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Even though it has been many years since I was a child sitting in the back of my parent’s car with two siblings, I do not expect that family vacations have changed much. I have two children of my own and we have been on quite a few family vacations in the car as well.
The vacations themselves may have not changed too drastically but time has changed the types of vehicles we take them in. Also the technology that is available now is a big plus or minus depending on how you might look at it. I know that back in the sixties when we were on the road it was quite a bonding experience; the type of bond that you never forget.
Back in the day we either did not have air conditioning in the car or dad just chose not to use it. There were three of us in the back seat; we were just blessed that the car styles were larger then or no doubt we would have been squashed up in the back of a compact car. We were a middle classed family and dad was a very frugal guy.
Sleeping accommodations on long trips for the three of us were the floor, the seat, and the large flat space under the back window. Now unless you are my age you are probably shocked by these accommodations! What about the seat belts? That sounds dangerous! Well, it absolutely could have been but by God’s great grace we are still around. On occasions the person (typically the youngest) would fall out of the rear window onto the person sleeping on the seat. The person on the floor would also suffer the same fate by the person on the seat and if it was a particularly rough and rapid stop we might all be on the floor.
My spot was the floorboard; I was the middle child which meant the oldest was too big for the floor and the youngest was the only one to fit in the window space. In older cars the vehicles had what I think is called the power train running down the center of the car which allowed for a huge hump in the center of the floorboard. Not only was there a hump (which was where my pillow went and I was balled up on one side or the other) but it got mighty warm down there! This was okay if it was cold out but the majority of our car trips took place in the summer and without air conditioning.
I did not complain a great deal because Dad had the long arm of the law that would reach around and let you know what he thought of your complaints. Being the middle child I was also required to sit in the middle between the oldest and youngest to stop their petty arguments, bickering, and sometimes pushing and shoving. It really did not stop anything me being in the middle, it just took a little longer than usual and I got involved. I guess it was worth a try.
Dad did not want to stop for piddlely little things like going to the bathroom either. What I am about to say may shock many of you but here I go. We carried one of those large coffee cans in the car and when one of us kids would have to go potty Mom would hold up a towel between us and that is where we went. Yes we did. We also carried that same coffee can into the fishing boat with us so that we did not need to come ashore. If you think about it there could be no better solution with young children but we did not see it quite the same as Dad. The disposal was fast and immediate as Dad would pull alongside of the road and stop for the two seconds it took to dispose of it.
The thing us kids loved most about family road trips was the fact that even though we could not stop for bathroom breaks we could stop for every cemetery we came upon. Dad had a thing about stopping and looking at tombstones. Is that some deep dark psychological disorder? We thought so.
And when we stopped to eat we got the same lecture every time. “You are ordering a hamburger, French fries and water, nothing else. The oldest would inevitably order a milk shake and then Dad’s eyes would catch on fire and we knew what would happen when we got back to the car. To this day I have not figured out what was wrong with that child. It would surprise me every time but then I was a bit naïve. When Dad said something I would always try to do it perfectly because I did not want to deal with the tsunami that would inevitably blow in. As we have grown up I am still amazed by this siblings ability to leave storms in their wake; I guess they enjoy living life that way!
After my kids were born we did not have a lot of money so we decided road trips and camping were the way to go. Being that there were only two it made it a lot easier in the back seat because we did indeed have a compact car and not enough room in the window. We also believed in and had seatbelts which we used. My kids did however have a few things that Dad and Mom did not have access to, like hand held games. Our entertainment came in comic books, puzzle books, coloring books, and verbal road games.
My oldest is a girl and her entertainment was reading. She loved to read and look at the sights. My son came along and he was one of those kids that asked “Are we there yet?” every few minutes so we had to come up with something different. This was in the nineties and technology was not nearly as accessible and not as cheap as today. We had a hand held game but it was not enough. We actually came up with the idea of getting one of those things that plugs into the cigarette lighter electrical outlet and take along a small television with a video player built in. We were so technologically advanced! We brought a bazillion cartoon videos and we were set. That and my daughter’s abilities to entertain brought us through.
As they got older of course they were able to acquire new technology to keep them entertained. I was always able to engage my daughter in road games and scenery but my son only lasted so long when it came to eye spy games and “Oh look! Cows!” so I caved in on the technology. He was as happy as a lark when we got to the camping park because he was a great outdoorsman. He loved camping, fishing, swimming, chasing the wildlife, and eating around a campfire. My daughter was okay with all that as long as she had a good book.
Times have certainly changed over the years and today I look on as my great nieces and nephews have their children (as I am not a grandparent yet). I see the SUV’s with built in televisions and DVD players that can also play video games and I admit I have my doubts about if it is a good thing or a bad thing. I understand having to entertain a difficult child traveler with some attention problems but I also wonder at what loss these devices come with? Do our children even know how to entertain themselves? Are they missing out on old fashioned bonding with their siblings? Or is it the same just with more technology?
I guess time will reveal it to us. I know that I would be using this technology today myself because it does make it a great deal easier when you are traveling with children. As I look back we did not actually spend a lot of time sharing our feelings with each other in the back of that car. We did all share the same heartfelt emotions when it came to dear old Dad’s way of traveling. It is always great when we get together to look back and laugh now which is something that binds us together.
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This post is contributed by Linda Bailey from housekeeping. She is a Texas-based writer who loves to write on the topics of housekeeping, green living, home décor, and more. She welcomes your comments which can be sent to b.lindahousekeeping @ gmail.com.
Funny how Dads of that era had the same long arm!!! My spot, being a small child, was in the back window! Can you imagine if a parent did that today? They’d haul them off to jail! I agree that technology has changed the road trip. Seems the goal today is to keep the kids quiet. But our road trips were designed to get the kids talking…not fighting…talking…about school, about sports, about music. It’s a little sad, I think.
Yep, we’d totally go to jail these days if we drove around with our kids in the window. I know I want my kids quiet in the car but that’s only because it’s better than them fighting. If they could just talk normally that would be awesome. Hopefully it will happen one day without the picking and bickering.
The coffee can anecdote was just too good not to share 😉 I don’t have kids, but it really gets to me how I see so many people driving around with DVDs playing in their car. When a kid has to be subdued by a screen even on a drive home from school, that definitely sends a message more people should think about.
I know it can be sad. My kids are always begging for an electronic. They are going to get real depressed when there’s a strict time limit on those things here soon.
Boy do I remember those days and our family vacations. The part about the back seat was one of them. I remember vividly how my brothers and I used to fight over who would get the window. We laugh about it now, but at the time it was of major importance. Thanks for the walk down memory lane my friend. 🙂
I always got the window luckily. For some reason on our car trips the little one always went in the middle.
This post took me back to my childhood and all the family trips we took with me and my 2 sisters in a car on a 4 or 5 hour trip, I remember feeling sick and laying on the blankets that was on the floor of the car and having a sleep can’t do that now days.
Nope, def can’t do that these days. People need an SUV with kids just to be somewhat comfortable since you can’t move around the car.
I had quite a few laughs as I read this, many good memories were brought back. Family road trips are amazing things. I’ve become a pro at packing the kids for a trip and even now when my children are 13 and 16, I still pack treats and surprises if we go on a long trip.
You sound like such a great mom! Kids love surprises on trips 🙂
I remember going on a couple family vacations when I was younger. I think they helped spark my travel bug.
Traveling is always fun!
You are so right about times changing. I’ve seen the type of vacations you’ve had on TV before. When I’ve gone on a few with extended family, we rented a van or something for all of us to get around in. We’ve done that to drive people to school, to drive down to Georgia for a funeral and I think to travel to a family reunion. Thanks for sharing this with us at Countdown in Style! Don’t forget to stop by Friday to see if you are featured!
Things are definitely easier when traveling in a van. At least there is more space.
Aww, this is such a nice story! I actually love family road trips although we didn’t have that much trips when I was younger. I would want to experience more of it though with my own lil family this time. You narrated this in a very special way.. 🙂
I plan to make some memories with my family on road trips too. Hopefully I still have some end by the end lol.
Those sound like wonderful memories. We didn’t do much as a family, especially nothing that allowed us siblings to get closer together. Thank you for sharing with Countdown in Style. I hope you return on Friday to see if you were featured.
We usually had one road trip a year. Not sure how long it was. However long is takes to get from Texas to Alabama.
This brings back memories. I enjoyed reading on long road trips. Thanks for sharing this post!
Thanks for visiting Jen! I’m weird. I can’t read in the car. It gives me a headache.
This was awesome, Linda! It’s one of my favorite topics and stories to either read or write about. I too was the middle child and on many, many road trips I slept on the floorboard of our Chevy Suburban. Gawd, I can remember it clear as day. Weird enough, it was quite cozy there. My dad started me on road trips as a young boy going all over the Western States. And now as an adult my Golden Retriever, Phoenix, and I are always taking off spontaneously with no itinerary for a day. Great read! 🙂
It’s nice that you can spontaneously take off. I always have to plan things way in advance. Change at the last minute stresses me out lol.
We didn’t go on many vacations when Ii was growing up but I can remember hours spent in the backseat of our parent’s car as they searched for the ranch they finally bought. Heat sensitive I tended to feel queasy a lt whereas I don’t think my brother ever felt the ill effects of road trips. I can only say thank heavens for air conditioning and all the modern conveniences!
I feel for you. I would so not like driving in a car without air conditioning. I’m one of those people that get hot with the heater in the winter and turn the air on. I drive my husband crazy.
Wow. Those were the good ole days. I remember those cars and those types of road trips. My family was very similar, I’m also a middle child.
–Countdown in Style
I know, right? Those were the days lol.
Just last month I went on a road trip with my parents and some of my siblings, and it brought back memories of many childhood road trips. Our family is always proud of ourselves for being able to accomplish lots of driving in just one day. On this trip, we did 14 hours of driving in one day with 7 people in a ’96 Suburban! haha–we were sore when we got out!
And our entertainment of choice is reading aloud. My Mom, one of my sisters, and I switch off chapters and read books to the whole family, it definitely makes the time go by faster!
Nice! 14 hours isn’t too bad with that many people. My husband will often do 12 by himself in a day – only cause he doesn’t think I want to help him drive. I can’t read in a car for some reason. It hurts my head and makes me feel bad. I wish I was in your alls car and you guys could read to me lol.
We never took road trips as a child, but we’ve gone a couple since we’ve been married. I enjoy them, even though I get the “Are we there yet?” question. I hope to go on more, even if it’s just a couple of hours. I LOVE the technology, because we can use it or not, play games, sing, talk, then grab the tech again! Thanks for linking up with Countdown in Style!
Yes, technology is def a nice break in between doing other things in the car. Especially since kids have such short attention spans.
I want to make more memories with my family on road trips . It gets harder now that my boys are in uni with differing schedules.
It’s def harder to plan road trips and vacations when there are several schedules to keep up with. If you really want it to happen, just be persistent.