I recently did a solo road trip to break the shackles of the daily mom grind. My ultimate road trip for moms was 1400 miles to Florida in a day and a half all by myself!
I’ve been busting out of my “mom” cocoon a lot lately. I’ve made resolutions for monthly girls night out events with my BFF and I even bought a motorcycle which I ride (safely) whenever I get a chance!
Ultimate Road Trip for Moms
My husband had always done the drives for our road trips and staycations. In fact, when the day came where my parents were too old to drive their car to Florida for the snowbird season each year, my husband happily offered to take the car for them so they could fly down.
Here’s how his Ultimate Road Trip works… Leave Detroit area at 5a and drive to a northern suburb of Atlanta in day 1, spend the night, wake up at 5a the next day to make it Del Ray Beach FL. As soon as he gets there, my parents cart him to the airport and pour his tired body into an airplane to fly back to Detroit. It’s a one-man Cannonball Run trip!
I never imagined this could be a possible feat for me and I admired how well he would do driving from Michigan to Florida all by himself with one stop. He had the process down to a science and could call the exact minute he would arrive at my parents Florida doorstep. If you know me or my husband well, you’d know that we’re pretty intense people so planning a trip like this is thought out down to every last detail.
So, my husband successfully completed his 1400 mile road trip the past few years and I was inspired. I mentioned to him that I’d like to try it myself. Call it my early 40’s gotta-live-and-make-crazy-memories moment. This was a big deal for me to even think about doing this. I had been so ill a few years back that I could barely drive a half hour and I was overwhelmingly exhausted. Now, I’ve brought myself back to good health and doing something like this would be like a celebration of my “new” life.
My husband had his concerns but knew this was a big deal for me. In addition to me going for the achievement, I was also doing this to surprise my parents who would be expecting my husband to arrive at their Florida doorstep.
So, my husband coached the heck out of me… gave me the step by step instructions and prepared me for this trip more than I’ve ever been prepared for anything. I took the trip the weekend before Thanksgiving. Since the trip was on a weekend, my husband had no problems juggling my two children by himself. I’m fortunate that my kids are old enough and fairly independent.
Crossing each state border was like a religious experience. I was proud, thrilled, grateful, and in awe by the sights. I couldn’t believe I was doing it. Even better, I didn’t get lonely. I didn’t even want to chat on the phone with anyone. This was far from my usual social self. All I wanted to do was drive by my lonesome with nothing buy my thoughts. It was beyond peaceful.
I stopped over in Marietta, GA and made plans at a restaurant that had ties to Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I had also planned on doing a ghost tour but it was canceled. My goal was to celebrate my health and independence by exploring while on this trip. Stepping out of my comfort zone wasn’t easy but it was rewarding. Previously I would have opted to hide out my room and await the next day’s road trip. Instead, I chose to do more exploring.
I made the trip in a total of 21 hours, just like my husband taught me. I got butterflies in my stomach as I approached their Florida address. My journey was about to peak. I knocked on the door. Seeing the look on my mom’s face when she opened the door is something I’ll never forget. She was so surprised, not only because it was me and not my husband… but that I did it, AND I did it for them. She cried and hugged me and I could tell she was incredibly touched. This was the best gift I’ve ever given her.
This Ultimate Road Trip for Moms experience has taught me so much about myself. I’m so glad I did it, and I know it’s opened the door for more journeys and adventures to come. If you ever want to break free from the daily mom grind and want to find yourself, I highly suggest doing something similar to this trip. It’s nice to know I can still pull some off some craziness once in a while – and learn a lot about myself along the way.
Have you ever been on an ultimate road trip for moms for yourself?
