We are well traveled as far as families go and have visited all but a handful of US states. With a family of 6 and being an avid geocacher it makes sense (and is cost prohibitive) to drive everywhere. Flying may be quicker but it cuts out a large part of the journey which is arguably my favorite part and gets super pricey. Not to mention when you arrive you do not have transportation, so you need to rent a vehicle (again expensive for a family of 6). As such my wife and I have traveled oversees with our youngest (she’s Romanian), but the 3 older kids have never been on an airplane (while in motion anyway). For whatever reason be it movies/TV, jealousy of the youngest kid or just interest in the unknown but the idea of a taking a plane somewhere has really been built up as a grand event in their head.
In 2019 we didn’t do much for spring break and we agreed as a family that we would plan on taking a cruise the next time the kids were with me for that week. Well as we all know a pandemic isn’t the best time for a cruise so we had to scrap that idea. Following that we considered going to South Dakota more or less following the old route we took in 2014 focusing on Sioux Falls and Mt Rushmore with all the interesting sites on the West side of the state. The kids were younger then and it was before Ana and Bridget joined us on road trips so it seemed like a good time to revisit. I even have a good friend who lives in Rapid City we could crash with.
Sadly I learned that many places we would be interested in wouldn’t be open yet due to the cold (it takes a lot longer to warm up there) and Covid. So we went back to the drawing board and I through caution to the wind doing kayak searches all over the US comparing cost, available things to do and possible appeal to the kids.
After a lot of contemplation and crunching of numbers Ana and I have decided to take the kids to LA for spring break. We have a nice Airbnb with 4 bedrooms, a pool and a playhouse in a clean, safe area in North Hollywood for us to crash for the week. Most large places like Disneyland and Universal Studios are still closed so we will focus on outdoorsy things away from large crowds. Places like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and some places where famous movies scenes were filmed will fill our days. I’ve got a Google Map with a lot of points of interest and we’re not going to stick to a strict timetable. It will be more of a go with the flow type event.
The back and forth on plans sufficiently dissuaded the kids to where they haven’t asked what we are going to do for a couple of weeks now. Ana and I decided to make it a surprise and I think as of right now they think we are just going to stay home. I am preparing a small game where they will need to use clues to figure out what our plans are and I cannot wait to see the looks on their face when they figure it out. Today is going to be an exciting day indeed and we have a fun week ahead!
3/27/2021
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