pammi wrote: If DH thinks you should take less clothes, he should do the laundry Have fun. Make sure the kids have headphones for in the car.
LOL That's a great idea and I am going to tell him that. Kiddos have wireless headphones. That is one thing I am glad DH insisted on when we bought the new truck. I didn't want to spend the money but the silence is golden!
Regarding laundry, I am the queen of packing light when traveling by air. I never take more clothes than I will need for half the trip and only use one carry one bag. 10 days in Europe still one carry on bag.
Pack a mix and match wardrobe for each of you, 6 tops, 4 bottoms and a jacket will give you 48 combinations if you use only one print and coordinate everything else with it. Add a couple swim suits and you are set.
Find a laundry mat that has a drop off service. You will pay by the pound, but it is worth it. You drop off dirty clothes and pick up freshly laundered folded clothes.
Food: my kids love tacos, I will prepare the taco meat and freeze it, same with ground beef for spaghetti, I cook it up with the onions garlic etc and freeze it. On the road I just need a bottle of sauce and some fresh noodles (cook much faster then dried).
While on the road the fridge will have condiments, drinks (drinks in a cooler so we do not have to open the fridge) cheese and sandwich makings. I will also have breakfast foods, coffee, tea sugar etc packed up.
I love to shop at farmer's markets and buy fresh local produce, so I will only pack fruit for the first day and buy that fresh daily.
Do you have an idea of how far you can go between tanks? Our general rule is for a new area we haven't driven in before start looking at about a half tank, then you are not at the mercy of the next available station.
Also are you using any kind of maping software that lays out your route? Like MS Streets & trips, most of these have the option of having it remind you in your directions to look for gas at certain levels of gas. You plug in your highway and city mileage and it computes when. I take that info and find zipcodes around the area and then use this link to determine fuel prices.
Get a lot of snacks, for the drive. Store as much as you can on the non-freezer/fridge stuff, and just store enough meat to last you a week, then buy the rest on the way.
The clothes, you should pack a weeks worth at most, and just set a day to do laundry. You save space by doing that way, and you wont have a lot of clothes to worry about. After five hours of driving with no breaks, it's best to pull off to the side, or into a truck stop, and take a ten minute break, at least.
Sandwiches are the ideal food for lunches on the road, too.
Hope that helps a bit, and have fun!
The longest trip we took was a four week trip.
We usually go for three weeks at least once in the summertime.
I've been traveling for 15 years. Each summer my family takes at least three to four weeks of just going across the USA.
tahiti16 wrote: Do you have an idea of how far you can go between tanks? Our general rule is for a new area we haven't driven in before start looking at about a half tank, then you are not at the mercy of the next available station.
Also are you using any kind of maping software that lays out your route? Like MS Streets & trips, most of these have the option of having it remind you in your directions to look for gas at certain levels of gas. You plug in your highway and city mileage and it computes when. I take that info and find zipcodes around the area and then use this link to determine fuel prices.
Mapping software doesn't help. It's really not even worth getting, or even trying on the internet.
I remember when we tried it before, it sent us down a road that wasn't paved, a bit too small for comfort, and it was a dead end.
I don't recommend mapping software or the use of GPS.
We just finished a 3100 mile trip with 3 children, 8, 5, and 1. and have been doing this for the last 12 years.( these were my nieces and have been doing it with our own kids) If going to a tourist area groceries will be cheaper at home so I buy at home. Make up spaghetti sauce and freeze flat in Ziploc bag, taco meat also, sloppy joes, ect. also chili dogs with chili out of a can is a ten minute meal and one one pan clean up. The only time we go shopping is for milk, bread, eggs, ect. as for laundry depends on your trailer size and how much you can take, we were gone 16 days and didn't do laundry once and yes we were on the ocean and the river (swimming) just make sure to hang wet things up to dry.
One little trick we do is buy a special bag for each child and fill it with things that they don't have at home, including snacks, toys, new coloring books and lap desk, silly putty, a new game for there DS, things vary by age and each child is given there own special bag once we are on the road. this keeps them very entertained for long drives and makes parents much happier ( by the way the dollar store is a great way to fill these bags up). We stop for potty breaks but after about 4 hours we try to find a park or someplace with grass where everybody can get out and just move around, if that is not possible then we stop at a lunch spot and do not eat in the truck, this gives the kids a chance to move around and they travel much better after that.
hope this helps
Him and Me
06 Dodge drw
06 Crossroads Zinger (searching for our dream fw)
We are leaving tomorrow on our third long trip in our fiver...thought I'd share what we do...
My kids are 11 & 7 and we have a DVD player in our truck, so they tend to get through longer driving distances now than they used to when they were younger. They also bring their summer reading books, some puzzle/activity books and their pillows...so they nap, read, play, or watch movies along the way.
We travel in 200 mile "bursts" which is roughly 3/4 of a tank of gas and about the "bladder max" for all of us - including the dog! LOL
I pack snacks, sandwiches, and softdrinks & bottled waters in a softsided cooler that we keep in the truck with us and if meal time or snack time doesn't coincide with a 200 mile stop then we have our "rolling picnic". Occassionally one of the boys reaches "bladder max" before the 200 mile mark (especially after meals or snack times), and that's when those water bottles (now empty) come in handy...Thank God for little boys! ;-) And tinted windows! LOL
As for laundry and clothes to pack. Typically I pack for 1/3 to 1/2 the number of days we're on the road, which is usually 2 weeks max, so that's anywhere from 5 to 8 days of clothes and I build in laundry days into our itinerary...not much fun for me, but the kids and DH enjoy some quiet campground time amidst all the sightseeing and other activities. It's not all that bad for me either - especially if the campground has plenty of machines or the coin-op laundry isn't busy. (oh...plan on doing laundry mid-week - less crowded!)
As for food...I have learned that the fridge/freezer is only good for 4 days worth of food, so I menu plan in 4-day blocks, and prepare my grocery lists in advance adding only the staples that may have run out over the 4-day period, so on the 4th or 5th days I can zip into the store get just what I need to feed us for another 4-day menu block. Sometimes I adjust the menu along the way to enjoy local specialties or locally fresh produce...and I always build in a couple of dinners out or lunches out based on our itinerary of sightseeing/activity.
The bottom line is it helps to be organized up front...and honestly I find the prep for trip helps build the anticipation of the trip for me...and ultimately results in a successful and happy trip for the whole family.
Good luck with your trip...we're heading out in the morning for a two-week tour of Cincinnati, Indianapolis and northern Indiana, and Lexington, KY. Can't wait!!
Quote: We will be traveling with our 3 kids, 10, 8 and 7. We plan to leave on a Friday and will be checking in in Florida on Sunday. Ideally I would like to make it to South of the Border by Friday night. Stay there on Friday. Leave SOB Saturday morning and be in ST. Augustine by late afternoon. So that one Sunday we will have roughly a 2 hour Drive. Hubby would be content to sleep in Wal-Mart parking lots along the way.
After having spent the day in the backseat I do not think that the kids will be very happy sleeping at Wal-Mart. I would advise looking for a campground with at least a pool and small playground.
2006 2500HD Chevy 6.0 Gas Ext Cab Short Bed
2004 Flagstaff 28bhss 5th Wheel
Dear Wife, two daughters (21 & 16,) and four dogs
I haven't read the whole thread, but for heaven's sake, do the laundry as you go, otherwise there will be mountains to do when you return home, exhausted from the trip. Not only clean clothes take up space, so do the dirty ones.
Pack less, wash more.
I always stock up on food before leaving. I can plan ahead and catch things on sale as well as purchase familiar brands. I pack enough for the whole trip at once and only run emergency errands to the grocery store.
You will have to drive 6 hours a day. Leave early everyday, drive slow, stop often and you can still be in a campground by 3-4pm everyday.
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Have fun. Make sure the kids have headphones for in the car.
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