5 Reasons You've Got To Take A Road Trip This Summer

It's 4:30--am. You've wakened the kids, the van's packed, and you're ready to hit the road. Maybe it's west, maybe it's east--either way, you're ready. 

The kids take a few minutes to wake up--minor groans--but then they're wired up as if having downed a 500ml Coke-float. They're excited, dawn is a couple of hours away, and you're ready to hit the road--or at least the first Tim Hortons...

Sound like fun?

Here are reasons why you need to take a road trip with the kids this summer:

1. Bond with your spouse and kids: With many households being dual income, and kids in school, there is very little time during the week to be together: a couple hours at night, then the weekend spent grocery shopping, carting kids to sports, etc. Taking a long road trip keeps you all in a rather small space for an extended period of time, allowing you all to bond in a different way than normal. 

2. Take a risk together: The risks of a road trip may be minimal, but the sense of adventure can make it seem riskier than it is, and this can also create bonds. We get closer to people when we take a risk with them and have a shared experience. There are all kinds of things that can happen on a multi-day drive: pit stops in shady off the highway diners, driving through new cities at night trying to find the hotel, enduring a noisy nights sleep, etc.

3. See new things: We take the same routes to work, shop at the same stores, watch the same TV shows--or repeats of shows--, and eat the same meals--all of which can be pretty drab after a while. Getting out on a road trip can throw you off your routine, which may be disquieting at times, but is good for balancing yourself out. Can't find Whole Foods off the Trans Canada in Manitoba? Might just have to eat that veggie burger at the A&W and be thankful. It's not the Asian salad with goji berries and chia seeds, but it'll have to do.

4. Endure the discomforts: Often our busy schedules keep the discomforts of parenting at bay: Teachers handle our children's poor behaviours, the TV takes over when they're home, and the soccer coach gets their beans out on Saturday morning that usually lasts for a good chunk of the day. To be in the car or van with your kids and really be present for their needs, regardless of how demanding and even annoying, is good for you. Kids need the presence of their parents, and parents need to be needed by their kids. When there's no one left but you, and you've got to man and woman up, you're strengthening your role as a dad or mom.

5. Create memories: Being in a crammed van on a hot summer afternoon barrelling through the wheat fields of Saskatchewan with Carrie Underwood blasting, ice cream running down the arm of your 3 year old and into the awaiting wagging tongue of your dog while your other two kids are fighting over a video game can create strong memory. But these are memories that last a long time. We've bonded, taken risks, travelled cross-country, seen new things, and endured a lot of discomforts, all making our return home that much sweeter, and the stories of our lives that much richer.