Family road trips have been and will always be a call for laughs and adventure. Spending hours, trapped in a car with your family, in itself is enough to drive anyone bonkers let alone all of the drama that happens along the way. Here are the top 5 most cliché family road trip destinations.
Grand Canyon
One of the most beautiful and breathtaking places in the world, the Grand Canyon is the ideal location for a road trip. With its stunning views and sweeping panoramas, America's best known national park is likely to leave you speechless. Of course, this is usually where you run out of gas, in the middle of nowhere. An all too familiar predicament is when the needle on the gas meter magically hits the "E" zone. And, of course, this only happens on a long, desert-like road which barely has any other cars passing by. We often see that happen in the movies, and one would think to keep that gas tank well-fueled... but for some unexplained reason, we always forget to do so.
Washington, D.C.
For any dad passionate about history, Washington D.C. is the ultimate road trip destination! With its countless historical landmarks, D.C. is the perfect place to educate your children about American history. But before getting to the National Mall, you first have to find it! The scene where dad is fighting with a big map while driving and trying to find that "right" turn, is an all too familiar sight. It almost seems like those maps were made to get us lost and confused rather than guide us safely! Nowadays, we are lucky to have the GPS, this magical talking box that has saved so many family trips.
Mount Rushmore
Can you name the four American presidents carved on Mount Rushmore? If not, a road trip in South Dakota is a must! Thankfully, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial is not the only attraction in the area. The Custer State Park and its iconic buffaloes, the Black Hills, and the Badlands all feature some amazing sights. Of course, you cannot have your average family road trip without picking up some random teen hitchhiker on the way. The backseat is already crowded, but good old dad insists on making room for the poor soul standing on the side of the road. And while daddy drives, that poor guy does not hesitate in borrowing a few valuables from your car, maybe taking off with one of the kids' iPods or smartphone. If that unfortunate possibility is holding you back from organizing this road trip, let us tell you that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are the ones with their faces sculpted in granite.
Everglades
At the bottom of the Florida peninsula, the Everglades consist of 1.5 million acres of subtropical wilderness. Home to an impressive array of flora and fauna, the biodiversity in the Everglades is unique in many ways. According to National Geographic, the "Everglades National Park is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles co-exist." One of the best way to scare your children is to book an airboat tour, which will get you dangerously close to those creatures. But before you get there, "are we there yet?" and "I need to go to the bathroom" are the two phrases you will likely hear during your road trip. Ironically, bladders turn overactive on open roads where there isn't a gas station or restaurant in sight. "Just find a big bush and go for it." One thing for sure is what happens on the road, stays on the road... Just make sure not to get bitten by an alligator!
Yellowstone
The quintessential of the American family vacation, Yellowstone National Park is a spectacle for both adults and children. Home to the fascinating Old Faithful geyser, erupting every hour and a half, Yellowstone also hosts the mesmerizing Grand Prismatic Spring. After an exhausting day, the sun goes down and it is time to get some shut-eye. Surprise, surprise, the only motel you can find looks like a run-down shack. So, the whole family gets to share this wonderful experience! Stuffy rooms, stained sheets, a 50-year old TV and, of course, a repulsive bathroom (making that big bush you used in the Everglades a lot more agreeable) are making the night unforgettable. It is one of those experiences you will love to tell your grandkids about in a few years.
With all the adventure and inevitable catastrophes that accompany any family road trip, there will always be many amusing stories (that you will only laugh at a few years down the road!). The next time you browse through your old memories, make sure to find pictures or recordings of your family road trips!
