We're hitting the road for a 4 week long USA Cross Country Road Trip! I'm traveling with my hubby and 3 kiddos to as many states across our great country as we can fit in! It's an ambitious trip with over 7000 miles to cover, but we're hoping to see at least 22 new states on this 27 day trip and I'm planning on staying sugar-free and low carb all the way!
My husband and I have wanted to take our family on a cross country trip for a long time now. There never seems to be the perfect time to have to leave for a 4 week trip. There is always something that will be missed with all the kids activities and volunteer commitments we have, but we feel it's a once in a lifetime trip that our kids will forever remember, for better or worse!
We'v traveled by car to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia and Story Land in New Hampshire when the kids were little. We've visited friends in Pennsylvania. We've brought them to New York City as well as driven to Washington, DC. They are accustomed to being on the road, but never before for this length of time. We've also taken them on their first plane ride to Disney in Florida 2 years ago. But we've never traveled with our camper very far so this will be a first for all of us!
Here's our tentative route, states and landmarks we hope to cover. Weather alerts of tornadoes or flooding will obviously play a role in our plans, but this is our hope of what we'd like to see.
- Starting from home- RI
- Visiting friends in Lancaster, PA
- Somewhere in West Virginia until we don't feel like driving anymore!
- Nashville, TN
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Waco and San Antonio, TX
- Carlsbad Cavern's and Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Stand on "Four Corners" covering Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico
- Grand Canyon in Arizona
- Hoover Dam in Nevada
- Death Valley in CA
- Thor's Hammer in Utah
- Idaho Falls, Idaho
- Yellowstone in Wyoming
- Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Arc Encounter in Kentucky
- Columbus, OH
- Pittsburg, PA
- Passing through NY and
- CT to get back home! I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
I'm also hoping I will be able to drive my hubby's truck with this 30ft camper behind us to give him a little break once in a while. Can I say it again? It's a 30 ft camper we're pulling!! I'm not sure if I can handle it, but I'm going to try!
We decided to purchase this Weather Alert Radio to keep us informed in case our wi fi signal doesn't work on our phones.
We've got 10 chickens, a rooster, a dog and a bearded dragon so help with them is essential while being away. Thank God for family and friends house sitting!
These are some of the kitchen essentials I'm bringing with us in the camper and wouldn't leave home without:
- My Blendtec Blender of course for all smoothies!
- My Egg Steamer!
And this is my oldest son, caught in an action shot, so proud of this picture since I don't often take moving objects! He's the one who would prefer NOT to come for this long trip as it's all about the friends and what he will be missing out on. I think one day he may say he's grateful I forced him to come, but at 17, he's not thrilled. Seeing the country is a trip I don't think he will ever regret once we get to all these incredible destinations!
I don't want to be eating out for every meal along the way. For one thing, that will be very expensive with a family of five. I want to watch what we're all eating and try my best to keep it low carb. We have a small fridge and freezer in the camper. It's not huge so I will have to make some things when we camp, but a few things to start us off with breakfast at least will help us take off right away when needed.
Breakfast Ideas:
- Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Muffins (easy to freeze)
- Coconut flour pancakes from my Cookbook (again easy to make a double batch and freeze)
- Smoothies!
- Hard Boiled eggs, bacon, jerky
- Homemade Granola
Lunch or Dinner Ideas:
- deli meat and cheese
- chicken and Low Carb Pasta
- cloud bread rolls for sandwiches or burgers
- kielbasa, nitrate free hotdogs
- Salad and coleslaw
LOW CARB TRAVEL SNACKS
- Avocados
- Coconut Flour for recipes I will make on the road
- All my liquid Stevia's I can fit
- Quest bars
- Sugar-Free Chocolate
- Hubby made homemade venison jerky, but these are pretty good too.
- Nuts and seeds
- Olives, Pepperoni, Cheese
- Protein Powder
- Peanut Butter, Almond Butter
- Moon Cheese
Is there anything I'm forgetting? Please let me know and hurry, we leave soon! You can follow our trip on Instagram and Facebook where I will post some live videos of our locations!
If you're a prayer warrior, I'd covet your prayers for safe travels for our family!
Thank you!
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Carolyn
you have to many that are high in carbs that turn to sugar... 🙁
Amy M
I am a prayer warrior and will ask the Lord to protect your family while you enjoy His beautiful creation. I will also pray for patience and peace that transcends all understanding, as I have children the same ages as your children! Make lovely memories and praise God for the opportunity.
Brenda
Thank you so very much!
Dee
Have a wonderful trip! I'll be in prayer agreement for your safe travel. I'm not on Facebook. etc. Will you be posting highlights from your trip via email?
Mary Kathryn
I hope you have a great time, strengthen your relationship a a family and make memories to last a lifetime. I'll be praying for safety and traveling mercies for you and your family.
Brenda
Thank you!
Lori
Stop by the Magnolia Silos in Waco. Such a fun spot to hang out for a few hours. Might be hard to park that trailer though! 🙂 And what wonderful memories you will be making!
Vonny
You will so enjoy this, my husband and i are planning our 4th RV trip next year to your great country, we have to date seen 35 states in total, plus parts of Canada.
Dont forget the "Dollar Tree" shops we love all the crazy wares they sell
.
Michelle Sexton
Id strongly recommend that you guys visit the Tent Rocks while in New Mexico. It's about 30 minutes from Santa Fe near Cochiti Lake. It's seriously one of my favorite places to go. Plan about half of a day to hike around the rocks.
Linda Snultz
Two years ago my husband and I took a 9000 mile trip around this great country starting out from the Washington D.C area. It was similar to the trip your family is planning. I promise you, you will never regret it. It was the trip of a lifetime and I would love to do it all again! Have a wonderful time and may God keep you all safe.
Brenda
Thank you!
Judy Neary
You're not bringing your Instant Pot? ?
Brenda
I should! I was thinking crock pot but I don't think we will be any place long enough.
Charlotte Moore
CONGRATULATIONS on this endeavor. Hope you'll have a safe enjoyable trip.
Brenda
Thank you Charlotte!
Hollea
You will have no problem pulling your trailer with a truck, just have to remember to brake early etc, slightly wider turns when turning right, but you got this. We did this from Vancouver, BC down through Washington to California to Arizona to Florida to Maine up the East coast to Portland Maine where we cross to Nova Scotia, Canada and went to PEI. Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Quebec then Ontario to Michigan and then through the states back to Seattle, Washington and the Interstate 5 back to Vancouver, BC We took 5 months. We drove an Excalibur pulling a 25 foot big foot trailer. Also did 4 months with the same car and trailer in Mexico we entered at Mexicalli and exited in Brownsville, Texas. Also drove it with a tent trailer behind the Big Foot from Vancouver, BC through the states to Ontario and then into Quebec to Shawinigan between Montreal and Quebec City but when we came back 5 years later it was a pickup truck pulling a 30 foot trailer again through the states back to Vancouver, BC where we have stayed. I had no problems as I drove all the way except for about 2 hours in Ontario and I was 58 yrs old. So you should have no problems also we only camped in a campsite for 3 nights in the first trip around the states and back to Canada and only 5 nights when we toured Mexico. I always do my own cooking and we never eat out. Good luck and prayers on your pending trip I know you will have a fabulous time and have lots of memories. When our kids were young we travelled a lot with them and did not do the campground thing then either when we went to Alaska, or New York City, or Montreal. etc.
They are 37 and 40 now and still talk about our trips.
Brenda
WOW! You've really done the road trips! Thank you for the encouragement!
Debbie
Between Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore, see if you can stop at Devil's Tower. It's in Wyoming and was the centerpiece of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Really cool place!
Brenda
Thank you!
Nancy Bjerke
Safe travels! I would bring my instantpot!
Brenda
Yes I will!
Kathleen
An hour south of Waco, on your way to San Antonio, you will pass through Georgetown, where I live. I'd love to meet you, maybe resupply you with muffins and granola as a way of thanking you for sharing your fabulous recipes with us all.
What a wonderful adventure you'll have!
Brenda
Oh thank you for the offer! My hubby has us on a precise schedule, lol! I hope we can stick to it to be able to see all these places but it will truly depend on the weather.
Leigh Anne
Oh how awesome!!! We would love to take a trip like that with our RV and kids. Y'all will make so many great memories ? Prayers for safe travels!!
Brenda
Thanks so much Leigh Anne!
laura ackerman
This is something I've always wanted to do, and hopefully will one day, but I prefer to take mine without children in tow.....lol. Have fun!
Brenda
Thank you!
janet
I wish you bon voyage and good luck. We did a similar thing when I was nine years old. 2 adults and 4 kids in a station wagon, DC to LA in a VERY twisty route. Took us 6 weeks and I remember it to this day, 50 years later!
You all will get so much out of it. I notice on your map you have avoided the deep south completely, which is a shame, cause there is a lot to see here, but maybe next trip just in the south, you'd love it.
laura ackerman
I'm originally from the deep south and I agree there are many beautiful things to see there.
Brenda
Yes we plan to hopefully do that (along the coast, all those next we missed) next year without having to take 4 weeks.