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The Idea

Why we decided on a six-week road trip in a minivan with our kids and how we pulled it off

IIt’s taken me almost four years to sit down and write about our road trip in the summer of 2022. I’m glad I took notes along the way!

I’ll be honest, people thought we were nuts. We really were going to take six weeks off from work and drive 4,000 miles in a minivan? And, we were going to do it with a kid with Celiac Disease? Yep, we were.

The idea was borne out of a few things: we were coming out of lockdowns during the Pandemic and craving travel, our son’s Bar Mitzvah trip to Europe was indefinitely postponed because of the Pandemic, and we were slowly realizing that our time with our kids at home was finite.

I know what you’re thinking six weeks is a hell of a long time for a trip! And, it is, but not when there is SO MUCH TO SEE. The United States is massive, and we are so lucky to have incredible National & State Parks. We also had to manage the kids' expectations: how much they would sit in a car, how much they would hike, and how bored they might become. We are not people who camp, and we are not hiking for 10 hours a day.

On top of this, I had to plan for traveling to remote places with a kid with Celiac Disease. Mira had to be adaptable, which at 11 years old, with Celiac and a bit of a picky eater, was going to be somewhat of a challenge. I had my gluten free go box with kitchen equipment to ensure she would be fed.

I grew up on paper maps and atlas’ and I need visuals that are bigger than a 12” laptop screen. I picked up maps from AAA of the Western US states so I could really see our options. This was not my first extended road trip. I’ve drive across the country multiples times in college and when I finally moved back to Seattle my best friend and I spent almost two months on the road. I can read a map! I didn’t want to be on the Interstate highways the entire time. Although they do get you where you need to go faster you don’t get to experience the land, and the people, like you do when you’re on a two-lane highway.

Mike and I wanted to ensure that every time we got in the car it wasn’t going to be a six-hour drive or longer. We knew there would be a few long days sprinkled in, but we wanted the kids to remember NOT being in the car the entire time.

We also had a few surprises up our sleeves for the kids along the way. Nature and illness sometimes got in the way of our plans but we adapted and to quote the Pandemic, we pivoted!

We used a massive spreadsheet to plan the trip. Google Maps became our friend along with the National Parks app. It now has an offline feature that you can download trail maps and information. I also used the paid version of All Trails so we could figure out what trails were appropriate for the kids.

One of my most important tips is to do a practice pack of the car. Our family are chronic over-packers and we did it on this trip too. But, we did a practice pack to figure out what went where and to ensure Mike could see out the rear window!

I’m excited to write about all of our adventures and everything we saw. I’m thankful I was able to do this with my family and I hope they do it with theirs when they are older. This is as much for my kids to have as a guide later in life as it is for you now.

Family at Kolon Canyons in Zion National Park

Hiking The Narrows at Zion National Park

Kids in the Narrows at Zion National Park

Family in Redwood Forest California

Mom and Dad had fun too

Kolob Canyons at Zion National Park. Far fewer visitors and spectacular

The Redwoods will never not be spectacular.

Parents relaxing by the fire

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