Avoid consecutive long driving days
Although the occasional 10 hour driving day is often necessary and doable, stack too many of them back to back, and it's a sure ingredient for trip fatigue. Living on the east coast and vacationing on the west has made these long days at the beginning and end of each of our trips somewhat inevitable, but we do try to find at least one fun thing to do each day.
Since these long days usually involve traveling along the interstates, we often try to find something interesting along the way to break up the day. I have found Crossing America: National Geographic's Guide to the Interstates to be an invaluable resource for finding interesting things to do without getting too far off route.
Another option is to check into a campground early enough (at least by 5:00) so that there is enough time to stretch our legs and do something fun before dinner. It might just be a bike ride or a swim--just something to make us remember that this is a vacation and not a driving marathon.
Love your website. Thank you very much for sharing. We are planning a cross country adventure for our family this summer and your experience and thoughts are very encouraging. We have 4 children, ages 10, 8, 5 and 2, and my wife thinks that I'm nuts and it will be too hard. We live in Long Island, NY and driving cross country in an Rv has always been my dream. Do you guys offer a seminar that I could bring my wife to? I took her to an RV show but she still is not convinced that it is a good idea.
Hi Frank - glad you found our website useful but I can see your wifes concern if you're planning on buying an RV and then immediately setting off with 4 children on a cross-country trip. I might suggest renting an RV first and taking a 1 week trip to some of the east coast destinations. (similar to what we did in 1998). It might be a little rough at first, but you'll learn alot about what works and doesn't work in both the RV, and trip planning with your wife and kids. Then you'll both know alot more about how to best plan a big trip with the 6 of you. Good luck, and contact us if you have any further questions.