It's the season of family road trips as vacations end or families are taking a kid to college. We've all been there, so here are 10 moments you may recognize from adventures with your own family.
1. Early Morning Chaos
Something always goes wrong. For example, my family's most recent road trip started without a vehicle available for us to use.
2. Everyone is asleep![]()
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Even though the person riding shotgun promised they would stay awake with the driver, at some point, the driver will be left to entertain themselves.
3. Poorly Timed Restroom Break
You're in the middle of nowhere and suddenly your bladder decides to attack you from the inside. You instantly regret not going when your mom told you to at the last rest stop.
4. Sleeping out of boredom![]()
If you have to watch another minute of the flat landscape that the middle-of-nowhere is known for, you might implode. So, instead, you decide to sleep.
5. That moment when you've finished all of your playlists![]()
You've lost all sense of time so it feels too soon to repeat any of the songs. So, now you have to either interact with your family or learn to hate your music.
6. Complaining about traffic ![]()
Every slow driver ahead of you is only taking away time that you could be spending free from the car at your destination.
7. Car Games
The license plate game, alphabet game, or even the slug bug game are all better than endless boredom.
8. Staring out the window trying to remember life before you got into the car![]()
If you don't stare out of the window like you're in a sad music video, did you actually go on a road trip?
9. Feeling gross![]()
Hopefully you have time to shower before any plans because you are looking rough.
10. Arriving at the location exhausted![]()
While you were driving, all you wanted was the freedom to run or to skip or to do something that would stretch your legs. However, as soon as you arrive, a nap becomes first priority.
Above it all, though, road trips are something we look back fondly on as they give us uninterrupted time with our families. While not every road trip is filled with smiles and sing-alongs, every road trip will at least give you a good story.
