Anybody just hopped in the car and driven to Europe?

I really like Normandy.

I can also tell you that at 7 months pregnant a long car journey for only a 3 day trip sounds like complete and utter torture.  But it's possible your wife "does" pregnancy better than me.   

She just said to me after expressing my idea "if I'm too far gone to fly, I'm too far gone to drive" haha. So, maybe you're right 

She just said to me after expressing my idea "if I'm too far gone to fly, I'm too far gone to drive" haha. So, maybe you're right 

If your wife goes into labour during the road trip, get her to hold it in until my favourite rest area, The "Aire de la Baie de Somme".  The facilities are lovely, there's even a bird watching tower.  Once the baby is born, it's a short drive to Hornflour.

Am I the only one who hates road trips?   

What?  You've got all the great cars and don't want to drive them anywhere?  I don't get it. 

Road trips have always been part of the formative experiences of my life.  I've driven coast to coast in VW buses at least 3 times.  Once on three cylinders all the way from Yosemite to San Francisco.  Once I was pulled over in NC because the cop couldn't believe my bus had actually made it from California and he thought the plates were fake. 

How can anyone hate road trips?

Once on three cylinders all the way from Yosemite to San Francisco. 

Let me just mention one word, as a former beetle owner, and see if you react: helicoil.

What?  You've got all the great cars and don't want to drive them anywhere?  I don't get it. 

Road trips have always been part of the formative experiences of my life.  I've driven coast to coast in VW buses at least 3 times.  Once on three cylinders all the way from Yosemite to San Francisco.  Once I was pulled over in NC because the cop couldn't believe my bus had actually made it from California and he thought the plates were fake. 

How can anyone hate road trips?

Easy to hate road trips!  For every single holiday growing up we drove from Clearwater to Atlanta (8 hours minimum).  Every. single. holiday. EVER.  This was before tablets or DVD players.  Just a kid starting a road signs.  Got old!

Plus when I was a young adult, I attempted a road trip with no rules or plans.  The idea was to stop over in St. Augustine, Savannah, and Charleston.  Left one day and there were things going on EVERYWHERE.  We could not find a hotel anywhere that had availability.  Ended up sleeping in the car and was back home in Orlando after just over 24 hours.  I've at least learned that I need to book hotels in advance.

My fun cars have been here.  The 350 was fun but barely could fit a carryon suitcase.  The M5 had plenty of space but drank fuel like it was it's job.  A good trip was 13 miles to the gallon.  Adds up quick!

I just hate sitting in the car for hours on end, knowing I could be DOING something.  Guess it's just me!   

No appeal to know you can drive anywhere from your front doorstep KFDancer? Especially from the UK? You can drive as far as you like through different countries

Edit: I guess you could from the US; mexico, costa rica, panama

(although they carry a higher risk known as 'being killed')

No appeal at all!  I've been to lots of places, I just tend to fly or take trains.

I do want to go down to Cornwall and Dorset at some point.  But my husband has the same level of enthusiasm for road trips that I do, so it works out at least.

Let me just mention one word, as a former beetle owner, and see if you react: helicoil.

Without Googling, isn't that a little insert you put in to the spark plug hole when the threads are all buggered?   Sadly, that engine needed far more than a helicoil by the time it finally blew up on the 405 outside of Milpitas.  Later, I learned how to adjust the valves so they lasted longer. 

That beautiful split window bus I've already posted a picture of here had such terrible seats that I had to go to the emergency room after 3 days of 500 miles each because of my back.

This summer in Spain my kids were buying candy at a street festival and I noticed the woman had a tattoo of a split window bus.  I showed her pictures of mine and she gave us tons of free candy.  It's the only time the kids gave me some cred for my old bus.

Without Googling, isn't that a little insert you put in to the spark plug hole when the threads are all buggered? 

Well the first time I changed the plugs on my 67 beetle, one came out with the threads. I got the replacement back in with a helicoil, but it was at a weird angle....so it sometimes fired and sometimes didn't. I was afraid to mess with it at that point though. When it kicked in it was like a turbo.

Here's a representative picture of my pop top bus:



Mine was very similar, drove that one coast to coast several times as well.  I'm getting all nostalgic now.  How can anyone not like a road trip?

Here's a representative picture of my pop top bus:



Mine was very similar, drove that one coast to coast several times as well.  I'm getting all nostalgic now.  How can anyone not like a road trip?

I've never been on a road trip in an awesome VW bus.  Maybe that would change everything for me!   

Every girl who road tripped in that bus with me ended up marrying me. 

With the other buses the rules were less strict.

Every girl who road tripped in that bus with me ended up marrying me. 

With the other buses the rules were less strict.

Haha. That should be a question in the visa process 'vehicle ownership'.

If answered 'VW pop up bus' go to end of application

Oh, KFdancer, I feel for you.  I grew up doing road trips but I love them!  I have been to 42 US states and driven to all of them.  We were always visiting New York for the weekend (8 hours).  Then there were the trips to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota (16 hours done in one day).  It's just a great way to see the county.  That being said, I can't stand road trips in England because they always end up being road sits when someone has a fender bender and blocks traffic in both directions.  :/

My kids are enthusiastic because they get to sit and watch IPads and IPods and iPhones for the whole trip.  They load shows from Netflix and the iPlayer.