Road Tripping Adventures With Chevrolet

We tested the Traverse Chevrolet for editorial purposes.

Pandemic times are demanding creativity for family travel. With all our usual travel options canceled, we are planning many more road trips. Our vehicle is becoming our safe haven during these uncertain times. The Chevrolet Traverse is a great ride for family day tripping. In addition to our usual stash of chapstick and gum, we now have hand sanitizer and face masks in the center console. Here are some of our best family road tripping ideas.

Stargazing – Drive as far as necessary to view dark skies on a clear evening. Kids of all ages are amazed by constellations, meteor showers and falling stars. In preparation we tune into NPR’s Weekend Sky Report led by Matt Pelsor. We also download apps, like Sky View or Star Walk. Just point your phone towards the sky to get the names of stars and constellations. We pack up a blanket, binoculars, flashlights and snacks for a fun night out.

Drive-in – If you are lucky enough to live near one of the country’s drive-in movie venues, hit up the Dollar Store for your family’s favorite concession stand snacks and get comfy in your car to watch the featured flicks. A vehicle, like the Chevy Traverse, gives you power-fold third row seats to enlarge your vehicle interior and make space for more pillows and blankets.

Picnic in the trunk – My kids remember fondly a time we had to escape an amusement park during a torrential downpour and had an impromptu picnic in our SUV. Lesson learned – sometimes it’s the small family time that gets remembered more than the high-priced park admission tickets. In these unprecedented times, we have had some fun trunk picnics. Drive out to one of your favorite venues, be creative here. Have a train-loving toddler? Head to a busy train station parking lot and watch the trains chug by as you nosh on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My son used to love to watch construction sites in action – find a convenient place to park and watch all the construction vehicles in action. As my kids have grown, we like to “people watch” and make up stories about where all the passing folks may be going. The more creative stories you tell, the more snacks you win out of the trunk!

Take a drive to your local forest – Use this time to find and explore your local state parks and forests. I buy blank notebooks, and we create natural journals together. We observe nature and write down, or draw observations and theories. The kids list all their thoughts and questions, and we revisit when we get home to google responses to our nagging questions.

Sunset – There is nothing more beautiful, and inspiring than sunsets from beaches or mountains. Jump in your car and drive to view the end of another day.

Take a trip to the beach – Find a quiet beach, and jump in the car to explore a day building sandcastles, jumping waves and some summertime-worthy books.

Ice Cream – This summer, we have created our own local Food Network style adventure by visiting all the local ice cream stands within a 50 mile radius of our house. We created our own grading system and compare and contrast our favorites. My kids gave three stars to the local frozen custard stand that goes heavy on the gummy worm toppings. Our roomy Chevy Traverse offers us a comfy escape to enjoy our frozen treats when the parking lot and picnic tables fill up.

Thanks Chevrolet for this road trip opportunity!