tips for the best road trips (part 2)
Continuing from my previous blog post:
6) Be ready for a dinner night-in. After an exhausting day of driving or exploring, your family may not want to take out their GPS and search for somewhere to eat. As long as you are prepared, that's okay. Make sure that you pack at least one meal-to-go (which may include instant noodles and bread w jam and canned food that can be heated with a microwave). That way, everyone can enjoy a simple meal and rest up for the next day.
7) Try to plan early. In my family, we start sharing trip ideas once March Break begins...we pool together possible city options and major attractions we want to visit. By starting to plan early, you give yourself time to research about unique attractions, compare prices, wait for special hotel deals and ask for everyone's opinion. During our road trip to New York City, my aunt (my partner in crime) and I were super glad we started planning early because in order to enter the 9/11 museum for free, we had to book tickets months in advance. It was difficult to score 10 FREE tickets, but we managed to get a few and save on our museum costs.
8) Make those stops. Instead of planning road trips where you drive for 6-8 hours straight, be sure to plan in-between stops (attraction stops/rest stops). It will make the experience more enjoyable and the focus will be taken away from the car ride. In my experience, I will typically arrange a 4-hr early morning/ afternoon car ride to a location, find a cool attraction to visit AND nice place to eat...I'll stay there for the night and head off to the next city on the next day. That way, you will be giving your driver and young children an improved road trip experience. Yes, changing hotels everyday is a hassle, but it's also nice getting an opportunity to try different hotels and accommodations.
9) Search for the best transportation options. When you are looking at exploring a city, you may not want to drive all the time, especially if it's hard to find parking. For different vacation stops, do your research and see if a bus/subway/day-transit pass is more convenient. Instead of paying for hourly parking, it may be more enjoyable to roam around through these different channels. In NYC/Boston/Washington D.C., we chose to buy subway passes. Although we considered bus passes, my family decided not to use an "all-transit" pass because busses didn't come often enough...and who has time to wait!?
10) Diversify your experiences. Every road trip should be unique. Encourage your family to try something new each time you travel. If you've been to Eastern Canada, explore Central Canada. If you've explored the urban city, try travelling to smaller towns and ocean-side cities. If you ever plan to re-explore a city, mix it up, so that you are reminiscing/revisiting a few location and trying something new.
happy planning and safe travels,
~cho
6) Be ready for a dinner night-in. After an exhausting day of driving or exploring, your family may not want to take out their GPS and search for somewhere to eat. As long as you are prepared, that's okay. Make sure that you pack at least one meal-to-go (which may include instant noodles and bread w jam and canned food that can be heated with a microwave). That way, everyone can enjoy a simple meal and rest up for the next day.
7) Try to plan early. In my family, we start sharing trip ideas once March Break begins...we pool together possible city options and major attractions we want to visit. By starting to plan early, you give yourself time to research about unique attractions, compare prices, wait for special hotel deals and ask for everyone's opinion. During our road trip to New York City, my aunt (my partner in crime) and I were super glad we started planning early because in order to enter the 9/11 museum for free, we had to book tickets months in advance. It was difficult to score 10 FREE tickets, but we managed to get a few and save on our museum costs.
8) Make those stops. Instead of planning road trips where you drive for 6-8 hours straight, be sure to plan in-between stops (attraction stops/rest stops). It will make the experience more enjoyable and the focus will be taken away from the car ride. In my experience, I will typically arrange a 4-hr early morning/ afternoon car ride to a location, find a cool attraction to visit AND nice place to eat...I'll stay there for the night and head off to the next city on the next day. That way, you will be giving your driver and young children an improved road trip experience. Yes, changing hotels everyday is a hassle, but it's also nice getting an opportunity to try different hotels and accommodations.
9) Search for the best transportation options. When you are looking at exploring a city, you may not want to drive all the time, especially if it's hard to find parking. For different vacation stops, do your research and see if a bus/subway/day-transit pass is more convenient. Instead of paying for hourly parking, it may be more enjoyable to roam around through these different channels. In NYC/Boston/Washington D.C., we chose to buy subway passes. Although we considered bus passes, my family decided not to use an "all-transit" pass because busses didn't come often enough...and who has time to wait!?
10) Diversify your experiences. Every road trip should be unique. Encourage your family to try something new each time you travel. If you've been to Eastern Canada, explore Central Canada. If you've explored the urban city, try travelling to smaller towns and ocean-side cities. If you ever plan to re-explore a city, mix it up, so that you are reminiscing/revisiting a few location and trying something new.
happy planning and safe travels,
~cho
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