August has been a whirlwind of a month and a wonderful one at that. I went on a road trip from northeast Georgia to North Chicago with my 14 year old and our 4 year old dog. If you’ve been on my Instagram, you’ve seen Pochacco (Choco for short) before and know he loves car rides. I wasn’t sure when I embarked on this road trip if he or my daughter for that matter were going to enjoy it this time around. They traveled on road trips before but this would be the longest trip to date. We’d make stops and overnight stays of course but one just never knows!
The trip was my answer to attending my middle child’s military graduation. I could fly with my little crew or I could board the dog but all of the uncertainties gave me so much anxiety. Not to mention, you never know if a military recruit is going to graduate as scheduled. All the unknowns led me to rent a car and embark on a road trip.
I could’ve taken my car, however, I wanted piece of mind that if something should happen, I wouldn’t have my broken down vehicle to deal with on top of everything else. I also didn’t want to add all those miles to my car. With that in mind, I recommend looking into all your options when traveling with kiddos and your fur babies. Look at everything from the timeline to costs to flexibility. I also categorized what was most important to me when planning. Not missing graduation and having control of as many details as possible were my top priorities. What if I missed the flight? What if something got cancelled? What if I boarded Choco and things went bad? My anxious mind was taking over. Ultimately, I decided driving was doable and needed to prepare a timeline with travel details.
First, I had to figure out where we were staying upon arriving at the destination and the trip’s halfway point. Had I been on my own, I would’ve planned differently. I could push myself to travel farther with less stops. That would not be the case here. So, I decided the first part of the drive would be from where I live in Barrow County, GA to Louisville, Kentucky. That was the initial halfway point keeping in mind this would be my longest trip yet as the only driver (and with my little copilots in tow).
Once I had a timeline of how long it would take to reach the destination, I researched for ideal overnight accommodations. The timeline affects dates of travel and when to book your lodging. Think of what works best for you and your budget. I always prefer staying at any of the Hilton family of hotels because they have many pet friendly accommodations and I earn points for my stays via their Hilton Honors program. I enjoy the Home2Suites, Hampton and TRU by Hilton as my top 3 choices for travel with family. Some of my favorite amenities no matter where I visit are free Wi-Fi, free parking, pet friendly, and free breakfast.
Something worth mentioning is to make sure you inform your financial institution of your travel dates and locations. This way your credit/debit cards will not be blocked causing any woes.
Next, do plan out your gas consumption and possibly invest in a good GPS. I suggest this is because you never know if your phone might fail. You can use a site or app such as Travelmath. This particular app features travel cost and driving calculators which are great for attaining halfway marks and gas cost.
Now that you’ve got your road trip mapped out and booked lodging, do the same for the return leg of your trip. I decided the majority of driving would be on the first day of each leg. For example, I drove to North Chicago with an overnight stay in Louisville on Day 1. I did the majority of the driving approximately 8 hours including pit stops on my first day leaving home. Day 2 was less time but more intense driving as I passed through Indiana to Illinois. On my return home, I did the majority of the driving required Day 1 driving from Libertyville, IL to Bowling Green, KY. The final travel day was my drive from Bowling Green back home to Georgia. In total, we left on a Wednesday and got back the following Monday. My best advice is take your time and plan accordingly.
For road trips with a teenager and a dog, I highly recommend packing a cooler with lots of water, your favorite juice, electrolyte drinks or soda. Additionally, have some snacks in the car such as chips, trail mix, granola bars, cereal bars and essentials for your pet.
Here is our list of must haves readily in reach within the car:
- Blankets/Pillows/Neck pillows
- Water
- Chips/cereal bars/coffee/soda (BodyArmor sports drink for me)
- Headphones
- Cell phone
- GPS
- Sunglasses
- Baseball cap
- Sneakers/flip flops
- First aid kit
- Dog leash
- Dog crate
- Dog car seat
- Dog water bowl
- Pet cooling pad
- Doggies treats (turkey jerky for Choco and these calming supplement just in case your pup gets anxious or restless)
Some highlights to share include the impressive view off the Big Four Bridge that crosses over the Ohio River from Louisville to Jeffersonville, Indiana. The Fowler Ridge wind farm located in Benton County, Indiana, which has a total capacity of 750MW. It is one of the largest onshore wind farms in the world! We also took in all the majestic views of the different parts of the Appalachian Mountains.
Lastly, pit stops at Love’s Travel Centers with their dog friendly parks and Buc-ee’s are a must. We picked up brisket sandwiches and sweet treats like their fudge and Beaver Nuggets! Their clean bathrooms and fun Buc-ee’s branded goods are worth the stop!
All in all it was an amazing trip with beautiful views, great music, quality time with my daughters and pup.
I hope you are inspired to plan your road trips as we are currently planning our next. Happy and safe travels!
Check out our Instagram for a peek into our summer road trip!
“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous
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