• About
  • Blog
  • Working together
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Girl Gone Travel

Girl Gone Travel

North America, Travel
/
October 10, 2011

Road trips and the good stuff they are made of

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share

We went on another road trip this weekend. To Colonial Williamsburg, VA. In this post, I just wanted to talk about the road trip itself. Not necessarily about this particular road trip, just about the whole road trip idea and why you should do it.

I remember not really loving the whole road tripping thing till I had my own kids, and finances really demanded that we get creative if we wanted to also travel.

If you’ve read my blog enough you know taking road trips is a big thing for us. We have found, as a family of five, that hitting the road in a car is often not only the least expensive, but also the most relaxing (curse those kid-hating airplane travelers!) and most exciting. We get to see things that we expect, and some that we don’t. We get to connect with people, even if just briefly, as they pass by and we get to make more solid connections that last a lifetime.

Just strangers we waved to along the way.

Each trip transforms our relationships and brings us closer. They create conversations we wouldn’t really have if we weren’t stuck in the car together for hours upon hours at a time. We sing, laugh, sleep (if you’re not the one driving), argue, discuss, and well, just are together.

Our road trip of seven hours to and from Virginia had a little bit of it all – even a minor bathroom accident just blocks from our house on our way back.

Yes, there were a couple of brief moments when I felt my head would explode as the boys argued over someone’s foot touching the other one’s leg, or whatever. And getting stuck in traffic is rarely ever fun.

But we would do it again, just as we have done it before. Why? Because nothing beats the sound of my kids laughing and playing together in the back seat. Or hearing my 4 year old exclaim as he looks out the window how beautiful the sunset is. Or having the 6 year old tell us a story about something special that happened at school. Or listening to my 13 year old sigh that his dad and I are weird as we rock out to old Journey songs. Or listening to that teen talk…to us…because he wants to.

I often also take the moments of silence (they do happen) to contemplate on my life, as an individual and as a mother and wife. Those hours help me to focus on where I am and set my goals clearly on where I want to be.

And of course, they help me and my husband bond as the two crazy kids that we are for deciding to choose adventure, even with kids in tow.

There will be a day when these road trips will be harder to come by. Our boys will get older and they will have lives and schedules all their own. If we are lucky, my husband and I will be taking these trips alone together. But even then, they will have greatly changed from the blissful chaos they are now.

Maybe it’s the lack of sleep and slight exhaustion from being in the car all day that has me feeling so melancholic about what we just experienced together on the road. But I would bottle this feeling forever if I could just so that I never forget.

I don’t know how to explain it. Road trips, the really awesome ones I often take with my crew, are just made of some really good stuff that make my heart feel alive and happy, that make my life feel so beautiful and blessed.

I hope that we inspire you to get in your car, with your kids if you have them, your loved ones or friends and take a road trip. Just go.

You don’t really have to know where you are going to stop along the way, just have a destination if you must and let adventure guide you. Bring a map (but don’t sweat over it too much), a good selection of tunes, a camera, some snacks, and an open mind and let yourself go where the road may take you.

It’s a beautiful world out there, and sometimes you just need to drive through it to really see and enjoy it.

[subscribe2]

Related

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share
Pin this Post
Share this Post
Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, close to home or farther away. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and CEO of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications management, and brand development agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She splits her time between her homes in New Jersey and Finger Lakes.

You May Also Like...

Christmas Tree Hunting in Long Island, NY

December 12, 2008

Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, NY

December 10, 2008

Winter afternoon in the Bronx Zoo, NY

December 16, 2008
1 Comment
  • Bicultural Mama
    October 11, 2011

    Road trips give you a great sense of freedom. I've always loved them!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous Post
All You Need to Know for Winter Fun at Keystone Resort, CO
Next Post
Back in Time to Colonial Williamsburg, VA

About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am a communications professional, an award-winning travel blogger, a public speaker, CEO of a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency, a wife, and a mom of 3 sons and 2 puppies. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading!

Carol Cain

Categories

  • Asia5 Post(s)
  • Caribbean17 Post(s)
  • Central America4 Post(s)
  • Europe53 Post(s)
  • North America313 Post(s)
  • Oceana1 Post(s)

Contact

  • carol@girlgonetravel.com

Follow @girlgonetravel

Mother Nature sent us some dusting. She must be Sp Mother Nature sent us some dusting. She must be Spring cleaning.

I know. I know. Snow 😖 But we’re almost there...I just feel it. Just not today!
.
.
.
#myflx #fingerlakes #snowinspring #snowday #lakelife #iloveny #senecalake
Crack of dawn wake ups to check in with electricia Crack of dawn wake ups to check in with electricians at @theflxcottage, followed by mornings full of meetings.

Not complaining though because I also got to hit up one of my fave coffee spots (@amitycoffeeco), in one of the prettiest main streets in Penn Yan, NY. And I got to do it with this handsome dude, @travisjcain.

Also, being in this place just makes me so dang happy all around.
.
.
.
#myflx #fingerlakes #pennyan #favoritecoffeeshop #smalltown @flxwinecountry
Perks of life in wine country: membership to our f Perks of life in wine country: membership to our favorite wineries. Where as in some places farm-to-table is a trend, here it is a way of life. This made it easy for us to pick up a slew of winery top picks from @hectorwineco and we can’t wait to pair them with some awesome dishes I plan on cooking this week. 
.
.
.
#myflx #fingerlakes #winecountry #farmtotable #countryliving
Home life has become less tense as the end of scho Home life has become less tense as the end of school days get closer and closer. Work has been fulfilling and gratifying. I’ve started putting more time into my fitness, which is making me feel really good. I’m slowly booking my calendar to see my dearest, and nearest friends. And though long distance travel is still not in the works for us, we are gifted with the Finger Lakes nearby and are not taking any of it for granted.

So while @theflxcottage is still being worked on, we decided to take a weeklong workcation along the beautiful Seneca Lake.

The air is still a bit too chilly for swims or BBQs but I plan on spending as many sunsets as possible right in this spot.

I hope this inspires a road trip close to home for you. Because don’t we all deserve a bit more serene beauty in our lives? Go get yours! @flxwinecountry @flpplake 
.
.
.
#myflx #fingerlakeswinecountry #fingerlakesny #senecalake #workcation #staycation
We were in Jamaica when I realized I had never tak We were in Jamaica when I realized I had never taken my kids snorkeling. They were 10 and 11. So we booked a snorkeling excursion and the boys were fine until we got to the reef and they could see all the ocean wildlife, clear as day, that would be swimming among them.

My youngest hesitated. Saying he didn’t want to go.

In my heart I felt his fear. I understood it. I’ve spent many years playing in the ocean. I’ve had many encounters with sharks, jellyfish, sea urchins, and even had a near drowning experience. The ocean both thrills and terrifies me. But I venture into it often because fear is such a debilitating drug. And that was my biggest fear for my kids. So I made him sit on the edge of the boat as he teared up, and I nudged him into the water. 

As I prepped to jump in after him, I saw our Jamaican guide give me a thumbs up, and the other tourists give me a look of disapproving judgement.

I jumped in the water and held my boy’s hand, tears were coming down his cheeks, past his goggles. 

“Baby, it’s OK to be scared. It’s normal. But I will not leave your side. I will hold your hand and nothing will hurt you, I won’t allow it.” I never felt a promise so deeply.

We started swimming. Fish of every size and color passing us by and gliding beneath us. He would look at me, nod his head, give me a thumbs up.

After awhile he signals wanting to go up, so we do.

“You Ok?”, I ask. “Yes,” he responded, “You can let go of me now. You don’t need to hold my hand anymore. I’m not afraid.” Then he let me go and started swimming away.

I swam along side him. Never leaving his side. The warmth of my tears fogging my goggles as I realized that it was me who needed his hand holding far more than he did, and bursting with pride at the newfound courage in him, at the beauty of watching my son grow up before my eyes.
.
.
.
#travelstory #parenting #travel #oceanfun #Jamaica
How I started today. Sending love to all those who How I started today. Sending love to all those who need it most. To the mamas worried sick about their babies living out in the world right now. To those having the conversation right now with their boys about what it is be Black in America.

I texted my boy last night. And he didn’t respond. And I fell asleep fighting off all thoughts of potential harm that could come his way. I think of the tall, beautifully brown-skinned, big smiled man he has become. How bright his present and his future are. How much he is loved and all the dreams he has. I think about how he is still learning, still growing, still making mistakes, things that shouldn’t be held against him much less cost him his life. I think about how he is my heart and my soul and I can’t imagine it - what these mothers and fathers are going through.

I woke up to his reply. He had been out bowling with his small niche of friends. His happiness pulsing through the text. And I felt grateful that I alone carried the weight of the fear and sadness of these repetitive moments of violence against our Black and brown babies. He and they all deserve the bliss so easily enjoyed by others. But maybe so do we in knowing they are safe too.

The violence isn’t just physical. It is emotional and psychological, and it reaches far and wide, beyond the latest crime. And maybe that’s the point? Maybe that’s the goal? But it is also why we should and will fight harder. Because, Black Lives Matter too. And our families and our children deserve peace.
.
.
.
#blacklivesmatter #bipoclivesmatter #protectourchildren

Copyright © 2021 Girl Gone Travel | Privacy Policy | Copyright Notice