Well it may not have been as eventful as what happens in movies like Little Miss Sunshine or National Lampoon’s Vacation – no dead bodies anyway – but I will never forget the holiday road trip my family took from Albuquerque to Portland one Christmas in the 1990’s. The twins, my youngest sister and brother, had flown ahead to our grandparent’s, so they were not gracing us with their presence for the close to 1500 miles we traveled to celebrate the holiday with extended family. That made the good-sized minivan seem larger, but I am not sure it kept it warmer.
From our home in Albuquerque to our first night’s stopover in Tonopah, Nevada, we enjoyed cool, but clear weather. That was not our original planned route; Dad had changed it from going through Utah because of predicted snow. There was also storm heading toward northern California, but we hoped to miss it. No such luck!
On the second morning, we arrived in Reno about 9 AM. The snow was starting to hit hard. My parents made the decision to hang out there for the day and overnight, with hopes that the storm would blow through. This would put us a day behind, but it seemed to be the safest idea and we could still arrive in Portland by December 23rd. Since I was keeping occupied listening to my CD player and reading it did not make much difference where I was, and it was sort of fun exploring Reno a bit.
Next morning, Reno was covered in snow as we made plans to head out anyway. Fortunately, Dad had bought chains before we left. Unfortunately, a few miles out of town, when we decided we needed them as we watched many cars slipping and sliding, we discovered the chains were the wrong size. The rest of the day is somewhat blurry, or should I say a whiteout! We somehow made it through northern California and up through southern Oregon in a major snow storm, without chains. At times, all I could see was white outside the windows. It was almost as white outside as my mom’s knuckles were holding on to her seat. The minivan was not keeping warm enough and I thought for sure I would suffer frostbite.
We had to stop at the top of the Willamette Pass in Oregon because chains were required to descend the pass. The snow was knee deep, but we managed to procure a room in the only motel and we were relieved to have made it all. The next morning, Dad found the only hardware store around, bought the right sized chains, and we came down the mountain to good old Pacific Northwest rain. How delighted we were to be out of the snow, and we made it to our destination on the morning of December 24th, just in time for Christmas.
Top 5 things to have for sure on a possibly snowy holiday road trip:
- A fearless driver (Thanks Dad)
- Chains that fit
- A vehicle with sufficient heat
- Good music
- Great snacks
Have you ever been snowbound on a road trip? What are your suggestions?
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We take blankets, snacks & water just in case!
Always take extra clothes, blankets, food & water. Mother Nature is crazy, you never know when a storm will brew or an accident will happen.
We were on a holiday road trip in a Jeep Wrangler. It was an adventure because it was snowing and the windshield wipers needed to be replaced while we were driving. We finally found a 24 hour Walmart that had the correct size. The trip was pretty smooth after that, but it took awhile to get to our destination! I would say bring blankets & pillows (for the little ones), snacks and extra warm clothes!
My “family” was extremely dysfunctional, and I thank God in Heaven we never took a road trip!! But as I got older I always made sure that during the Winter I had the following items in the car just incase I got stuck somewhere~a flashing light along with a flashlight, water/something to drink, a warm blanket, some kind of granola bars, and sand or salt. :0)
After moving down south, my dad said we would spend Thanksgiving with family in PA. We were used to warm weather, not taking coats etc and got there and it was pouring snow! Needless to say, we learned a valuable lesson. 🙂
No I have never been snowed in, just snowed in and apartment.. I have driven in the ice and snow though. An christmas of last year we were driving to memphis in the snow. But are road trips, are just husband and wife.. an it doesn’t always go as planned, lots of stops to random places and of course and arguement or two because we get turned around. An then happiness when we reach our destination!!
We moved from NY to AZ and were driving back to NY for our grandchildren’s birthdays and Thanksgiving. My husband checked the weather before we left so we knew what route to take to miss any storms. Well that didn’t work too well because we ended up right in the middle of a surprise snow storm in Va. Had to find a motel because we couldn’t see 2 feet in front of us. We ended up staying the next day waiting for the roads to get cleared, Scariest drive of my life.
Being involved with the Girl Scouts and Boy scouts for many years, I learned to always be prepared. Always have emergency items with us including blankets, water, flashlights, food and of course any medical supplies we might need.
My favorite holiday trip was when I went with my Grandpa to California. He was a truck driver and I always begged him to take me places. I had always wanted to visit California, and we even had some family there. My grandpa knew the best places to go & we went to a lot!! I’m so glad I got to take this trip because he died tragically only a couple of years later. I’m so happy I got to spend time with him and have those memories with him.
I say to make sure you have blankets and snacks.
I’ve never been snowbound during a holiday trip. HOWEVER, I am going to Vegas with friends before Christmas this year so I would love tips on just in case we get snowed in/out of our home/destination!
Never been on road trip for holidays. I am the home body that likes to be home for the holidays…. 🙂
I grew up on Alaska, so our only holiday road trips were to the middle of the woods to get a Christmas tree 🙂
ive never gone away for holidays so i dont have a story.
We always stay where we live for the holidays! But if we were to take a road trip would diff. bring extra clothes, water and some form of heat.
I have actually never been on a holiday road trip!!
We’ve never had a holiday road trip. Any trip we take that’s long distance, we pack snacks, blankets, extra clothes, and water.
Haven’t had to travel anywhere far around the holidays. But when we go to grandma’s house, we make sure we have everything we need….extra diapers, wipes, blankets, and snacks!
This happened just a few years ago. The whole family (there are 6 of us kids, plus our families for a total of almost 40 people) always gather at my parents on Christmas Eve. Well, that night back in 2009, there was a major snow storm. Most of the family live in the area, but we have a brother who travels about 100 miles to come and he still had not arrived. We heard that there had been a terrible crash on the highway that he would be coming on, so naturally we were all on pins and needles until he arrived, safe and sound!! It was like our Christmas miracle.
When I was a kid, until my Grandparents moved to Florida, we would drive to Chicago every single Christmas morning. We would get there around 2-3 in the afternoon and open presents later that day and do the white elephant game….it was so much fun! On the trip, we would always pack snacks…mom would usually make sandwiches….blankets, and something to keep us entertained!!
Always make sure that the car has been in for service before the road trip. Make sure that there is a frist aid kit extra blanks, flares. Also pack extra snacks and water.
We’ve never had to travel very far the for holidays so i dont have a story. But if we did have to travel would make sure that we had plenty of snakcs and travel games.
Road trips are fun with some planning for snacks, activities and breaks along the way
For the thanksgiving holiday, we travel in the early morning rather than the evening the night before…many years it’s taken us 7 hours for a 2.5 hour drive if we try to head from MD to NJ the day befor Thanksgiving. But, traveling early morning had been fantastic the past 5 or so. (I’m sure I just jinxed us!)
we never leave home during cold weather driving without extra jackets and blankets
We’re doing a roadtrip around the state of California this winter. Stocking up on snacks!! YAY!
Never been snowbound on a trip….but we did get stuck on Donner’s pass for hours in a tour bus on my Senior Choir Tour trip to San Francisco. You can imagine the talk that went through the bus full of High School kids, who we would eat first (ala The Donner Party History) and who would survive despite the fact that the sun was shining and we were only waiting on snow plows to finish clearing the road. 🙂
have always stayed home for the holidays don’t do any traveling …. however i do love the holidays and am thankful that i don’t have to travel to see family
the most i had to travel during the holidays is an hour. I used to live in northern virginia and had to travel into wv. the most it snowed was prob a inch or so. even though its a little slippery in the mountains we made it safe and on time:)
i only travel about a hour on thanksgiving to have dinner with my brother in law and family
We usually have our dogs with us so we drive everywhere, so it’s a must to have food, water, blanket & a chew bone for them in case we get stuck or it takes longer to get to our destination.
We haven’t been yet, but we have to make a trip across the passes this winter, and I’m certainly hoping we don’t get snowbound!! We’ve got toddler twins, and it would be quite a terrible trip if we got stuck!
we always make sure we have extra everything. especially with our 3 year old in the car. we don’t travel far,but it’s better to be prepared.we have never been stuck on our road trips.
Growing up my little brother, mom & I drove to California from Montana. every summer. It was always a great time to have
I hate driving in the snow & I will not do it! So I’m not the “fearless driver” Lol.
I have a habit of ooh and ahh as my husband drives in the ice and snow.Besides the usual provisions like blanket,food,water eye mask works great
My husband and I traveled and moved because of the military and going to new duty stations. Many times we were forced to move during the winter and juggling kids and bad roads was not easy. Snacks, books, handheld games, drinks and normal emergency stuff like blankets, LED Lantern, roadside emergency kit and in my case….a carton of cigerettes so I could get out of the car, scream, have a cigerette and get back in before I killed them all and buried them in the snow LOL
My greatest holiday road trip was coming back from having Christmas with my family in 1992. I went into labor with my son on the road on the way back. I twisted and turned in my seat and kept the secret through the entire 2 hour road trip back to out home before I told hubby about it so I wouldn’t freak him out in the car. By the time we got back to our town there was a serious ice storm going on and we slipped and slid all the way to the hospital. We welcomed my second child on that day despite it all, healthy and happy!
I remember a childhood snowy family trip from Chicago to NYC it was amazing, the breath taking views we saw along the way made it worthwhile. Oh and funny thing we ran into someone I went to school with when we made a food stop in Ohio what where the chances that we lived in the same community and left on a road trip at the same time and stopped at the same place 2 states over
I love snow, but thankfully, I’ve never had to travel long distances in it. It amazes me how much driving in snow can wear you out. Your dad must be a trooper!
I only travel by plane as I don’t drive anymore
My most memorable moment on vacation was on our honeymoon. Back in 1990, hubby and I married and flew to Miami to spend 2 weeks in florida and bahamas. During our stay in Florida, we were stopped in a parking lot, waiting for traffic to clear to turn onto the road. There was a car beside us and he was not paying any attention and accelerated and turned his wheel hard and instead of driving onto the road, he drove right into our rental car !!! So of course we had to ask somebody to call the police to report the accident. The police came and an officer came over to me and asked me my name. I replied with my new married name and started to laugh. The officer kinda looked at me wondering why I was laughing, I had to explain to him we just got married and your the first person to ask me my name since I got married….I never imagined the first time I got to say I am Mrs. that it was going to be at the scene of an accident to a policeman…on my honeymoon!!! …. lol lol lol….
No we have not, but we are traveling (for the first time since having kids for Christmas this year – 12+ hour road trip) to the mountains, and while I hope my kids get to see snow (I grew up in New England so I’ve seen my share of snow lol) I am really hoping its not TOO bad on our drive up to the mountains. You shared all great tips and they are all things I’ve been planning on doing!
I have taken road trips from st.louis,mo. to Seattle Wa. L.A.Calif.and Orlando,FL.NO MORE ROAD TRIPS!!!!!!!!!
Hitch-hiked home from Arizona to Indiana for Christmas when I was a teenage runaway.
The year I was nine, our family drove to Maryland from Virginia to spend Christmas vacation with my uncle and family. The day after we got there, it snowed blankets, at least it was the most snow I had ever seen, knee deep . So we had a beautiful White Christmas, but the best part was, it continued to snow for 3 more days. We were snowed in for a week and a half and couldn’t return to VA to go back to school! We ice skated on the frozen pond and went sledding down the steep hill that my uncles house was on! That was an AWESOME memory for a nine year old!
Thanks Y’all for this great giveaway!
I have never had a holiday road trip
We’ve been staying home now that we have kiddos, makes it so much easier!
Since having kids, we stay home! And thankfully, all of the holiday road trips before kids were uneventful.
Always good to throw an extra blanket and snacks in the car–though we don’t get those kind of snows in western pa very often!
always have blankets candles and snacks
i have not been on a snow bound trip. i would like to one day. but right now feeding and getting basic necessities for my family is more important.
We’ve never been thru snow on trips, but if we ever have to I will bring snacks, blankets and water
Never been stuck on the road during snow but one year here in Arkansas we got 10 inches of snow in one day. It was awesome!! Thank goodness store wasn’t far so we could walk and the kids loved it!! It made the holiday season much more festive. Always have plenty of water, snacks, blankets, extra clothes, flashlight, gas can, charged phones..just in case you get snowbound somewhere!!
We took a trip up north one year with our 4 children and stayed at a hotel overnight during our drive and ended up snowed in for 3 days!! Luckily, we were in the middle of town and there were plenty of supplies to go around and we had brought board games and things for the children to keep busy so we actually ended up having a lot of fun spending time and bonding with our children.
I have never been snowbound before but we do get lots of snow out my way. I always like to put in extra boots, blankets, stash candy/food and always make sure I have a flashlight handy. I store this stuff in the trunk of my car. Always make sure your Cell Phone is always charged up, you never know when you might need it. One thing you should always carry a map with you because one time I got lost with my family and we had a map and presto we actually found our way back.
I don’t have a Holiday story but if I did travel I would pack bottled water, blankets, food and fun activities for the kids to stay entertained!
one year i drove from atlanta to boston for christmas. i decided to drive alone and sent my wife on a plane. it was a road trip fantasy- i got to listen to load music and stop at every greasy roadside diner i wanted without any comments, complaints or back seat driving! she joined me on the trip home… which was not as much fun!
We don’t do road trips, but it sounds like a blast! Maybe when the kiddo gets a little bigger…
All ways take blankets and snacks and water
My Holiday Road trip story is when I was trying to get home for the Holidays in 2008 to see my family. I could not get to my sister’s house until 4 days after I arrived because it snowed 24 inches in one day! The roads were impassable. It took 4 days for the City to dig out, so I could get to my sister’s house for Christmas! I would say that really was a white Christmas that year!
I have a small family of 3, but it never fails when we go on a road trip, we load the van down like there’s 8 of us instead of just 3. Last Christmas, we headed to Indiana to spend Christmas with my husband’s family. Living in Alabama doesn’t call for heavy winter coats, winter boots, etc. We left the house in t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. As we headed up 65 Northbound, there was a steady light rain by the time we got to AL/TN line it was a light drizzle of snow and all of a sudden, the tire blows out. Needless to say, it starts snowing heavy, the wind is blowing and we are on the side of the road about 10am on a Saturday morning. All the heavy clothes were packed in suitcases under all the Christmas gifts in the van, oh along with the spare time that was under the van so we had to unload everything so that my husband could get to the tire. It was a MESS and very dysfunctional, LOL!! But definitely a good memory and funny now that it is over!
My dads family lives an hour away but last year it took us 5 hours to get home because of the snow and ice! That’s Ohio for you!
You should always carry a propane heater, lighter, blankets, water & food in the trunk. Just in case. I would not be sure if I could survive a winter storm…. We always encounter the ice storms her. It is very scary to be on the side of the road or stranded.
Never been on road trips for the holday. All family live close so no travel required!
I don’t have a Holiday story but if I did travel I would pack bottled water, blankets, food and fun activities for the kids to stay entertained!
im from germany and road trips can get pretty nasty there cause one minute there is no snow and the next …….well there it is.you might get lost from your friends house that just lifesm 20 min away from you lol.nuff said hahahahaha
My family never took road trips but I have learned through living that you need toilet paper, blanket, pillow, deicer for locks of the cars, water , flat tire fixer and AAA road service in case you lock the keys in the car, flashlight and lots of batteries for things, wet wipes, and snacks
I haven’t ever went on a snowbound trip 🙂 I prefer to be warm 🙂 haha
but to travel with children, dont stress over time frame, have plenty of snacks & things to occupy them along the way! 🙂 THANKS!!
A holiday road trip sounds like such fun. Actually, my family has always lived close by, so no holiday road trips for me. It would be so much fun. Maybe a holiday getaway trip is in my future.. 🙂
We haven’t been on any long road trips, but even for the short ones, I always take lots of snacks and drinks and sometimes blankets.
We never leave for the holidays due to most of our family live in the same state but do have my mom and her boyfriend come in town from Colorado sometimes. Maybe one year we will go to Colorado for the holidays would love to 🙂
Holiday road trips are not something we have ever done, however traveling with children is always a challenge. Last time we went a long distance was with our 1100 mile move across the country and on the first day our trip started out with a not very smart person having an accident right in front of us almost involving us because they were trying to pass us (van & moving van) on the shoulder, came up on a parked vehicle and barely made it around the moving truck before crossing traffic right into the median & hitting two cars (minor damage) on the way across. We drove till 2 a.m. that night I could barely keep my eyes open. The next day near the end of our journey in the rain and darkness (it was almost 10 p.m.) my youngest daughter decided she was going to throw the biggest fit ever causing me to stop and take care of her. The ordeal was very traumatic for me and her and I never, ever want to do that again.
I’ve definitely been in white-out snowstorms! Living here in Detroit, we get hit every year with a few whiteout, freezing blizzards. Your tips for the safest winter family roadtrip are perfect! Especially the chains and snacks!
I can’t count how many freak snowstorms I’ve gotten caught in, without chains, blankets, or snacks.
For some reason the snacks are the most comforting to me! lol Maybe it’s from my memories of being stranded with a flat tire in a blizzard with no food, and one bottle of water? It was a horrible experience, so now I always make sure I’m prepared, once the weather starts getting cool here.
We never really traveled for the holidays because we live 20 min. away.
I remember as a little girl, my dad had an old jalopy van and on Christmas Eve, the heater went out. It was quite a drive to get us back home, so we got to spend the night at Dad’s on Christmas and have Santa find us there. We didn’t have stockings, but Santa left oranges, walnuts, and a can of soda in our boots. Might not have been an ideal Christmas, but it’s the only memory of ever waking up to my dad’s face on Christmas morning… and I cherish it. Thank god for non-working heat in the van! My advice? Make the best of the things that go wrong – sometimes they turn into the best memories!
Never been on road trips for the holiday. All family lives so far away we need a plane to get there 🙁
We pretty much stayed in Florida for the holidays so no snow trips for us
I have only taken one Holiday road trip and all went well! we stopped at a Wendy’s on the way because we were sooooooo hungry and had THE best food and service. so on the way home went to look for it and stop again and couldn’t find it! I always bring pillows, bnlankets, water, snacks, and loads of entertainment!
We drove from VA to PA for the holidays a few years ago. There was a horrible ice storm while we were on the beltway in Washington, DC. Talk about wishing the car had ice skates!
My family lives here in Alabama so we don’t travel and we don’t get much snow either….
Snow? I live in Texas…we hardly get snow…but I do have to say every time I am in a place where there is snow…it makes me a nervous wreck!
Thank God no! But make sure you always have your cell phone charger.
We drove back to denver from Steamboat one year. Our rental car had terrible windshield wipers that required us to stop every few miles and scrape the windshield otherwise we couldn’t see in the snow.
I grew up in California – no snowy road trips here, but I always wanted to get stuck in the snow. Very silly, I know 🙂
One Christmas, I took a solo trip home in my Geo Metro. (Kind of like a tin box on wheels) I got about 40 minutes from home and it became a crazy blizzard. I stopped at a rest area and a really nice truck driver took one look at me and asked where I was going. I told him and he said I should follow him the whole way. We would not b going fast or changing lanes he said. Thank God for Andrew the trucker! I made it home after many white knuckle hours. We passed many poeple who ended up in the ditch.
We always have blankets, coats, and extra food with us. Luckily we’ve never been stranded though.
We keep a “safety bin” in the trunk with waters, granola bars, blankets, flashlight and snacks, just incase!!
We always take blankets, extra hats, scarves, gloves, coasts, food, water and the hot pocket instant heat packs. Came in handy when we slid off the road.
I haven’t ever even seen snow!! I would imagine you’d need lots of heat, snacks, and good company!
Blankets, water, and shacks are life savers. We also try to do at least some of our edging at night.
Would love to have a chance to experience with the fam =)
would love to win for driving in the winter snow!
I used to go to Williamsburg every year with my family. I want that same tradition with my children
Starbucks, a good book && a blanket
My first Christmas away from home I so wanted to go back…so me and my boyfriend(now husband) loaded up and headed. Florida to Ohio.. well it snowed in Florida that year, they started shutting down the freeway our vehicle broke down he left me to walk and get help, I near about froze to death it was so cold, I sat watching semis slide across the road praying it wouldnt hit me…finally after a few hours he came back with help. They took us to nearest town dumped us off at a hotel that I was afraid to get under the covers at and we stayed night. Next morning we got the vehicle going and headed out again. I arrived home Christmas night and the trip back wasnt any better…the vehicle got left behind needless to say! But hey I made it home for Christmas!
For long road trips you have to have the essentials with kids: DVD player, plenty of movies, snacks, drinks, pillow and blanket! 🙂
Make sure everyone goes potty before you even get in the car!
Holiday long trip would have to be able to go c r daughter and 3 grandkids way out in AZ. My husband would love to drive out there-Me: Fying is my style. If I could plan a trip I think it would consist of bringing the kids back with us with dvd players going, lots of laughs and sweet silent sleeping
When my daughter was a little baby we attempted a drive from FL to SD for Christmas…we got stuck on a closed interstate and went to hotel after hotel, all booked. I was used to the hot FL weather so icy roads was really not something I was used to dealing with. Eventually we did find a small little motel to stay at but if I could do it over I would wait quite a while to take that long trip. My daughter was a little angel, thank goodness.
Most all of our family lives fairly close. The worst was when we had to cancel Christmas Eve with the family because of a blizzard.
Growing up, we didn’t travel for the Holidays. My most memorable holiday was the year my brother was born on December 23. We went to visit him in the hospital on Christmas Eve and he came home in a stocking on Christmas.
ever had a problem with snow on a trip besides the slow going. I do carry flashlight, water, food and blanket when i travel in the winter
we take blanket and food and flashlight and make sure to have a full tank of gas
I have not been stuck in the snow, but my husband has. He tries to keep us prepared, so we have an emergency kit in our trunk with an emergency blanket, water, jumper cables, a hammer, and matches. I think there is more stuff in there, but only he knows hahahaha!
always bring gallon of water and masking tape just in case a hose breaks …..and cell phone car chargers,and a pillow ….take your time rest when needed …..and you’ll have a great trip
An emergency kit in the car for sure. I take cat litter in case I need traction on the ice.
Being from southeast Texas, our road trips were more likely to involve heavy rain. One holiday I was driving from home–north Houston–to family in San Antonio. We had hoped to outrun the rain, but traffic was so bad we were stuck in it when the rain hit. We made it through Houston and west of town (Houston is big–this would have been fifty or sixty or more a couple of hours through town) when the AC went on the fritz. And no AC meant no way to keep the windshield clear of fog. We ended up just pulling off the freeway and staying the night in a hotel.
I have not gotten snowed out during a road trip, but I have gotten snowed into my home. When I do travel far and there is a good chance of snow, I always makes sure that I have blankets, snacks, drinks, an emergency car kit, and lots of entertainment for my daughter.
Believe it or not, I never even drove i snow till I was in my 40’s. It’s interesting.
I remember coming home from holidays with my parents and my dad would always drive really slow because of the “crazy” drivers. We always listened to music on rides home. I miss those days
This is not a very good road trip that I went on when I was in my thirties. What happened is I was a passenger in a car being driven by my sister. We were driving from San Diego to Los Angleas in a rental car when one of the tires blew out! My sister and I were screaming when this happened. My sister had to use all of her strength just to keep the car from going off the road and flipping! I felt like I was on a ride at an amusement park! Good news neither one of us was hurt! A good Samaritan came to our aid and helped put on the spare tire! Thank God because I can not put tires on a car! I might break a nail!
Make sure you have enough snacks, something to drink and some blankets!!
Growing up in Kentucky we would always go to Grandma and Grandpa’s farm and pick out our christmas tree and have an early dinner and then go home it was always a fun time 🙂
we dont live in a snowy area and after reading this i dont think we ever will lmao if i had to drive through snow i guess i would make sure we had plenty of blankets water and staples in case we were stranded
I’d bring plenty of water/gatorade and extra blankets. and hi energy snacks like jars of peanut butter. I’ve never gone on a road trip when there was snow on the ground. This Thanksgiving I went on an oven/stove/table trip which was exhausting.
We are roadtripping to NM in a couple weeks and I am nervous about snow. Bringing plenty of food and drinks and I guess blankets too!
last year we went to Crystal River FLA for Christmas to visit family once we hit the road about an hr into the trip I remembered that I forgot all the gifts under the tree
We haven’t yet gone on a holiday road trip We went to Maryland for Succoth( A Jewish Holiday) with my son-in-law we made sure we had drinks and some snacks to take along.
A few years ago we took a family road trip to Disney World for New Years. Fortunately the only snow we had was the fake one they produce in Disney World during the parades.
carry a blanket, hats, boots, gloves,, extra clothes in case you get stuck
we were snowed in once in colorado- for a whole day! pretty scary..
LOVE traveling at Christmas time. Both of our boys are adopted as teenagers. They didn’t have much of a childhood, so each year we pack up hot chocolate, the campstove (for toasting marshmallows) blankets, and the Christmas music and we go driving to see houses all lit up. We call it our Exterior Illumination Trip! By the way, did I mention that my boys are 16 and 14? They still love going!
My travel stories all include me trying to incorporate adventures for my littles, like camping at Moundville AL where the children could dig for real Indian artifacts
My biggest tip is to leave plenty of time for unexpected stops! We travel to Maine frequently from Western PA and a few years ago we got caught in a snow storm and had to make an unexpected overnight stay at a hotel to ride out the snow! It ended up just adding to the fun though!
I keep a bin of snacks, blankets, toys, first aid kit in my van
Since my family lives in NC and my husbands family lives in MD we are truly a traveling family for the holidays. The most memorable trip was when my son was just born and we were going for the first holiday trip and he was sick with a cold and we tried to cancel but we were guilted into going anyway. We stopped to eat and he had a horrible blow out and we had buried his diaper bag so I am in the bathroom of a restaurant trying to bath him in the smallest sink invented while my husband was digging trying to get the diaper bag out. We learned a lesson and haven’t buried a diaper bag since.
When I was about 10 yrs old we took a trip to Connecticut for Christmas. We lived in Northern Maine and it was nice out when we left. We traveled about 4 hours when we hit a blizzard. Dad could barely see and our windshield wipers were having a hard time working. Dad would have to roll the window down, reach around the window to grab the wiper and get it going again. Those were a very very long hours. The best part was tho that we sang Christmas Carols the whole way, it was my parents way of having us not to worry about the weather and wipers. I think it helped Mom and Dad too.
Living in Wisconsin, nearly every road trip in the winter ends up a snowy one! Since my family lives a few hours from my town, we always have to plan for the worst conditions when we travel to see them especially during the holidays. I always keep a couple of warm blankets and some snacks/water in the back of the truck for just in case! Plus, it’s so important to make sure you have a phone charger in your car at all times! There is not much worse than being stranded with a dead cell phone and no way to charge it!
My crazy holiday roadtrip was a snowy one too. We live in Texas.. so we’re not used to it at all, and we were spending Christmas in the mountains in New Mexico. As we started up the mountain, it began to snow, and I just couldn’t even stand to look at it. I wasn’t driving, thankfully! Anyway, it kept getting worse and worse, to the point that we couldn’t even make it up the final bit of the hill to my inlaws’ house. We had to park down a couple of houses, and hike up the hill in the snow with our suitcases. Such a mess!
We have 2 dogs so road trips involve lots of potty breaks. We also have to have blankets for them to lie on and food and water. They love to go with us on road trips. In fact, we bought an older truck with a back seat just to take the dogs along. Although when we get home there is a lot of window cleaning since they are always covered with nose prints and slobber.
I always have nightmares about the holiday trip we endured from Charlotte, NC to West Va. Packed in our SUV with two small children and a super-hyper jack russell terrier, Pip. Pip had to relieve himself every 30 minutes, not to mention the long walks we had to subject him to at rest stops and gas stations. We were trying to enjoy the scenic route of the western part of Virginia but Pip was too hyper. We were about 1 hour away from our destination when not only did one of our daughter’s vomit, so did Pip! Nothing like sneaking a dog into a gas station bathroom to clean him up. From now on we board our dog.
I love road trips…I sleep the whole time!
Holiday music always helps!
My husband and I went to help an elderly family friend out one year a day before Christmas. Our friend lived 4 hours away from us. On our way to our friend’s house it started snowing and it got heavier as we got closer to their area. By the time we got to our friend’s house, the roads have accumulated about a foot of snow. We had to hike down to their house on foot! But the untouched snow surrounding us was so beautiful. Once we got to the house, my husband helped fix their car. We were also greeted with hot tea and traditional Japanese snacks. It was a rough trek but it was all worth it to help someone and receive the hospitality that they offered.
we always drove my grandmother to and from Christmas Eve and I loved spending time with her. Shed always tell us stories about how they celebrated Christmas when she was a child. I would say to listen to holiday music it gets everyone in the spirit.
We are lucky. Most of the time, people drive to see us for the holidays, so I don’t have any good road trip stories.
Listening to holiday music always gets us in the spirit, and of course, living in Ohio, the snow! I love it when it snows at Christmas time and we are driving while it is gently falling 🙂
Great post! I always make sure we have a cooler in the car w/ bottled water and goodies!
portable DVD player is a must for the kiddos!!!! Never leave home w/o it =)
A few years ago we (me, hubby, and our 3 boys, ages 2, 18, and 16) took a family road trip in August, all the way from southern CA to PA to visit my sister and her family. I’ll never forget when we were going through Kansas and all of our eyes were glued to the sky searching for any tornado clouds. It was pretty scary and we were relieved to get through without any tornado in our path. And on our trip back through New Mexico, it rained cats and dogs with lots of thunder and lightning all around us. That was an amazing sight and what an adventure of travel that trip was.
WE don’t get to take family road trips often due to money issues and now we don’t have a car
Always have bottled water, extra blankets, first aid kit, flashlights, hand warmers, snacks, extra socks for kids
Only ever go on small road trips so I’m not much help, but I would think blankets, water, food, games for children, etc
We always bring extra blankets, snacks/drinks, entertainment for our little one, an emergency car kit, and a great playlist on our trips in the winter
We’ve never been on a road trip to a place with snow at Christmas, so I’ve never had to worry about it!
Can’t say I ever went a long distance in a snow storm. I have had a few close calls in the snow that I am anything but fearless. I just don’t go out in the snow. At least everthing worked out well for all of you and you can look back at it fondly. My suggestions is to have blankets, water and flashlight just in case.
I always pack extra blankets, snacks, boots, and entertainment for my daughter if I am driving in the snow.
Blankets, warm clothes, food, flashlights, water, games, boots and extra money!
Great looking car. We pack extra clothes, flash lights, water and snacks
blankets food water first aid kit!
Best Holiday was like this one! Stay home and enjoy my little family and relax all day!!!
I need to get with it because I don’t do any of these things- thanks for the ideas!
My family and I usually stay home for Christmas but this year, we took a day trip to Massachusetts to spend it with my grandparents, who we don’t get to see too often. It was so nice! We have a lovely dinner and enjoyed our time together. Luckily, the snow held out so we had a safe trip! It’s always scary around the holidays because you never know what can happen! 😉
Its always a great idea to take extra blankets & snacks!
I’ve never traveled far for Christmas and New Years. During the summer holidays, I always make sure to have enough snacks, water, and money.
My family lives in Wyoming and I live in Georgia so no road trip in the winter for me, I decided after getting caught in too many blizzards that we should stay home for the Holidays, LOL. But when we do travel by car, I bring my kindle fire and Nintendo DSs to entertain the kids.
We didn’t take a road trip this year, but last year we did and boy, was that quite the adventure! If only bringing a portapotty was an option along with all the games, snacks and books, it would’ve been smooth sailing. LOL
We have never taken a trip where there was snow but I KNOW my husband would be driving!
Any trip we take the #1 thing that gets packed is “towlet paper”!!! If we got a flat tire or whatever one of the kids seem to always have to go to the bathroom ASAP right then! LOLOL
It has been so long since I have done any traveling on the Holidays. When I was a kid my Dad would wake us up in the middle of the night to leave early… he was like an excited child ready to go lol
Never been on a holiday roadtrip!
My family mostly live all within a few minutes apart… so no travels here.
There is nothing worse for a holiday road trip than a child getting carsick, even more disturbing when 2 or more get’s sick at the same time. Kinda put a damper on the holiday road trip, temporarily. Me and my brother, hanging out of the car, getting sick at the same time!
Some of my favorite family memories when I was a kid were all the road trips we took. Kind of a lost art nowadays, but a totally memorable, fun experience and a lesson in PATIENCE for both my parents and us kids!
This will be a holiday season to remember. My home was first hit by a strain of Flu that lasted 7 days. Followed by a nasty 48 hour virus. Now pneumonia. My tip is lots of plastic bags..You need them on the way to the ER…
Red power aide has been all my family has been able to keep down..Never but off till tomorrow what you can do today..
We always take my van, go to Atlanta to visit James’ family – sometimes it snows and we have a nice time for about 4-5 days
One Christmas when I was young we splurged on a ski vacation and ended up snowed in at Mammoth Mountain. My (paternal) grandparents were supposed to join us the day after Christmas but couldn’t make it up in those conditions. It was a virtual blizzard, so skiing was nearly impossible, but snowmen, forts, and trips to the hot-tub were plentiful- the best part was that we got to miss the first four days back at school since we couldn’t get out of there. As a child it was like a holiday miracle. Now as a parent though, I think my poor mother must have been going nuts trying to figure out how to make our food store last that long and how to keep two kids from tearing one another apart- I think the only thing that kept her sane was the fact that her mother-in-law hadn’t made it and they weren’t trapped there together. Ah, the memories!
Merry Christmas to everyone. We went to my son’s house Christmas Eve. It’s normally a 3-4 hr drive. It took us 6 because we hit snow & fog 1/2 way there. We came home on the 26th. Clear sailing till we hit MD and snow. At first it wasn’t sticking but when we got off 695 it started to stick. By the time we got to our house about 10 minutes,it was about 3 inches. Ordinarily it’s ot much of a big deal but I have a prosthetic and I was terrified I was going to fall somewhere between the car and the door. The steps were especially hard cause the handrails were covered in ice. However, it was all worthwhile as we had a wonderful time. My daughter in law outdid herself cooking and we took home lots of leftovers.
WE stuff the trunk with everything we even think we may need and drive straight through to the south.
I have never experienced a snowy holiday road trip, but I would take blankets, snacks, bottled water and a flashlight along with my regular travel items…..just in case of an emergency.
Nothing too exciting for us as we did not go far for the holidays! The nice part is the roads were clear and we only went about 20 min into town!
The furthest we’ve drove was down the street 2 minutes for Christmas at my grandparents home
It snowed in Texas on Christmas day. We drove across town to the in-laws. Windshield wiper arm broke halfway across town. Scary but we made it.
I would take blankets, pillows, snacks and lots of money!!
We had a wonderful time at my son’s house for Christmas. The trip there and back, he lives in NJ and we come from MD, was for the most part OK. We only had real trouble on the way back because the snow accumulated very fast so it was a bit scary. But all-in-all it was a fantastic trip.
No, I have not been snowbound. I would love a portable dvd player, great movies, and some snacks
Our holidays was in Poconos… Snowy X’mas weekend.. Enjoyed a lot!!!
I didn’t travel this year. but the weather sure made traveling in town very tricky. Lots of snow and icy roads!!!
I say it’s really scary to drive in such conditions…@_@ though I appreciate road trips such as these…I really would rather be at home than tempt fate…it’s kinda like paying money to go up the slopes and ski/snowboard…paying money to suffer the cold, the danger, and nothing really that fun…I can have my adventures in my mind…
This year we are not going anywhere 🙁 but I wish we could
I keep a survival bag in the trunk at all times to be safe if we get stranded
my brother and I traveled this year to my aunts and we made sure our cellphones were fully charged and that we had enough gas
We didn’t have any road trips this holiday season. My mom and dad did go to Tennessee the day after Christmas and got stuck in some major traffic because of snow. Luckily they had snacks and drinks with them!! 🙂
Well, we weren’t exactly snow-bound on our Christmas trip but it was a scary, sllippery ride home when we got hit with earlier than expected snow. My tips for any situations where you might get snowbound would to be have a flashlight with extra batteries, fully charged cell phone, extra socks and clothrs, blankets and flares.
I’ve never been snowed in while driving, but I did get snowed in at a vegas airport! Great place to be stranded though!
Thankfully, i have not. Though i am a bit of an ocd traveler, so always keep certain items packed such as batterties, flash lights, blankets, bottled water and dry snacks.
I don’t really travel on the holidays
No road trips that have involved snow, thank goodness. But moving from California to the Midwest I now know that it’s important to have or carry in your vehicle in case of a possible snowy trip (top 5):
1: 4-wheel drive (if possible) with a full tank of gas. If not, have chains/cables for your car.
2. Blankets/Gloves.
3. Flashlights & Batteries.
4. Food/Snacks.
5. Water.
Lots of warm clothes/blankets & snacks
I don’t think we have ever been snowbound. We have been stuck in the snow, but it was in town. It is always good to have family nearby. We now live in Texas, but we will be traveling next year to see the family, so we are probably going to need to be prepared. Definately lots of gas, charged up phone, blankets, spare food, and a smartphone for sure. With a smartphone, you can load apps that can help you find the nearest gas station or store.
Diana C
No travels. Just my hubby and me. It was nice.
We took a holiday road trip around the towns and cities around us looking at Christmas lights! We found a home that had a big sign in the front yard saying “Tune into 95.1FM”, so we did and to our surprise their lights (which were PHENOMENAL) flashed to the music that was on the radio. It was awesome, our little boy was in awe!
Living in WV, you can get stuck because of the weather making a trip to the grocery store….but I haven’t been stuck during a roadtrip.
my holiday roadtrip was nuts. Absolutely no heads up, a critical intersection outside pittsburgh was shut down due to bridge building on one of the busiest traffic days of the year. We ended up driving 2 hrs to get around it and it started to snow, lost control of the car twice, arrghhhh!
Sufficient heat is a big one! I can handle traffic and bad weather as long as the inside of the car is comfortable.
We love road trips…we travel to Lake George every year which is about five hours for us. Always prepared with pillows and blankets, lots of snacks, and electronics!!! We also plan it around nap time to get a little reprieve before the “Are we there yet?” comments begin.
I have never actually thought about being snowed in on a road trip… that is such a terrifying thought!! From now on, my family is going to be prepared!! 🙂
Didn’t go anywhere
I stayed home 🙁 and dreamed I was snowbound up north. 🙂
dont usually go anywhere during the holidays just over night usually and if the weather is going to be bad then I dont normally go. pets at home to take care of and such. my mother, daughter and grandmother may however end up snowbound this weekend on their way back from FL. weather is supposed to be icky and the train only brings them as far as VA
I’ve never been snowbound on a road trip before, but I have been snowbound at home before. Always make sure you pack tons of snacks, bottled water, and some non-perishable food to sustain you while you’re snowbound though, since you never know how long it could last.
My boyfriend decided to drive back on our recent holiday trip for thanksgiving…he missed and exit ended up not taking the bipass through a city and ended up going north on the highway we needed to go south on. Then his car got shifted into neutral and we thought that something was wrong with his engine because there was no power. Hilarious after we stopped in the middle of the highway but at the time scary.
I always make sure I have a blanket in the car even on short trips in the winter.
Blankets! Pillows! Extra Cell batteries!
this year I didn’t drive to far for the holidays, only about 10 miles to my dads house and since we live in the northwest the only thing we have to deal with is rain and alot of it. :o)
no i haven’t.. i usually don’t drive when we go on vacations.. we usually fly.. i would definitely have a roadside kit in the trunk, water, blankets, flashlights, batteries, and snacks.. oh and games..
We have never been…but we had to live through a horrible ice storm that hit us 5 years ago. We lost power to our house for over a week. Had to stay with a friend who was the only person that actually had power on her street. I couldn’t wait to get home and do laundry and get our life back together. We also had a 2 year old at the time so it was mostly about keeping her warm and safe and fed.
We just got a few inches of new snow and now my husband is sliding around in our driveway in his jeep 🙂
I have never really went away for the holiday season or been snowbound except in the house during bad weather. Living in MN we always keep blankets, flash lights and snacks in the car tho just incase.
We are staying home with the fam!
i try to avoid driving or traveling as much as possible during the holidays! so many crazy drivers. it’s just nicer to stay home with those close by.
Always keep water, blankets and jumper cables in the car.
I haven’t ever been on a snowy road adventure. If I ever was to I’d be sure to have my cellphone, charger, my babies leap pads to keep them occupied. I’d also bring along some snacks and extra blankets in an event of an emergency.
I try avoiding travelling during the holidays because of the icy roads and there are a lot of crazy drivers out there. And if we ever do, we bring warm blankets and hot chocolate
I don’t travel much during the holidays, but if I do, I take a blanket, snacks, water and warm outer clothing and boots
The emergency car kit-prepacked!
For those long trips when we get to go.. I like to take planty of water foods blankets and pillows! And make sure we have atleast 1/2 tank gas at all times!
I don’t travel for the Holidays but I would definitely bring extra clothes, snacks, food, water/soda and lots of change for tolls.
I always stay at home during the holidays!
I have the little girls!! I haven’t had a chance to take a trip with them but if i do i would take advd player and toys so they can play!!
We traveled from Los Angeles to Huntington Wv and let me tell you it was a brutal trip. We had 27 hours to get here and we did it, exhausted and hungry but we made it. The trafic was horrible on the way but hey, at least the weather was good:)