Published on June 15th, 2026
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When my daughter was 12 months old we took a 16-hour road trip... just her and me. We drove from South Carolina to Massachusetts, all in just one day.
And the cherry on top?
My daughter was — honest to God — potty trained at the time too!
(But that's a story for another blog post.)
The Trip That Changed Everything
During the spring of 2014 I drove up the majority of the Eastern seaboard from pre-dawn to pushing midnight with a restless toddler who needed to use the restroom every couple of hours — by myself — without anyone else to share the driving or parenting responsibility.
When we got to Massachusetts we stayed for around 2 weeks visiting family. But then guess what: it was time to drive home again! We left MA for SC and did the same route in reverse, leaving wicked early in the morning and arriving back home at almost midnight.
I wish I could describe the intense feeling of accomplishment that rushed over me as we pulled into our driveway in South Carolina at the end of that trip. Think "walking across the stage at college graduation for a Bachelor's Degree" level achievement — because that's pretty darn close to how it felt!
I quickly realized that if I could handle that, then there really is no excuse for not doing more trips in the future... even if it was just us two.
How the Next Few Years Unfolded
For the next couple of years, we expanded on our road trip adventures. We traveled from South Carolina to Atlanta — a short 3-hour drive — to visit the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coke, and Olympic Park. We also drove 6.5 hours to Orlando a couple times a year for a handful of magical Disney trips during the toddler phase. We also continued a tradition we started with her dad when she was a baby; we took a day trip up to North Carolina to this quaint little farm to go apple picking. It was a 2-hour trek through the mountains near Asheville to arrive at Grandad's Apples in Hendersonville. If you're ever in the area, we highly recommend stopping for a visit!
We relocated from the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest a few years later, and very quickly we began exploring a whole new territory. Our new home base was now the Treasure Valley, Idaho. Our first road trips after moving were 6 hours to Portland, Oregon — 5 hours to Salt Lake City, Utah — and 7 hours to Seattle, Washington. One of our all-time favorite parks with a giant super fun playground was discovered during a road trip to the Oregon coast when my daughter was just a young child!
The Major Memory Makers & The Secret Sauce
Now I've already mentioned our first major road trip — the one we took along the Eastern seaboard when my daughter was 12 months old. We were able to cross a lot of new states off our bucket list during this trip, because we stopped every few hours to explore or eat or stretch our legs. We got to take a photo underneath the Mason-Dixon Line, which was a highlight for us since my daughter is a little bit Yankee + a little bit Southerner by blood.
We took another major road trip when she was 8 — we took off for a month on a round-trip cross-country excursion, from Idaho to South Carolina and back. It was absolutely epic, one of our favorite adventures, and hands-down one of the toughest for me mentally. Just laying it all out there... traveling isn't always easy. You're going to have to prepare yourself for both the physical and mental aspects of traveling alone with kids as a solo mom. That's why I've invested so much time and effort into creating helpful guides, packing checklists, itineraries, and so much more — to help you focus on what matters most for wherever your next trip might take you.
During that month-long trip in the summer of 2021, we took one route from west to east and a different route back from east to west. This ensured that we were able to cross off even more states on our bucket list, visit new places and see as many sights as possible.
Leave the Planning to the Pro
If you've always wanted to embark on a road trip with your kids, but you don't know where to start in the planning process, let me help you figure it out!
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You've Got This, Mama
Don't be afraid to say "YES" to adventure, even if you're the one in charge of getting y'all from Point A to Point B. Of course we all love to play Passenger Princess, but if you're children's memories are at stake, it's very easy to pull yourself up by the bootstraps & figure out a way to make it happen. You only get one life, and time is flying by faster every day. Ya know what I say to that?
Carpe Diem!
— Nicole, Solo Adventure Mom
