5 on a Friday: Big Family Road Trip Edition

 1. I hate to fly so much we pulled 4 kids off a Southwest flight and drove across the country. HATE TO FLY. So, we always drive, and there are a few things we have learned, the biggest one being enjoy the very long and expensive journey.

2. It is ESSENTIAL that you have comfortable overnight stops when you drive. We always always always get 2 rooms, and we prefer these rooms to be suites with 2 queen beds and a pull-out couch in each room so everyone has a bed; we have at least 2 bathrooms, and there’s a hang out space after little kids are asleep. Yes, this means that driving isn’t necessarily a cost saver. Hotel breakfasts and fun amenities are also pretty essential. On our Thanksgiving trip, we stayed at Holiday Inns both nights on the way down to Naples, one in Murfreesboro, TN and one in Gainesville, FL

3. When you are road tripping with a big family, every stop for every kind of food is pricey, so you might as well have a good time. We spent $80-125 a pop on crappy food like Jimmy Johns, Culver’s and Chipotle, so when we had time, we looked for slightly more fun places, like a pizza joint in TN with an awesome balloon artist. Cooper requested a turkey, and Minnie wanted a princess crown. CHECK AND CHECK.

4. Try to stop somewhere fun!! We loooooooved Buc-ees.

5. Don’t forget to have fun on the way home, too!!