Family Vacation is a Lie

... or how I traveled with kids on summer break, and all I got was this grape snow cone. This week, the Dads talk about the season of family vacations. While these trips are a tremendous amount of work, all the research and our lasting memories suggest that, although these journeys aren’t exactly vacations, the family trip is incredibly valuable to the family unit.

This episode explores some of the research — both academic and anecdotal — that supports our theory that these trips are great for families (if only in the long term), as well as some of the great country songs that can help us through the grind of the summer family vacation or family trip.

Show Notes

01:08: How do we define the family trip vs. a vacation? Well, Google and the all-powerful AI summary help us out by delivering a clear and concise explanation.

02:08: Benefits of a Family Trip: While it’s exhausting, research seems to back the idea of taking a family trip. It keeps our family talking, helps our kids learn and enhances the bond between partners, no matter what was said when the directions were not followed exactly.

03:58: The Brutality of Traveling With Children: As a Stay-at-Home-Dad and “Default Parent,” Dave feels that family trips are often like business trips. So it’s just parenting on the road as you deal with the “brutality of traveling with children.”

06:28: Content Warning: The first mention of vomit.

08:33: Content Warning: The second mention of vomit.

9:39: Content Warning: The third mention of vomit.

11:35: Family Team-Building on the Family Trip: The idea of working together as a family during these trips helps the family grow together -- working as a team makes you a better family.

12:46: Dave’s Notorious Family Trip to Sequoia National Park and the Fisher Price Toy Lantern.

14:50: What is the best place to stay during a family trip? The rental house vs the hotel seems to be the debate. While the space and privacy seem to win out, the breakfast buffet is a huge plus.

20:40: Do Family Trips Need to Be Educational? Research suggests that educational trips make kids smarter, but do trips need to be explicitly educational for kids to extract value from the trip? The Dads touch on how just changing it up a bit, doing things you want to do and working through the difficulties on the road provides the real educational value — and how Dad Stories (read: lies about things on the side of the road) are critical.

27:32: Content Warning: The fourth mention of vomit.

29:50: Conquering the Family Trip: The Dads discuss packing, planning spreadsheets, and other key tactics.

32:19: Content Warning: The fifth mention of vomit, and this one is intense.

33:14: Giving our Kids a 90s Summer: Is this possible? Should it be?

40:27: The Songs of the Summer: The Dads debate the greatest country music for the summer. As well as a few songs for cleaning up vomit.

51:17: Change My Mind: Donnie attempts to change Dave’s mind about using profanity in front of the kids. It’s a great f**ing conversation.

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Mentioned in the Show

• Good Time - Alan Jackson
• Chattahoochee - Alan Jackson
• Hot Summer Day - Turnpike Troubadors/John Hartford
• Things Have Gone to Pieces - George Jones
• Honky Tonkin’ for Life - Hannah Juanita
• Cold Beer & Country Music - Zach Top
• Good Times & Tan Lines - Zach Top
• Denim & Diamonds - Nikki Lane
• It’s a Great Day to Be Alive - Travis Tritt

References:

• Theme Music: “Dark Country Rock” by Moodmode
• Vacation or Trip? A Helpful Guide for Parents - M. Blazoned, Huffington Post
• NuclearMeltdown - Jim Dalrymple
• Why You Should Travel With Your Kids - Jim Dalrymple, Institute of Family Studies
• The Billy Bob’s Texas Step and Repeat Story
• The Ultimate Stay-at-Home Dad - Shannon Carpenter
• Family Leisure Satisfaction and Satisfaction with Family - Journal of Leisure Research Life
• Profanity Can Sometimes Be the Best Medicine, Increasing Pain Tolerance by ~33% - Katie Brown, Psychiatrist.com
• On Bullshit - Harry G. Frankfurt