Growing up I spent a lot of time in the car with my family. My dad grew up in New York and we made nearly yearly trips from Michigan to visit them on Long Island, and later in North Carolina they moved. I once spent a horrendous 18 hours in the backseat of an SUV with a 102 degree fever on the way back from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and my sister and I got into many fights while being stuck in traffic trying to get into Chicago for a city break.
As tedious and mundane as they sometimes felt, it was these road trips that ignited my passion for travel and left me with a serious case of itchy feet and shaped the way I travel today.
Most of these trips started similarly: really damn early. If we were going to New York, the departure time was usually around 3 am, in order to beat rush hour traffic in the city. The first stop was always Dunkin’ Donuts, coffee for my parents and donut holes for me and my sister. Once the sun had risen, and we were well on our way through the dreaded state of Ohio, we’d stop for breakfast. As a young child it was Perkins, but later we started going to Cracker Barrel. It wasn’t a place we’d ever go at home, but there was something alluring about a plate of cheesy hash brown casserole and grits on a vacation. My mom would always order the biggest meal offered, probably named ‘Hungry Man’ or something similar, and it became something of a running joke throughout our years of road trips.
My sister and I on Hilton Head Island.
After breakfast we’d either head into Pennsylvania or West Virginia, depending on our destination. Pennsylvania was known to us as the most boring state in the union. Stretching on for hundreds of miles, the turnpike passes through the large hills that pass for mountains in the east, and small town after small town. I’d listen to tapes on my Walkman, make a list of all the things I wanted to eat, and fight with my sister over legroom. West Virginia has a similar topography, but being much smaller it was easier to pass the time. Dixie Chicks sing-a-longs usually did the trick.
Female family members on HHI.
As the hours wore on, things would get testy. My dad would swerve across lanes of traffic in search of the fastest moving toll booth line, cursing when he didn’t make the right decision. I’d have to pee, but we were making good time and no one else wanted to stop. My sister would want to listen to the same CD as me, and an argument would ensue.
My sister and I with my grandpa in New York.
Finally, after what seemed like days rather than hours, we’d arrive somewhere. This was when the real fun started- food fun. The Slavinkys are known to appreciate their food, and any trip away from home was used as an excuse to indulge.
In New York our first meal was always pizza and meatball heroes. In North Carolina I always wanted burgers and cherry Cokes from Sutton’s Drug Store in Chapel Hill, and in Chicago we always went to Maggiano’s. Before it was a chain.
Yes, I am wearing a midriff bearing tube top and a pooka shell necklace.
We’d spend the rest our week eating more, seeing some sites, reading, relaxing, and enjoying time together.
Through our road trips, my parents instilled in me a love of travel, food, and new experiences. They made me realize the true meaning of travel. Travel can be seeing something new a few hours down the road, or returning to a place you’ve visited before. Travel can be embracing loved ones at the end of a long journey, or sharing drinks with friends you’ve met along the way. Travel is a journey that is always exciting- no matter the destination.
As long as there’s food.
Want to take your own road trip but don’t have a car? Try renting one from a car hire company like Enterprise.
Disclaimer: Though written by me, this post was brought to you by Enterprise.
What shaped you as a traveler? Have you been on any epic road trips?
On family road trips, my sister and I would always bring a bed sheet and make a tent in the backseat by pinning it in the window/behind my parents’ heads in the front seat. Those were fun times! One time in college some of my friends+boyfriend (now husband!) decided to skip Friday classes and drive the 10 hours from SC to PA to surprise visit my boyfriend’s family. Nothing like driving 10hrs, staying for a day, and then driving 10hrs back. Spontaneous road trips are the best!
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Ah, my sister and I used to do something similar- stacking all of our pillows, stuffed animals, and blankets until my dad would get angry because he couldn’t see out of the rearview mirror. And I’ve done some spontaneous, probably not the most practical, long road trips like that, and I agree- so much fun!
That would be Uncle Herschel’s Breakfast, thank you! It’s funny to see those photos in your blog. Good one!
haha, of course you would remember! I almost told the story about how you started falling asleep at the wheel afterward, but decided to be nice
Thanks for sending over the photos!
I can taste the cherry coke with crushed ice right now at Suttons!
I miss it! Hopefully I’ll be back in that neck of the woods sometime soon.
Great post! I’m from Michigan too so I definitely relate on the Ohio comment, haha. I also remember stopping at Dunkin’ Donuts on road trips but my favorite menu item was the bow-tie. Where are you from in MI by the way?
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Thanks! I bet a lot of Michiganders have similar road trips stories, and that makes me happy
I lived in Wixom (near Novi) for most of my life. What about you?
I was born in Flint but I grew up in Bloomfield Hills. Michigan born and raised!
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Perkins! Man I forgot about how much I liked Perkins when I lived in Pennsylvania. Which, to be fair, does have really boring highways on the turnpike.
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I’d forgotten about them too, and stumbled across one a few years ago when I was driving through Wisconsin. Total flashback.
I’ve since lived in Pennsylvania, and am happy to say I now realize it is more than just boring highways
I loved this! Brought back memories of our family road trips from Indiana to Florida – Georgia was the state I dreaded the most because it was so massive. And our breakfasts always started at Hardees, where I’d get iced cinnamon raisin rolls. Looking back, I can’t believe my mom let me eat those things for breakfast.
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I LOVE road trips. When I was a kid they definitely ignited my passion for travel. Except, instead of two kids in the back we had four (three crazy boys and me), and we hauled a little caravan around all Australia for 6 weeks or more every year. But there’s really nothing that I can fault about the experience!!
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That sounds awesome! Maybe not the three brothers part, but I’ve always wanted to go on a really long road trip. It must’ve been a great way to grow up