<p>I am a Junior in High School, and three of my friends and I would like to drive from Richland, WA to Livonia, MI to visit a friend who is living there for the summer. We have planned out all of the places we plan to stay overnight, accommodating for reasonable drive times, and trying to stay at relative’s houses. We have also planned (healthy) food, and are working on calculating the cost of food (and gas). We know what car we want to take, and we are planning on asking a mother to come with us, to minimize legal issues and to make sure we aren’t being stupid. We’ve even accommodated for the two churchgoing girls to go to church. We recognize that this will be expensive. We have clean driving records, we are responsible students, and we know how to take care of ourselves. We also would like to go on college tours while on this trip, as we pass through various cities (the U of U, U of Chicago, etc.)</p>
<p>What is your first reaction to this?
If you go think about it, what is your reaction?
Would you allow us to go if you were our parents? Why? Why not?
What are the pros and cons you see?
If you could change this, what would you change?</p>
<p>Coming from a person who went on road trips at 14 with an older brother (21) on a motorcycle 500 and 1,000 miles away from home… I would say as a parent- create your itinerary showing your expected daily plans, stops, etc. Tell them that you will call every night to tell them that everything is okay. Since you are planning on taking an adult with you, maybe that person can also speak on your behalf? It sounds like a fun trip! Good luck.</p>
<p>I would only allow my HS junior to make such a trip with an adult going along. Any chance you could have this other mother be part of the planning, and the presentation to your parents?</p>
<p>Are you sure there is a mom who will accompany you on the WHOLE trip? That is a huge responsibility.</p>
<p>If a parent went along it would be fine with me. Is the purpose road trip and/or seeing friend? If main reason is seeing your friend maybe you could fly.</p>
<p>This sounds extremely benign, compared with the road trips I took with friends in high school (no parent along, stayed in campgrounds, etc.). Who is objecting to this plan, and why?</p>
<p>I am not a parent, but I have questions for you to consider anyway…</p>
<p>Do you own your own car, or do you plan to borrow your parents? Who pays the insurance? WA to MI is a VERY long drive, the car I was driving at your age probably would not have coped with having that many miles put on it-- will yours? My parents would never have let me take their car on a 2,000+ mile road trip as a teenager. Do you have roadside service? Do you know how to handle the various things that could go wrong with the car? If you’re a junior in HS, didn’t you only just get your drivers license quite recently? </p>
<p>What states are you going to travel through? What kind of weather would be expected at that time of year? Will you be driving through mountains? How long have you been driving, and do you have any experience driving in other states? Have you ever driven for more than an hour or two at a time? Do you have experience driving in bad weather? Have you realistically estimated how long the drive is going to take you, allowing for extra stops if you get too tired or for the stops you plan to make? Will you have enough money to stop at more hotels than you’d planned if you get too tired? Do you have a route planned that has you stopping in cities that are safe and avoiding ones that are not? If the answers to these driving questions are that you are not experienced, is your chaperone going to be able to handle all the driving they will need to do themselves? That has the potential to be a ton of drivign for one person depending on your experience level with driving-- and note that I say experience level, not comfort level. </p>
<p>I don’t care about any of the answers to these questions, but they are things you should think about. </p>
<p>My parents would never have let me do this unless a parent they knew very well was coming, and doing the majority of the driving. A 16 year old is a very young driver to undertake this kind of a trip without very reliable supervision, imo. A road trip sure, but across the entire country is quite a bit for presumably inexperienced drivers who have probably never traveled before, unless a very responsible parent is coming along. You didn’t say she’s coming, you said you plan to ask her. That’s a lot to ask, does this mother not work? Are you going to pay for all her food and travel expenses, or is she willing to do that? You have to think about how long overall you will be gone between travel each way and actual time spent in Livonia. What is this woman going to do to entertain herself while you are visiting your friend in Livonia? There is not a lot to do in Livonia. </p>
<p>I think a lot will hinge on whether the mother you plan to ask does decide to come. </p>
<p>I did this trip a couple of times in old cars, once on I-90 and once alond I-94, camping along the way. The only place on that trip I really wouldn’t want my 17 year-old daughter driving is around Chicago. Traffic patterns there are frightening. </p>
<p>Bring an adult and get the highest AAA coverage.</p>
<p>You had me at, “and we are planning on asking a mother to come with us”. I would not like teens driving through any city’s and I would double check the legal driving age in the states that you are driving through. Sounds like fun!</p>
<p>I would like to note how much safer a trip like this is now than it was 30 or 40 years ago, when a lot of us probably did it–cars are safer, communications are much better, and lodgings and food are very much standardized. The only issue I see is that some kids today may be less experienced drivers, because in some places they get their licenses later and don’t seem to drive as much.</p>
<p>My boys roadtripped after they got their drivers licenses. I required them plan out the trip, indicate where they were going to stop and camp, have a car that was newer and safe (no kid cars), have enough money for gas, food and in an emergency at least one or two hotel rooms, spending money and they have to call each night when they stopped. Mine did this without parents and had great experiences…you say you’re bringing a parent so I don’t see why any parent would say no. Chicago is abit scary, but driving to Chicago to visit a friend was one of the road trips one of my kids took. Good experience with driving in heavy traffic. </p>
<p>I’m the mean parent. No. If you have this much time, you should be working. You can say you are looking at colleges along the way, but if you are all really going to U Wash or Wash State, then it’s just a boondoggle. </p>
<p>You can fancy it all up with how educational it all is or how much you’ll mature, but it’s just a vacation for a bunch of underage kids. Too much possibility for trouble. Car trouble, boy trouble, money trouble, girl drama. Many hotels would not let you check in without an adult. Five people in the car is a tight squeeze for a long drive.</p>
<p>How long is this trip, in terms of total travel time and time away from home and work? What are you folks doing for money to pay for this trip and what are you planning on earning for the rest of your summer?</p>
<p>Has a parent agreed to go on the entire trip yet? I’d want to know the name of the parent and meet her. How MANY people total will be in what size and condition vehicle?</p>
<p>You are taking someone’s MOTHER with you, and you have planned out your entire route, including places to stay? I’d slip you some cash and give you a big hug, and tell you to have a great time, if you were my kid. Also, I’d want you to call me to let me know you were ok, at some intervals. How old are you? 17? My brother moved into his own apartment at 17. </p>
<p>Er. . .no, can’t help you. Roadtrips are cool but I wouldn’t want to be responsible for the safety of friends’ teens on a long freewheeling roadtrip. I wouldn’t let my teen go on one either. Liability everywhere! Save that heart attack for when you are on your own and don’t need your parents’ blessing.</p>
<p>As long as it is a trusted mother, no problem. I have heard of ‘trusted mothers’ who went to PCB, bought booze for minors, took them to hookah bars, and allowed a coed sleepover after they all including her, got drunk. This is Not a trusted mother in my opinion. Wink! But if it were truly a mom who has good judgement, no problem.</p>
<p>I guess I’m thinking that I would have enjoyed doing this with my daughter and her friends when she was the OP’s age. The only negative I see is the thought of 5 people in a car for that long. We took kids on vacation with us when they were growing up, and I don’t see much difference here. Personally, I knew my kids friends from them growing up together, car pooling together and a continual number of sleepovers. I wouldn’t allow my kids to go off with a stranger, but this doesn’t appear to be the case.</p>