about it for a minute, but the truth is I would regret it. I have been wanting to do this for so long and the advice has been fantastic. Especially panchodog..Some people might think is ridiculous that I can't figure this out, but my brain is fried from all the stuff we have been through. I greatly appreciate you breaking it down for me. I wasn't kidding when I said someone could plan it for me. I don't need the details but what you gave me was soooo helpful.

I hadn't planned on doing Tennessee or Arkansas but we have family in Oklahoma we need to check in with. Also, instead of an RV I thought about maybe renting a conversion van. Since my husband is unable to work this is the first time we have the freedom to not be on a time table. We can actually leave and come back when we want...no hurry...can you imagine!

[Dick]

I apologize for being so negative. I reread Dawnv's post. It just seems that Dawn et al is overwhelmed on a good day at home. Roadtripping is a wonderful experience but can be very trying. I wonder if a few shorter less aggressive trips to "learn the ropes" might be a good idea. Three kids, two of whom argue all the time and four adults one of whom is disabled begs a trial trip to work out some of the issues. All that being said, I appoligize for being negative.

[dawnv]

Again, I appreciate everything you guys have shared...even you Dick. I don't think you are being negative, but realistic and I am thankful for that as well..I will keep reading and make a decision soon.

[dawnv]

This forum has been so helpful. I recently did a post about being scared planning my first family road trip with my kids, 17, 13 & 9, my parents & my husband who is recovering from a brain injury. FYI He is not physically impaired but I he's not able to help me plan, budget or remember things. Anyway, I have decided we are going to fly out west, rent a motor home and then fly back. My dad is retired from the airlines so that will help.

Right now here is the route I am thinking about.

Fly to Phoenix. Spend the night and spend the next day driving around and showing my kids where I grew up and went to school and all that stuff.

Leave the following day towards Grand Canyon going through Jerome and Sedona. Don't know if we need to spend the night before we get to Grand Canyon since I want to show the kids other places up there like Page Springs where I spent many summers with my grandparents.

Get to Grand Canyon and a day or so....not sure how much time we need there.

From there I had planned on heading to Las Vegas then to Los Angeles, BUT I kept noticing a place called Zion on this forum and when I looked it up I feel in love. I would really love to include that in my trip.

We have 2 weeks thinking about starting on June 2 right after Memorial Day. What do you guys think? Any suggestions or feedback are more than welcome.

[Lifemagician]

There is no reason why you could not include Zion, but you would want to do it after the Grand Canyon, and on your way to Vegas. Leave the Grand Canyon via the eastern entrance.

Are you flying out of LA, or does the time include the trip back to Phoenix?

[Southwest Dave]

Hi Dawn,

What a wonderful experience, to share some of your childhood with your Kids ! I also think that flying out and then renting is going to make for a nicer trip.

Are you now planning on sleeping in the RV ? The NP campgrounds have limited RV sites and do book up quickly and may have done so already, so that is something to consider. You should be able to find campgrounds outside of the NP without to much trouble. Zion is truly wonderful and not too far away is Bryce canyon, another gem !

You could certainly get to GC the same day but if you want to spend a little time in the Sedona area an overnight stop could be worthwhile, of course much Will depend on how much you want to squeeze in along the way.

LA ? Unless you plan to fly out from here it is quite a long way out of the way and won't be a pleasant place to navigate the RV around, it could be made more stressful given your unfortunate circumstance. I admit I am not City lover, but I think a nice loop up through Page to Zion to Vegas and back down to Phoenix could work better, or finish in Vegas. [But don't forget the 'One way drop fees' if you end in a different City.

[dawnv]

I know this may sound a dumb question but in planning my southwest trip does it make a difference if we start in Phoenix, to Grand Canyon, to Las Vegas, to Los Angeles and fly back home from there or should we go the other direction? We are going to fly out west and rent a motorhome one way and then fly from our destination back home to Atlanta. What do you guys think?


Mod note] As previously requested, please keep ALL questions regarding this trip in one thread, thanks.

[Southwest Dave]

I really don't see what difference it would make to be honest. I would check to see if there is a difference in RV rental rates and one way drop off fees and if there is, start out from the cheapest City.

[In case you haven't noticed we have merged your threads twice now. Please keep all questions regarding this trip in this thread, thankyou.]

[dawnv]

sorry about that...still trying to get the hang of things...thanks for your feedback and patience!

[Midwest Michael]

Actually, you'll find that very few regulars think think that video games and dvds are the answer to having a good trip. In fact, panchdog actually didn't recommend bringing kids movies, he said he prefers bringing audio books to having a portable dvd player.

Such electronics aren't banned in our family car, but their use is extremely limited. Its hard for a kid to appreciate anything about a roadtrip, if they are just constantly "plugged in" and given the idea that the only thing interesting is what is on a screen.

Here's a great article about having fun family trips, that involve more than watching movies and playing video games.