Parent Care Sanity

Road trips have always been my favorite way to vacation. In our family, we made a lot of them. We used to have this big 15 passenger van. We would load up and take off and enjoy seeing the sights. I think most of the trips we had just as much traveling as we did the destination. Now that I am older my love for road tripping has not changed. I have road-tripped to Vegas, Disney land a few times, day trips, beach trips, and anywhere else we wanted to go. Right now I planning a big two-week road trip. Road tripping with elderly can require a little more planning and we have had to make some additions to the way I plan but the outcome is amazing memories that I would not change for anything. 

The Road Is Where Memories Are Made

  Sometimes the Roadtrip is not only fun it can be a necessity if you are traveling with special loved ones. Some people can’t travel by plane because of Healthy problems and sometimes it is just easier to necessitate their needs. Some people just really hate traveling in other ways. When you do have to travel by car it may be the best traveling that you ever take. It can also be the worse trip you take if not planned out. Even if you do have one of those worst trips I promise you that it will be full of memories that you can never replace. 

10 Steps for planning the perfect trip.

1. Consider all the needs of the people traveling thinking about this first will make it so you can accommodate it. With mom, I had to plan wheelchair access, dietary restrictions, and dialysis. Traveling with dad is space he’s a tall guy and therefore I needed to make sure that he has the space and comfort for those bad hips. When we are in a car I have to make sure when I am packing that the seat can go all the way back.
2. Destination- Here is where it starts to get fun to think of all the places you can go and things that you could see. It helps now that you know what the trip has to accommodate where you can head. Sometimes you know where you are headed but now is the time to research it. Find out everything that your destination has to offer. You don’t want to show up on a beach vacation and not have wheelchair access to the beach. Knowing that there are some places that let you rent beach wheelchairs is a must know if you are traveling with elderly or disabled. For instance, you can stop into beaches in Oregon and get beach chairs. Some places have special access for you to drive to if you have a disability pass. With me, I also had to make sure that we could get dialysis where ever we traveled so sometimes the choices were limited.
3. Choosing your route- Start by using Google maps or another map and see what all your different options for getting there. When you have a few different options look for stops along the way sometimes you can find stuff that is a little out of the way, This helps you decide what is the best route you can figure out which one gets you to all that you want to see.
4. Budget- This may be my favorite part but that is because I am weird and I enjoy numbers so much. When you have your destination, or more than one and with all your research on what is available at that destination now you can figure out how much it is going to cost you. You can use this worksheet to help you plan a budget 
5. Food- This is something that you need to know what you are going to plan on the way there and when you get there. Making sure that you have plenty of snacks for the way there check out this list Here for a list of mostly healthy options. We like to check out Triple D (Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives) we have found some fun and interesting places to stop and eat and now always look on food network to see if there is something we need to try. You also need to make sure that when you are stoping for the night that there is somewhere to get food. I remember when we were driving through the Dakotas we stopped late in a little town that if you blinked you would miss it. We pulled into the little motel very late and very hungry. My mother left us there to swim and decided that my oldest sister and her would go to find some food. Long story short thunder and lightning hit we had to get out of the pool to realize none of us thought about grabbing a key and we had to wait sitting by the door of our room for two hours because the main desk was not open 24/7. My mother had to drive to two towns over to find a grocery store that was open late and stock up on food for us to eat. It was one of those fun memories that we have fun talking about but would really like to avoid in the future. This also makes me plan ahead with the next step.
6. Accommodations- To save you from ending up like the situation above planning the area where you will stop for the night. Now, this could be a quick trip but if you can plan it out I have found booking my hotels Forty Days in advance can get me the best price but I like to check as much as possible leading up to my trip. This plays some part in my budget I always try and plan high and then work it down while finding great prices then I can have more money for things like souvenirs.
7. Safety- This is important for the people riding in the car and for the car itself. You want to make sure that your car is ready to handle the trip. Depending on how long the trip is and what I need sometimes I rent a car which makes me feel a little safer. Not always can you rent a car depending on what your needs are but I usually say if the trip is over 1,000 miles I am getting a rental. Making sure that your car is in good working order is important and making sure that it is also full of everything you would need in emergency situations cant be ignored. It may be a small situation like needing a bandaid, and bathroom accident, needing medication, or a trip to the hospital in any situation you want to be ready for it. Some of these things you should keep in your car at all times but you should recheck your stock and update before taking off on the road trip. Check out our car needs for caregivers list HERE
8. Maps- Maps on your phone are awesome and yes those are so handy but sometimes your adventures will lead you to places where there is no reception. This can cause some problems if you are trying to find something and have no service. Paper maps as a back up are always a good idea when you are taking a road trip in an area that you have never been to.
9. Vehicle- If I am planning on going on a trip that exceeds more then 500 miles then I like to look into renting a car. I usually try and rent a car using Costco travel to try and a good deal on the car. I also have signed up for rental places and checked out if they were offering things like a free upgrade. If you are renting then check your insurance company and see if you are covered for the rental saving you some money from getting insurance from the company and using your own insurance that you have already paid for. If you are going to be taking your own vehicle then you need to make sure that you get all maintenance done.
10. Entertainment- It maybe number 10 but it may be one of the most important things on the list. Even if you are not driving with kids you want to make sure that your trip is always entertaining. I have made sure that I made a special road trip playlist. Podcasts and audiobooks can be fun and cheap entertainment. Having games to play in the car can not only make memories, make the time fly by but it can also help start conversations. With mom, she didn’t always enjoy listening to me singing show tunes, and instead, she would rather listen to audiobooks that I would get from the Library I don’t know why. Make sure that when you are planning the entertainment you think about everyone who is going to be traveling and make sure that someone isn’t bored. Boring trips can seem a lot longer then it is.