Making Memories On The Road

What is your first memory of a holiday as a child? I can remember way back to being around 2 or 3 and going camping with my parents in a 2 person tent, out bush in the Flinders Ranges. I can also remember many many road trips and family holidays, including our overseas trek when I was just 7 years old and my sister was 2. Our parents took us backpacking around Europe on a 3 month trip, which I have faded kid memories of, but which I am sure impacted my view of the world and a sense that there is more than just you. Knowing there are other places in the world where people just like you are carrying on their lives, is a powerful thing for a child. It helps you to step outside of being egocentric and into a  space where you can develop empathy for those who seem different due to language and culture, but who are in essence the same as you. It reminds you the world is a huge amazing place, but also very small, and that you are just a speck of dust.





One of the best kinds of travel I think, is a road trip. I have many memories of my family road trips, and have created many more with my own children. There is nothing like land  travel for really seeing a place and connecting to your family at the same time. There are the ones that are long and spectacular and stay with you forever, like the time Mr Recycled and I drove across the Nullabor from Adelaide to Perth and back in 17 days – yes there and back in 17 days – with kids in tow in a camper van. It is one of the best, if not the best road trip we have ever done. Then there are those road trips you do often, the ones you repeat over and over, the visiting of a place that has a special meaning to you and your family. The ones that create family history and tales that are told over and over again.









 
Our special family road trip, is to the Southern Yorke Peninsula and our little beach shack, about 10 minutes away from where I grew up. We have been visiting there since about 1975, and over time the shack and my memories, have grown and developed. This is my heart place – the place in the world where everyone I love has been at some time. The place where all of my boys have grown up swimming and crab hunting and boating, and even learning to stand up. The place of a million games of poker and Uno, and laughter and water fights and the best sunset and sunrises you could ever want to see. Our own family of pelicans, shells on the beach, sand city and the special holiday rhythms we get into  – walk to get the paper, make coffee, read, play, watch the sea. My parents always come and I have watched them play and help to grow all of my children in this place. We laugh until we cry at silly jokes and mindless television shows, we play charades and share the load. Yes this is one road trip that is all about the memory making.
Last week we were lucky enough to be able to head there in the Ford Mondeo as part of the Kidspot Voices of 2015 challenge. You can read my other posts about alcohol and driving and the importance of farms to our lives. This is my final post in the series of 3 posts, as we said goodbye to Mona Mondeo yesterday. The boys were sad and I kept thinking I had left someone behind!
Here is a little film we made.

My grandfather who is no longer with us, and my dad, love their cars! Dad was itching to check the Mondeo out! So if you are a car person, I can let you know that the Mondeo drove beautifully on the open road, with the adaptive cruise control and the boot is ENORMOUS! In terms of fuel, one of the things that interested me about the Mondeo was that it offers you the choice of two fuel efficient and powerful engines and fuel saving technologies – the 2.0L EcoBoost- which improves fuel economy and performance and is designed to increase economy and reduce CO2 emissions by about 20%; and the 2.0L TDCiDiesel – which is what we had. I had never driven a diesel before and it was fabulous for the open road and really comes into its own in terms of fuel consumption and emssions, with the modern particle filter working more effectively on the open road as well, making it better for the environment. The eco boost is a great initiative and one I would choose if I were purchasing this car.
















Taking your family on a driving holiday is one of the best things you will ever do and your kids will not remember the best win they had on their game boy when they grow up, but they sure will remember that time you all played car games and ate ice creams on your way to stay at your beach shack, or the time you saw the sun rise in the desert and the mumma whales playing with their babies as you crossed the Nullabor. Twice. In 17 Days. In a camper van.
Coz that’s what memories are made of.
Do you have a favourite road trip memory?
Helen
xx

Thanks to Kidspot and sponsors Ford, for the opportunity to share our lives in the All new Mondeo as part of Voices of 2015