Letting the Kids Plan Activities for our Epic Road Trip Across the US
We came up with our route, budget, and made all the RV camping reservations for when we’re not camping for free. The last thing left is the kids plan the fun stuff! The only part the kids actually wanted to plan. I mentioned we had created a list of must see places and saved them all on Pinterest boards. We looked back through these and really narrowed it down to fit our route (or decide if it’s worth altering the route) as well keep the costs within our remaining budget.
I did plan a surprise for Easter week that I told no one about, but other than that, we left it to the kids to make the final decisions. With the understanding that they include a variety of types of activities, from National Parks, museums, historical sites, to amusement parks and other fun adventures, and include a couple that Mom and Dad really can’t miss. AND stay in budget, which meant deciding which activities were most important and work together to compromise.
The kids did a fantastic job planning!
I did tweak some things here and there, as I was the one purchasing tickets and researching deals for any activities as necessary. As well as reviewing the total costs. But I included them, asking their opinions, in any edits or changes. Overall they did a great job planning it out and deciding what would fit in our time frame and budget. They haven’t been getting along very well, so having to work together and compromise on these decisions wasn’t easy, but was really good for them. I’m hoping this trip will bring us all closer. I shared some reasons our family is needing this time away to bond in my first post when we came up with the idea. I know if things go well, doing this planning work will be a good confidence booster for the kids, too.
I added all the event details, addresses, dates, times, ticket confirmation numbers, etc. to our Google Doc Travel Plan & Budget Template and printed out tickets as well as directions. I needed separate spreadsheets for Washington DC and NY as those places will have many details each day we’re there. We chose all the best free places and splurged on one or two activities we all thought worthwhile. I will be writing a post for each state we visit along the way on our travels and what we do or see there.
Planning for this big of an adventure takes time.
We’ve had just under 4 months to plan it all and we’ve been planning and prepping down to the last minute. I really wish we had a full year to plan, because I feel like the details for the end of our trip are really rushed. Especially since at the same time, I’m working overtime to have all this time off (though I do have to bring my laptop and do a bit of work along the way) we’re prepping the house for our house sitters before they arrive and cooking or preparing as many gluten free freezer meals as I can pack into the small RV freezer. Our house sitters (whom I haven’t met in person) are traveling here from across the country, too! Travelin’ on a Shoestring full time traveling homeschool family is already on their way from NC and will be staying the whole time we’re gone to care for our homestead and enjoy their first time in CA in and around our property in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They’ll have a free vacation home in exchange for caring for our house & animals. Win win!
Above photos are of my property in fall and a nearby small lake in the Sierra Mountains. They also have a son with Celiac and eat gluten free like my family, so I’m thrilled I don’t have to worry about my kitchen being “glutened” while away, it’ll be safe for my son when we return. And we’ll have peace of mind knowing our animals will be loved and cared for. We have rabbits, chickens, cats and a dog on our small mountain farm.
Somehow we’ve come up with a pretty solid plan that we are all happy with.
It’s almost time to get going! Our house sitters will be here soon to meet us and learn the details about our homestead before we head off. We had planned to have a few days to get to know them, but we’ve decided to leave a couple days earlier and head to the coast to see our daughter and grandbabies before we travel east. So we’ll only meet the Travelin’ on a Shoestring family one day and then we’re off to soak up baby time. Plus, I thought it would be really cool to start our trip on the beach on the Pacific Coast, and get a family photo. Then get a photo on the beach on the east coast, the Atlantic Coast, once we’re all the way across!