tjmuds

Husband and I used to live in San Fran and Arcata, CA. It has been 12 plus years since we've been- and we used to do the cross country thing all the time (now living on east coast). My heart literally aches every time I see photos of the beautiful pacific NW- as well as the canyonlands (Grand, Bryce, Zion, etc). We now have 3 children (11, 2 1/2 and 3 mos old) and DH and I would love to go back w/them. We know the little ones won't remember- its more for us and to be together. Here's our (possible) general plan for a 2 week 'vacation' early/mid June:
-Arrive in Pheonix and rent mini-van. Drive up to Sedona, spend night and most of next day.
-Drive up to Grand Canyon, spend night and some of following day
-Drive to Zion, spend night and most of next day
-Drive to Las Vegas, spend night
-Drive to Monterey, CA (need to decide on place to stay between- don't want to do the full 8 hrs all at once)
-Spend next day in Monterey (aquarium?), drive up to San Fran that evening
-Spend about 3 days in San Fran
-Drive up towards Arcata (stay somewhere along the way- Ft Bragg maybe?)
-Spend about 2 days in Arcata
-Drive back down to San Fran, spending another night along the way. Fly out of San Fran.

I know its a lot of driving, but I don't think it should be be more than 3-4 hrs at a time. We're concerned that this may be an only chance for a while (hopefully not another 12 yrs). I suppose we could settle for doing less, or doing either CA/or UT/AZ/NV- we know its a lot of gound to cover having done it before (w/out kids of course)but I feel like if we're going all the way out there, we should see/do as much as possible.

Any suggestions - (and words of encouragement!) would be much appreciated. I'll be sad if I have to fall back on the usual family vacations that we've done in the past (beaches/cruise/disney etc), but maybe that's what happens when you have little ones and limited time/budget (about 5k). I'm hoping this will be the year to go for it!

lisettemac

Personally, I'd break this up into two separate trips. It's a lot of driving, especially with two really little ones. You aren't allowing yourself any time for serendipity.

Orcas

Are you for real, or are you a troll?

Just in case you are for real, I will say you had better go back to the drawing board. Your kids will be 8 mo, 3 yrs old and 11 1/2 yrs old, right? I don't get why you are even contemplating this type of trip with kids those ages, though I'm sure they'd be thrilled with Las Vegas. I saw the show where the Rugrats went there and they had a blast.

kleroux

We used to take long car trips with our kids when they were little. In some ways its easier to travel with a tiny baby. The Monterey Aquarium will be a big hit with the kids, even the baby will be able to watch the fish in the big aquarium. I would consider finding apt. type places to stay in, rather than hotels. You and the kids will be more comfortable. But it might be better to break this into two trips...an Arizona, Las Vegas trip and a California trip. Good luck.

JJ5

I think it would all depend upon your kids, and all kids of the same age are not alike. I could never do it with a baby. My kids would never sleep or even eat right with that much driving in a car. Others kids are fine with it.

Have you tried driving that much? Carsick? Sleeping through driving and up at all other times (that was mine and crabby as hell.)

We did the drive vacation similar to this about 4 years ago. But we stayed farther South for longer and did not have the long hours to Northern CA.

You can do it, but as I said- IF you have kids that travel well and aren't kids that need strongly structured sleep and eating times. My kids before 6 absolutely did- so I needed to drive less.

janisj

me personally - I'd never do a trip like this -- w/ or w/o three kids. Mostly 1-night stands and long drives.

W/ 2 weeks, take a Montery to Arcata trip OR an AZ/Utah/LV trip. Actually either would make a very nice 10 day trip - so you can save a little money by not going for quite so long and then in a couple of years you can probably swing the one you miss this time.

I'd probably choose the northern CA option since by June its getting awfully hot in AZ/LV.

J_Correa

I'm with janis - I wouldn't attempt that itinerary even without kids. Too much time on the road, too much moving around, not enough time in any spot to really take the time to soak it in and appreciate where you are.

I too would go for CA in June to avoid the heat. We did a road trip from CA to Colorado through Nevada and Utah in June one time - ick, it was hot. I remember being at Arches thinking that it would be a really interesting place if it wasn't so damned HOT, but since it was, lets just get back in the car where the AC is and get a move on! LOL. It was over 100F that day with no shade to be found. UGH! We even did some of the driving at night so as not to be in the heat of the day. We were 3 miserable adults out in that heat. I can't imagine how whiney little kids would be!

wliwl

I hated staying at hotels with the kids when they were little. We'd have to turn off the lights and the TV at like 9:00 and just lay there! It was dumb!

I don't know who I feel sorriest for - you, your 11 year old, or your baby.

More power to you if you can make this trip work, but it would be a non-starter for me. Plunk down by a lake or a great pool or someplace you'll all have fun together. Maybe settle in at a nice resort in Phoenix and do some day trips. Better yet, just go to Monterey.

tjmuds

I suppose I'm mostly trying to recapture my youthful sense of adventure. You see, our 3rd child was just born w/Down Syndrome, and my first feelings after I realized it (looking at her in my arms right after she was born), was that we were embarking on a new adventure. This new little person in our lives has uncovered a side of me I've long forgotten. We have been plopped down here on the east coast for 12 yrs now- taking conservative vacations, (each time settling for inexpensive and convenient). I want to be reminded (and my oldest son to see) that there is more to this country than Disney and East Coast beaches and its really hard for me to decide on one place to go. So what I hoped was to go back to the places where I felt that sense of adventure. Perhaps this is the wrong place to post this question and I should be on a family travel board? I'd like to think that some folks out there did similar 'road trips' and that they can be successful if you have the right frame of mind (yes, I have been accused of being an idealist).

janisj

tjmuds: You can have a great adventure and enjoy the wonder your kids will experience w/o putting them through a forced march like you planned itinerary.

They will have MUCH better memories if they actually remember doing things other than just sitting cooped up in the back of the car for hour upon hour and packing up every morning.

So don't be so discouraged - we aren't a lot of old fuddy duddies on here (well maybe some of us are ) - we just really do see lots of pitfalls in your overly ambitious plan.

Think more in terms of letting them see the wonder of the Redwoods, actually walking through or driving through a tree, riding a cable car, Collecting starfish and sand dollars o a deserted beach, touching the jelly fish in the Monterey aquarium . . and so on.

TheWeasel

I thought maybe the car rental would break your budget, but I just looked on Travelocity, and you could get an intermediate sized car for 2 weeks in June from PHX to SFO for about $800, including a $250 drop charge. I thought it'd be more expensive than that. I guess if you can find decent airfare for 5, and keep the hotel expenses down you might be able to stick to your budget.

As for your itinerary, I see a bit of a problem on the drive from Grand Canyon to Zion. Mapquest shows it as a 4.5 hour drive, but if you start making stops on the way to look at the scenery (and how could you not), then it'll take a good part of the day. Perhaps you could skip Sedona, and make the drive from GC to Zion more leisurely with a stop at Bryce worked in there. Sedona has some beautiful scenery, but to get away from the houses and people you'd have to do some hiking.

KathrynT

tjmuds,

I think you can have great travel adventures with your family but your plan sounds so busy that I don't think you'll have much time for fun. You will be able to see and do more if you shorten your itinerary a bit. I think the suggestion of two trips is good. Why not pick either a California trip or a canyonlands trip and have time to enjoy them (and enjoy being together.) I think with children that age you'll want time for them to explore and play as they won't enjoy scenery from a car window very much.

tracys2cents

I think consensus is that you need to plan something a little less frenetic. It's nice to want to show your kids as much as possible, but not if they're not going to have time to blink at any of it.

I would suggest flying to San Francisco for a week and taking day trips from there, then flying to Las Vegas and making that the base for the 2nd week of your trip.
If you're finding it difficult traveling with the little ones, just dad and the 12 year old could make day trips while mom stays by the pool or goes to the park. Zion is only 2.5 hours from Vegas...you could make this into an overnight trip or a trip of a couple of nights including Grand Canyon....but you would have some more flexibility should one child fall ill or should you just get worn out. Flights from SFO to Vegas should be cheap in June and you'd cut out a lot of drive time. Vegas rooms come cheap Sun through Thursday...you could base their with planned day trips to Red Rock Canyon, Zion, or Lake Mead...then head to Grand Canyon or Sedona on Fri and Sat? Your planned return could be from LV or Phoenix i suppose.

J_Correa

Please don't be discouraged. You can absolutely have an adventure with your kids and show them there is more to this country than Disney and east coast beaches - in fact I think it is fabulous that you want to have a family adventure rather than going the canned "Disney family vacation" route. There are so many great things to see and do in this country.

Like the others though, I think your itinerary is too ambitious and that will set you up for failure - something will happen like a kid having a stomach bug or them all just being tired and wanting a day to just chill on the beach or in a hotel pool, but your itinerary will be so packed that you can't be flexible and then everyone is miserable. With the kids, you need plenty of time outside the car to hang out, wander around, and experience things. Ideally I think 2 or 3 nights in different locations with 1 night stops here and there is best so that you aren't packing and unpacking all the time, settling in and all of that.

You've got several more years before your oldest is out on his own, so you've still got plenty of time for adventures. You don't have to pack it all in to one trip.

I would definitely split this into at least 2 different vacation. Maybe do California this year and then in a couple years tour the Utah national parks - or sooner if your budget permits

wtm003

I think this trip is doable, but you need to refine your itinerary a bit.

Your first week you spend every night in a different place. What is your priority in the SW? How about spending two nights at the Grand Canyon and 2 or 3 nights at Zion. A day trip is possible to Bryce from Zion which is easier than packing up and moving. The kids will have plenty of outdoor time and I'm sure your 2 year old will be delighted riding the shuttle buses.

For your second week in California, I would suggest staying in Arcata, CA first and then go to San Franicisco before flying home. That way you aren't staying in S.F. for 3 days, packing up for Arcata and then back to S.F. again.

The following suggestions are from lessons I've learned:

Bring a portable pack n play crib & get the baby used to it before your trip. Hotel cribs are horrible. If the baby is comfortable sleeping in a portable crib before the trip, bedtime at the hotel should be easier.

My infants slept too much while in the car, so they (and me)were awake late at night. It sounds like you are limiting car time each day, so you may not have this problem.

Look for hotels where you can get a suite or adjoining rooms. We stayed at the Quality Suites in Tusayan, outside the G.C. entrance. It was nice having that extra room.

Make sure your hotel, especially in the Southwest, has a pool. It is a nice way to take a break during the day and also wears the kids out at night.

Pick up a cooler and fill it up before leaving Phoenix. The most stressful part of traveling w/toddlers (at least for me) was when the restaurants were packed and my kids were hungry. It was so nice when I could give the kids fruit or make a quick sandwich.

Always carry snacks and water.

And most important - keep your sense of humor and have a great trip!

NorCalif

I think it is truly wonderful that you are experiencing a resurgence of your old sense of adventure and want to share your past good experiences with your children. I applaud your intentions - for your children and your husband and yourself!

In the summer of 2000, my husband and I took our two kids - then 12 and 14 - on a 6 week driving trip around the US. We live near San Francisco and our route went through Las Vegas, Tucson, New Orleans, Orlando, Williamsburg, Washington DC, New York city, Kentucky horse country, and then back home. My motivation at the time was somewhat similar to yours: I had lived almost all of those places (Air Force kid) and really wanted my children and husband (and me!) to visit places that had been beautiful and important in my life, as well as visit various family members around the country (I have seven siblings spread out all over the place). All in all we had a wonderful trip. But I did learn a few things as the trip evolved and will pass them along in case they are helpful to you -

1) I had originally wanted to minimize long driving days, so planned more numerous short stays with short drives in between. But that just meant that we spent some of every single day in the car! For us that turned out not to be the best schedule. So we adjusted our schedule after the first week or so. It was actually much more fun to reduce the number of places we stopped, and stay at least a couple of days at each one, even if it meant that we then occasionally had one long day of doing nothing but driving - and of course had to drive right by other places without a visit. Some of our best times were simple low-key days just horseback riding in Tucson, walking around a New Orleans neighborhood, canoeing lazily on a Florida river and having a picnic in a state park, etc. - just quiet times as a family in a new (to the kids) place.

2) I had to really separate my desire to visit old, loved places vs. the ages and interests of my children and patience of my husband - my past experiences and fond memories of a place were not necessarily fascinating - or re-create-able - for my children at that stage of their lives.

We were gone for 6 weeks rather than 2, and of course two of your children are much younger, but I really do think that, as we discovered, all of you might enjoy the trip more if you made the really hard choice BEFORE the trip to limit the places you visit. I know it's hard! - I understand what it's like when there are so many wonderful experiences you want to share with your loved ones. (One of the other places I lived as a teenager was Japan, and my husband joked that he half expected me to just point the car in the direction of Tokyo and insist that "we could fit it in"!

Whatever you decide, all the best to you and yours!

bethmac

Only you know your family and their tolerance for road trips. In my own experience, a trip like this would be do-able. I asked for advice for a similar road trip on this board earlier this year and got pretty much the same reaction...in fact, some responses were downright rude.

Just take it with a grain of salt and go with your gut, then prepare the best you can and be flexible for whatever adjustments need to be made along the way. It's travel, not brain surgery. I really think most kids are more resilient during car trips than the adults are...we're the ones who get cranky!

If you check and double check the distances and each day's drive is really around 4 hours, I don't see where there's a problem. These people who can't ride for four hours through the course of one day must have had parents who either never took them on vacation or could afford to fly everywhere. In fact, my son seems to like road travel better than air travel. It's hard to ask the pilot to pull over and stop at McDonald's.

Sounds like fun...I hope you find what you are looking for.

lisettemac

You thread title is "Are we crazy?" so I don't think it should be unexpected when people tell you they think this is a really bad idea. You seem to know that this might not be the best idea already. As my response said, I think this is best split into two trips. It isn't a bad idea at all, just waaaay too much for a 2 1/2 yr old and a 3 mos old to take. And, as I said before, you aren't allowing time for discovery, for downtime, for deciding that you really love the aquarium and want to spend a second day there or whatever. When you have a go-go-go schedule, your kids won't enjoy it as much. That's just my take on it, since I travel with my 2 and 4 yr old. Some of what they enjoy the most is just swinging on the swingset next to the beach.

So, break it up a little. Stretch it out some. Show the kids the things you really used to love about the west coast and they will come to love it too.

J_Correa

bethmac - I am one of those people who doesn't want to be in the car for hours each day, day after day on a vacation. This is partly BECAUSE of road trips my parents took me on when I was a kid - LOL. I much prefer a couple longer days of driving with non-driving days in between to being on the move every day.