I have fond childhood memories of yearly road trips with my three brothers and our dad. Our summers were spent camping in the Big Sur mountains and in Vallejo, CA at my grandmother’s house. We loved the anticipation of a new adventure, and the excitement of packing up the car and embarking on our journey. Now that my daughter is older, she has a lot more patience for long road trips. Modern technology has also made family road trips more enjoyable, our kids have their choice of in-car movies, music, Ipads, books, etc…to keep them occupied while the Hubby and I enjoy the drive.  Everyone has plenty of room in our mid size SUV and there is also plenty of trunk space for our luggage, cooler, food and even a tent.  I like to use the road trip format that I learned from my dad, where we’ll pack just enough food and drinks so that we only have to make two stops off the freeway to gas up, use the bathrooms and stretch our legs.

We love vacationing with friends, and our first trip to Tahoe was spent with one of my longtime BFFs and her family in their huge RV over ten years ago. We parked the RV in a designated camping area and spent a few days riding wave runners, grilling and exploring the woods. Our 2014 and 2016 Tahoe trips were both spent with our good friends the Hamilton family, and it was definitely a different experience. We stayed in a gorgeous two story, five bedroom/four bathroom house right on the water. The house was built in the 70’s and reminded me so much of my grandmother’s beautiful home in Vallejo, with big bay windows that made it impossible to miss out on a sunset or sunrise. The house was located in a gated community in South Tahoe called “The Keys”, with a private  beach. We were able to enjoy all the beauty and fun that Tahoe had to offer in style…my kind of vacation! Our days were spent laying out on the sand with margaritas, wine, BBQ, jet skiing, and paddle boarding. We would watch the beautiful pink sunset and roast smore’s at night while looking up at the clear night sky, pointing out star constellations.

Boston paddle boarding on our most recent Tahoe trip August, 2016:

Our last day was spent on a boat in beautiful Emerald Bay, which also has an old mansion on the shore that was turned into a museum. We decided to dock the boat this trip and explore the Vikings Holm Museum.

Visiting the house of the “Lady of the Lake”. Tahoe trip August, 2016:

Tahoe Sunsets:

Lexi loved chasing the ducks that frequented the beach:

It was sad leaving after only four days, but we were very happy with the overall trip.

I love traveling and plan to visit many more places around the globe, I’m grateful that there are so many beautiful places to visit in my own state too. My Husband and I  will continue to instill a love of travel, adventure and exploration in our kids.

I’ve learned some pretty valuable travel tips in the past few years as well as some great travel hacks. Check out my Pinterest page for these tips and more creative road trip inspiration.

No time for International travel? No problem. There are so many memories to be made with your family right in your own backyard. Here’s a link to some of the best family road trip destinations around the Country: www.parenting.com/gallery/51-mini-family-vacations?page=13

Some gorgeous shots taken on our 2014 and 2016 trips:

photo credit- Quality Colored Productions

More pics taken with my Iphone: