Hold a family meeting to decide what each member wants to see or do. You should choose at least one destination or activity that appeals to each family member. The path from Maine to Florida offers the entertainment of New York City's Broadway, the history of Washington, D.C., the ghost lore of Savannah, Georgia, the beaches of Jacksonville, Florida and much more. Your family should have no problem choosing a varied and mutually agreeable itinerary.
Determine how long you want to take to get to Florida. The length of your trip will determine how many sightseeing stops you can make. The trip is approximately 1,500 miles, so you should divide this number by the number of days you will be on the road and use the resulting daily mileage to determine checkpoints for each day.
Leave room each day for unscheduled stops. Impromptu stops are essential for maintaining a sense of adventure on your road trip. Excursions in smaller cities and rural areas can be just as memorable for you and your family as the big stops.
Load your vehicle with plenty of entertainment, not only for the children, but for the adults as well. Your family will spend approximately 27 hours contained in less than 30 square feet of space, so it is important that everyone have a variety of diversions available. Portable DVD players, magazines, books, handheld game systems and art pads can all help alleviate boredom and head off arguments.
Check your vehicle for emergency supplies. If any are missing, load them in your car before you depart. Blankets, flares, snacks, bottled water and a cell phone are essential. While you are checking your supply list, don't forget to check the spare tire.
Book hotel rooms in advance at checkpoints to avoid nighttime stress. A day of traveling followed by a night of looking for a hotel with an available room is a frustrating experience. If you are traveling with pets, this is doubly important--not all hotels allow guests to keep pets in their rooms.
Bring along extra money for car repairs, medicines and emergency MP3 player replacements. Without a cushion, these extra expenses can quickly generate family discord and ill will.
