Hello! I was wondering if I could get some advice on how I could make this article better? It was an interview that I did. Interviewing was a pleasant experience, but I was hoping for more specific tips from the person and their answers felt a little generic/not very child-focused like I had hoped. Any advice on how I can take the answers they gave and make them a more enjoyable read? Or, in general, how I can improve the quality to have it published? Thank you!
Here's the article:
A Memorable Cross-Country Journey With the Kids
Traveling can present numerous challenges. Unexpected situations on a trip can be stressful to even an experienced adult traveler. Despite these potential difficulties, what might spark a family’s inspiration to take a road trip with their small children? To explore this question, I recently had the opportunity to interview a young mom who took a cross-country drive with her husband and two kids.
“We had always wanted to travel by car across the country so we could do some major sightseeing,” said Michelle, mother of two toddlers. “Along with that, Hayden [husband] didn’t like planes. At the time of the world we were living in, I was a little scared to get on one myself.”
The pandemic put a halt to many travel plans as transportation became much more difficult. Some individuals find airplanes intimidating, even under normal circumstances, and would prefer to stay on the ground rather than in the air. Instead of letting these challenges discourage them, this family made a bold decision to hit the road in their car. They traveled about 4,768 miles from the midwest to San Fransisco, CA.
Planning for Their Trip
“We planned out what time we would leave, the stops we would take, the hotels we would stop at, and of course, we packed. We planned out leaving at a time when our girls would still be asleep for a lot of it,” Michelle said.
Taking turns driving, husband and wife drove between 12 - 13 hours at a time, covering new ground while their girls mostly slept. The family stopped for meals and enjoyed snacks from gas stations. “They [children] really only had one or two toys, they were great!” Michelle said. “My favorite part of traveling with our kids was that they were so good the whole time. So much better than I thought it was gonna go. It wasn’t stressful at all, and they won’t remember it, no, but we definitely will. It will be memories we hang onto forever.”
“Always make sure everything is good on your vehicle before you leave."
Unexpected challenges often arise during travel, and this family was no exception. Worn-out brake pads on their journey caused significant concern and added to their worries. “Always make sure everything is good on your vehicle before you leave,” Michelle advises to anyone considering taking a road trip. “Once we hit Vegas we visited some friends and they helped put new brakes on and changed out oil.”
Favorite Experiences
When asked if the family had any favorite experiences from the trip, she said, “They [children] weren’t old enough to really care. However, as for myself, my favorite experience was the Alcatraz Museum. It was on an Island and we had to take a boat out there. It was a really nice boat, like a Ferry! It had a restaurant on it but we only got a soft pretzel from there because we knew we had to be done with it before entering Alcatraz. This place was my favorite because I’m a true crime junkie!”
Advice Before You Go
Looking to take a family road trip? Have small children and you aren’t sure how they will do on the road? Consider this advice from Michelle as she reflected on their trip:
“Drive while your kids are asleep. It makes it so much easier and they aren’t crying the whole time. Take stops when you have to, but try not to stop unless you’re eating, using the bathroom, or getting gas. Travel cross-country in a camper, if you have it, so whoever isn’t driving can sleep comfortably. If you’re fancy and have one with a bathroom, that helps cut stops too. One last thing I’d like to recommend is to go while your kids are in diapers or after they’re potty trained. If you go while they’re in the middle of potty training, there will be way more stops than you need, unless, of course, you have that fancy camper.”
Future Plans
After their memorable trip with their children on the road, they are eager to continue traveling. They have plans to revisit San Fransisco on a road trip when their children are old enough to remember it. Michelle enthusiastically shared, “We plan to see all 50 states. A lot of times, our yearly vacation is seeing how many states we can see in a week. We’ve been to 26 of them together in our 4 years of marriage.” They saw four of these states before their children were born and plan to revisit those destinations with their kids in the future. With another baby on the way and a love for traveling, they are sure to have many more adventures to come!
