5 Families Share Their Favorite Road Trip Memory & The Answers Are So Relatable

As someone who grew up in a family that took regular road trips, I love attesting to the memory-making power of time spent on the road. Sure, there are the uncomfortable realities of cramming lots of people and their stuff into one vehicle (thankfully, these days we have cars like the first ever Toyota Grand Highlander that have comfortable seating for up to eight passengers), but tight back seats and lack of leg room aren’t the memories that most quickly come to mind.

Instead, I think of all the spontaneous adventures I experienced with my parents, grandparents, and siblings while we journeyed to our destinations, like the time we split a trip into two days to make the world’s coolest pit stop at an amusement park. Or the time my grandma pulled off the highway onto a dirt road to buy farmer’s market watermelons — and hit an epic pothole in the process. (This one gets more dramatic as time goes on, as all good family stories do.)

To inspire you and your family to plan your next adventure, Romper asked parents to share the best memories they’ve made during a recent road trip. Keep scrolling to discover just a few of the many mental souvenirs that will last these families a lifetime.

“Last summer, we actually went to all the different theme parks in the area. We celebrated our wedding anniversary and their birthdays all in one, and we said you know what, let’s take a family road trip. That was about 10 days, and we decided to stay at a different hotel every single night, and it was a lot of fun. We just really enjoyed being in the car all together and just taking our time.” —Jennifer

“My favorite one was when we took her to the Catskills. We stopped and overlooked all the mountains, and she got to see the whole landscape for the first time. Once she can start movin’ and groovin’, we’re going to take her everywhere.” —Kyle

“Our last road trip, we were not prepared and we didn’t have a sun protector for the window. To improvise, I had this big shawl and I kept trying to hang it up from the clothing hook and drape it over her car seat, but she thought it was funny to keep pulling it down. It just turned into a game for two hours where she started hanging everything up there, including her baby doll… and her snacks.” —Sharon

“I think it was the first time going down south to visit their Nana. It was my first road trip with them, and it was about a 14 hour drive! But they made it through. They were looking out the window, looking at the cars, counting the clouds. They had a good time. It was special.” —Shaquoia

“A tradition our family has when getting in the car after an exciting adventure together is to play the peak and the pit, where we talk about our favorite and our least favorite part of our day. On one recent trip, after a long day of watching her brother play hockey, all five of us climbed into the car and we asked my daughter, Abby, what her peak was and she simply replied, ‘This.’ My husband and I smiled because we agree — being together, even on a long road trip, is our favorite place to be.” —KC

Photographer: Heather Moore

VP, Branded Design: KC Connolly

Art Director: Allison Gore

Director, Branded Production: Kelsey Dimitruk

Director, Branded Production: Kat Fry

Director, Talent Partnerships: Alexa Lyons

Branded Lifestyle Director: Allison Berry