Are the kids restless? How about you? It might be time for a change in routine or scenery. Day trips are a wonderful and often inexpensive option to family vacations, and the possibilities are endless and abound everywhere, no matter where you live. I rely on day trips, especially during the summer, to break up the boredom that sets in rather quickly.
1. Plan On It
Make getting out of the house and away a priority. Part of making day trips happen is commitment. Set aside one day of the month that you can regularly stick to, like the last Saturday of every month. Don’t work? Consider a day during the week, when destinations might not be as busy. Discuss it with all family members and add it to the calendar.
2. Brainstorm Ideas
Explore the options. Be sure to consider and include your children’s preferences and interests. Consider indoor and outdoor options. My kids range in ages of 19 down to 10, two girls and two boys. Their interests are vast and ever changing as they age.
We’ve traveled a few hours to explore zoos and museums, fish or kayak, ski or sled, walk through an auto show, ride a train into a nearby city for the purpose of seeing a specific exhibition or enjoying a cultural festival, learn about thoroughbred horses, watch cows being milked and cheese being made, stroll along the sand on a sunny beach day, and much more.
3. Keep a Binder
You’ll likely find that you travel within a few hours radius, as we do. I keep a binder with section dividers so that I can include information about the areas we frequent, mindful of free admittance days and special events and festivals. I am on the mailing list for surrounding states’ event planners, which I keep with my binder.
4. Think Local
With gas prices continuing to rise, consider a day trip. Options increase during the summer months, when the majority of kids are out of school. We take advantage of what local communities offer by checking an events calendar (Make sure to check out San Diego Family's event calendar!). One constant in our family is apple picking in the fall. We’ve been going to the same orchard for close to two decades. We pick as much as we all can carry, arriving home to prepare most of the apples for applesauce and freeze the rest for delicious pies we’ll make later in the year.
5. Think Seasonal
What options do you have where you live? What can you do in the winter? My kids love to hike during the different seasons and picnic. One recurring excursion we take is to state parks, where the entrance fee is nominal. We pack food, snacks and drinks for the day, along with plenty of blankets to sit and nap on, as well as some cards, sketchpads and colored pencils. A favorite pastime is skipping rocks on a lake and one of my youngest is very good at it. She also brings her bird book along.
6. Remember Your “Diaper Bag Era”
Perhaps you still are using a diaper bag. My diaper bag was a great “training” ground for always being prepared. It was packed and in the car at all times. I know I relied on mine well past the time I needed it, adjusting it to more of a toddler bag, then a kids “go-to” bag. I still carry a bag in the car year-round. I also have a first-aid kit with bug repellant and sunscreen (make sure everything is replenished and updated), gallon-sized bags and wipes for mishaps, as well as old towels and a few umbrellas.
7. Make the Most of Your Time
We’re up and away first thing in the morning, often deciding on our destination as we pull out of the driveway. I check my tires, fluids and gas up the car the evening before. My kids keep packed backpacks in their closets. So, we move out as soon as they’ve dressed, brushed their teeth and grabbed their backpacks. Sometimes we just get breakfast on the way to our destination, as an extra treat.
We return home late—tired, dirty, content and reconnected through another family experience. I often look back, or into my rearview mirror, and I see sleepy heads resting on siblings’ shoulders. I know my kids will have another memory to share with each other.
------------------------
Judy M. Miller based this article on her personal experience of parenting her rollicking brood of four kiddos, two of each gender.
Published: July 2012
