1.  Family time together

Perhaps the best reason to go on a family road trip is that it can really bring you together. Most of the parents work full time, kids are busy with the school and spend a lot of time with their friends. Most of the time we spend together at home is at the dinner table or watching a movie together on the weekend. Road trip isn’t a beach holiday where you shove the children into the kids’ club for a fortnight as you recline by the pool or seeing children glued to their devices at the table in restaurants is commonplace. Deciding where to stop, what to eat, odd argument in the car, this is genuinely about spending time together. For me, this is the best part of the holiday I am looking forward to.

2.  Education

Your children will go back to school with so much more to talk about after your road trip. If you plan your trip correctly and involve the children's activities in deciding what you choose to see along the way, you can actually teach them about the country they are visiting. Active learning, where your children discover things for themselves, is the best way for your kids to learn.  Add a fun thing to do on your route, we had a White Water Rafting in Montenegro and Bosnia, and it was a highlight of the trip for my daughter. Visit caves or interactive museums, good option too.

3. Develops Travel Skills and How to Cope with the Stress

There is no better opportunity to teach certain skills than when you take the time to travel.  Show them how to read a map and all the possible routes to get to your destination(s). It’s a great time to teach them how to identify what direction they are traveling in, as well as general “street smarts” and etiquette about traveling.  Little things that can happen to you on the trip, like you get lost, flat tire, any other issues, will show them that you can deal with anything and nothing can stop you to go forward and reach your point of destination. When your children reach adulthood and want to travel, they will be much more empowered having learned to do it with you when they were growing up. They will also be much more likely to have the courage to travel on their own  and ready for anything that traveling can throw at them.

4. Knock Some Epic Places Off Your Bucket List Without Spending a Fortune

 Sometimes, bucket-list-worthy experiences are only a drive away.  Traveling by car can help offset a number of expenses. Travelling in some countries in Europe can be very expensive, hotels in some places like Luxembourg or Switzerland can set you back a small fortune. Visit these places just for a day and then you can camp out or drive to the next, cheaper place to stay. This is especially true if you’re planning to see a hard to get places or places can't be reached by public transport.

5. Variety and freedom

The final benefit I will mention is perhaps the greatest: road trips mean no limits. You can change your itinerary at any time, no guide, no schedule set by anyone but yourselves. Enjoying a certain area way more than you thought and want to stay longer? Then you can! Discovered an attraction you had no idea existed, go check it out! Did one destination end up disappointing? Hit the road and find something better.

You don't need to go on a road trip every holiday. In fact, maybe once will be enough then you'll be able to carry on with your normal breaks.