Make The Journey Matter

by Maggie
(West Haven, CT, USA)

When traveling by car be sure to plan your trip so that you have frequent stops. A baby will need to eat and be changed and a slightly older child (especially when potty training) will need regular bathroom breaks.

We plan our route in such a way that we know we will make stops at appropriate times based on our children's normal schedules.

We have also stopped at children's Musuems or some other attraction at one of these points.

This not only gives them some time out of the car but also can tire them out so they tend to nap when they get back to the car.

It can extend driving time, but is really the best advice I have for a driving trip.

Andrea's Response

I think you have made a really good point there Maggie.

The journey shouldn't just be a necessary evil to get you from A to B but part of the trip. My daughter and I had the opportunity to visit friends in Sydney, Australia recently and making a two week trip to Oz into a three week trip that included stops in Hong Kong and Singapore added enormously to the experience.

Not quite the same thing I know, but we turned a negative (24 hour plane trip!) into a positive - an opportunity to visit two more fascinating places

To quote T. S. Eliot - “The journey not the arrival matters.”

My thanks to edenpictures @ flickr for the lovely picture of Ivy