Just Traveling Through

I was fortunate to grow up in a family that liked to travel—trips to my grandparents’ homes, Sunday afternoon drives, and family vacations.  Here are my sister Carol and I (on the left) on vacation in Colorado in the 1960’s.  Remember when people used to dress up to travel?  Dresses and new sunglasses-- a stylin' look for traveling.  I love to travel and have kept that tradition alive in my own family.  To me, travel is about learning about new places and people (don't travel with a teacher. I grew up going to museums and loving it and so does my own family!) Having time together and making memories, and seeing what God has in store for us on each travel adventure! 

Most of my travel experiences and advice can be summed up in the titles of two books by author Max Lucado.  Traveling Light and In the Grip of Grace aren’t really about travel, but I think they apply anyway.

Traveling Light urges us to only take what is necessary.  We all need to lighten our loads and get rid of the excess baggage that just weighs us down.  The book tells us to not just get rid of physical baggage, but to put down those things like guilt, fear, anxiety, an unforgiving spirit and any burdens God never meant for us to carry.  We need to turn those over and let God do the “heavy lifting”.  It applies to travel also.  My sons have “done” Europe for two weeks with a backpack and Brazil for five months with a carry on, book bag and one large duffel bag.  Having a lot of extra stuff just wears me out…I prefer not to have to carry and keep track of too much.  I heard a great story to illustrate this point.  It seems a man was traveling to find the “wise man” of the ages and finally found him in a hut on a mountain.  When looking at the wise man’s sparse surroundings, the man seeking wisdom asked, “Where are all your things?”  The wise man replied by asking, “Well, where are all yours?”  The traveler answered saying, “I don’t need it all because I’m just passing through.”  The wise man smiled and said, ” Well, so am I”.

We are only “passing through” whether traveling or while living on this planet.  (In between trips, I’m still cleaning closets…trying to get rid of extra stuff that I don’t need so someone else can use it.)

The other book, In the Grip of Grace, reminds me that we can never travel out of the protection and care of God, no matter how far we are from home.  Our family has had amazing experiences where God has supplied what we needed and kept us safe while traveling.  God will never take you where His grace can not keep you.  We tell story after story of God’s travel mercies.

Those are my spiritual and philosophical travel tips, here are some more practical hints:

 (I’ve always wanted to be a travel agent)

Make an intinerary using information from the internet or Triple A.  I research activities and places to stay on our route.  If you plan ahead, you can often take advantage of opportunities that aren’t available on the spur of the moment.  No matter what you plan, be sure to stop at each State's Welcome Center.  You can find information about even more activities and attractions.  (See hint number two, below)  Each Welcome Center is different, and in Florida they even serve fresh orange juice!

Be spontaneous and flexible.  Wait a minute…Didn’t I just say to plan your travels and activities?  Yes, but sometimes “winging it” works, too.  Some of the best things we’ve done and places we’ve stayed have been “happenstances”.  We just “happened” to be in this quaint little town, or see this activity or that.  One day, traveling in Northeast Missouri along the Mississippi River, my husband and I saw a sign for a ferry.  We turned and went to the river where a car ferry was loading not only cars but farm grain trucks full of soy beans to take them to a processing plant across the river!  We still talk about that…as farm kids from Kansas, it’s hard to imagine a trip to the elevator that involves crossing the Mississippi River by ferry!! 

Pack light (we covered that) When traveling with children, I put each of their outfits plus the socks, underwear and hair stuff that goes with each outfit in one large ziplock bag.  Just pull one out and everything you need is there—no chasing through the luggage to find the missing sock!  You can use the bags for dirty laundry, too.

Take some entertainment and nourishment with you.  We keep a small cooler packed with cheese and carrot sticks, fruits and bottles of water.  Having some nutritious snacks helps kids avoid some meltdowns.  Packing some games, a book on CD or reading aloud also helps.  We always have paper plates, some paring knives, plastic eating utensils and a blanket or folding chairs in the trunk so we can have a picnic. Eating in parks lets kids run off some energy before getting back in the car.

Become a Creative (Cheap) Traveler.  Besides packing snacks, we often pack foods for breakfast and picnic lunches and shop in local grocery stores, which is also a learning experience and saves money.

Visiting State Parks is one of the best things we've done on our trips.  Many state parks offer lodges, cabins and dining at reasonable prices with great scenery and free activities--Jr. Ranger programs for kids, hikes, swimming pools, and programs. Bringing back something to remind you of your travels is important, and you can save money here, also.  I collect rocks from different places we’ve traveled.  Last summer we spent time at the Egg Harbor beach in Door County, Wisconsin.  I brought back a rock shaped like an egg.  Each time I look at it, I remember our times at the beach.  We’ve also brought back jars of beach sand and labeled them, and some people bring back a little soil from different travels and put in a test tube container and label.  You may have to be check customs rules when taking some souvenirs like this.  Don’t pick wildflowers, either as you can get a large fine!   Taking pictures is always a great reminder, so take pictures of your family by each state’s welcome sign.  You can also find souvenir items at local thrift stores. My daughter-in-law and I did our shopping at some thrift stores in Door County that fund an Alzheimer’s unit, so we felt even better about buying our t-shirts and local décor items.  Also as a part of our “charitable spending”, we attend local “ for a good cause” events.  Last year for lunch, we went to a Moravian church’s Cherry Festival celebration.  We were served brats and cherry desserts and bought some items to aid their mission projects.

Keep a trip journal.  We record each day’s travel’s events:  what we do, places we stop, what we ate, miles traveled, etc.  We also have a “best of the best” contest.  We each nominate the “best” motel, meal, French fries, park, activity, etc. and this leads to some lively discussion.  A “quote of the day” is another thing we enjoy. This can be something one of us said or something overheard from another person.  We traveled to Wisconsin when Josh was 4, and he was clearly tired of travel and his car seat. When told he had to get back in the car,  he stomped his foot and said, “That’s it.  I’m packing my boodle bag and I’m leaving!”.  I’m looking at him thinking, “You’re 4 years old and you’re 900 miles from home.  Just what options do you think you have here?”  It has become the stuff of family legend.  Now when any of us is ticked off or feels mistreated, we borrow Josh’s line:  I’m packing my boodle bag, and I’m leaving!! (We still don’t know what a boodle bag is!)  Remember to include the most amazing thing you learned or what God has shown or done for you each day!

My daughter Laurie and I just made a road trip to my Mom’s in Webb City, Missouri, near Joplin.  Laurie had an optometrist appointment in Pratt, so we left from there.  We went on south to Medicine Lodge and took Highway 160 all the way to Missouri, traveling through some interesting territory.  Part of our trip was actually “time travel” for me.  The road took us to Wellington where I lived until the 8^th grade.  Next we passed through Winfield where my family spent many Saturdays.  We entered Elk county and a remote section of the Flint Hills.  Noticing the gas gauge near empty and the only major town, Independence 5 miles over our tank’s cruising range, we began to be concerned and as we passed through Burden, Longton, and other small towns we got even more concerned.  At Moline, we found a gas station and the oldest swinging bridge in Kansas.  Of course, we had to check that out, which just got us ready for Elk Falls and their outhouse tour.  (We only saw 4 on main street but we’re sure there are more)  Continuing to head east, we saw Elk City Lake and the park, and went on to Oswego where we stopped at the River park.  Our route took us to Columbus, where I attended High School and finally on into Missouri. As we neared my Mom’s house by the Joplin Airport, we noticed crowds of people lining the road.  Police were stationed at road intersections and driving by the airport we saw a huge cargo plane.  Pulling into McDonald’s, we called my Mom and asked what was going on.  She explained that the Joplin High School Commencement was that night and President Obama was flying in to speak and mark the one year anniversary of the Joplin tornado.  Traffic was stopped, so we stayed.  I met a wonderful lady in the car next to ours, and we got acquainted while waiting for the Presidential motorcade to pass by.  She is a nurse who lives in Webb City and as my mom is having some health issues, my big concern was finding someone who could advise us about medical matters in the area.  I’m continually amazed at how God provides for us!!

So, just as on our recent trip, in your travels you will find:

Delays—we spent at least an hour and a half waiting in road construction zones coming and going.  Be patient and enjoy the journey.

Detours- Often we don’t end up where we  planned to be!  Even with a GPS, you can still be led astray by a lack of good direction.  Accept detours as part of God’s direction for you—if we hadn’t detoured to McDonald’s because we couldn’t get across the streets in Joplin, I wouldn’t have met my new nurse friend.

Danger:  Don’t be afraid to take a risk.  Travel can be dangerous.  There are all kinds of accidents that can happen when you’re traveling.  However, the most real danger is that you will have to change the way you see or think about things.  Getting to know people from other areas shows us we’re more alike than different and that God loves us all.  I’ve made some great friends and met many “kindred spirits” (as Anne Shirley in Anne of Great Gables would say)  Actually being in a place forces us to see things and people as they are, not as how we had our mind made up that they were!  Be open to what God is showing and teaching you about the world around you. 

Delight and Discovery--seeing the natural wonders of God’s creation and meeting His people can add so much to your world.  Just like our trip, you’ll be amazed at what God has for you!

If you are taking a “staycation” this year, you can still travel—back in time, or to other lands through books, movies and even the internet.  I highly recommend the Max Lucado books above, and if you’re an armchair traveler, some great Christian fiction books about travel are written by Robin Jones Gunn.   Called the “Sisterchicks” series, you can travel with the women to many different locations.  While light hearted, they also teach scriptural truths. Reading stories of the adventures of missionaries in foreign lands is another way to “travel” without leaving home.

However you choose to travel, I leave you with the verses Robin Jones Gunn uses in one of her Sisterchick books: (spoken by the Israelites at the end of their travels "passing through" the wilderness)

   “We were like those who dream,

     Then our mouth was filled with laughter

      And our tongue with joyful shouting;

Then they said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”   -Psalm 126:18