When the kids were 1 and 2 years old we decided to drive to Mexico for a few months and escape a particularly bad winter. We had sold our house, Nick was starting to build us a new one and we were living in a 26ft camper. It was cold, muddy, cramped and everything smelled like wet dog. So, why not drive to sunshine, right? We had done this before pre-kids and had fond memories, only this time it’s in a minivan instead of my old beloved Volkswagon van Sweetpea.  I felt excited and raring to go.

Nick’s parents decided to join us the day before we left so it turned out that we had 4 adults, 2 kids, and 2 dogs in a minivan towing a tent trailer. Well, let the fun and games begin!! My dog, Ajax likes to howl in the car for the first few kilometers, and Nick’s folks dog likes to pant, loudly and wetly. The back of the van was rank with dog but we put the kids in those seats so problem solved. Nicks dad would fill his travel mug sans lid every morning with grape juice and promptly spill it on the carpet about 5 minutes later. Dora the Explorer was playing on the DVD on loop setting and every single one of us could sing every song, recite every episode halfway through the journey. 

We drove long, long days to get to warmer climates and then started to slow down through the southern USA. It was a nice drive, we met some great people in San Luis Obispo who offered us a place to park and a hot shower. The kindness of strangers never fails to amaze me. We made it down to Melaque, enjoyed 3 months of sun, celebrated Gigi’s 2nd birthday Mexican style and made the journey home without killing eachother. The point is, close quarter travel with anyone but especially your family gives you a better appreciation of them, what makes them tick, what to watch out for when they are in a foul mood (mainly my foul mood), and shared experiences. Although I had done that drive to Mexico before, seeing it through my kids eyes was totally different. Plus, we had to see other places besides beaches and bars.