Winter Road Trip Plan: To Grandfather's House We Go

Going on a winter road trip is not something I am eager to do. Summer road trips are difficult enough. Hopefully we will have decent weather and not pass cars that have spun off the road every mile or so. We drove under such harrowing conditions in 2000, the first year we were married. To risk traveling in December is something we have been very reluctant to do ever since. But this year my grandfather is turning 90 years old just a few days after Christmas. My daughters and husband are on an academic schedule, and this may be our only chance for many months to see my grandparents, whom we love and respect. The last time we saw them was two years ago.

So we're seizing the chance to go. Thus, in addition to celebrating Christmas this week, we will be busy preparing for a two day road trip to Ohio. We learned at least 8 lessons from our last road trip with the kids. We plan to put these tips into practice to make our upcoming winter trip, which is twice as long, go more smoothly.

I've also gleaned three more travel tips that I think are keepers:

1. Assign each child a roll of coins and take one coin away per infraction. When we reach our destination they can spend whatever remains.
2. Display a map or chart with a marker to show our progress to the kids. I used to keep track of our progress with trip tiks from AAA when I was a child.
3. Pick up a AAA tour book so we're aware of what restaurants and motels are available at each exit along our route. My parents used to do this, and I hope we can finally snag one and reap the benefits ourselves.

I'll report back after the first of the year and reveal how we fared on our journey!