This week, we're taking a “Retro to Now Road Trip,” with the Monteith family whose photo (pictured) won a contest sponsored by Best Western International.

     The trip they won will illustrate how today’s technologies have changed the road trip experience by giving them a 'retro' travel experience  for the first leg of the trip, and bringing them back to present day for the latter portion.  Along the way, the family will answer the question – how have road trips changed over the years and has it been for the better?

The route from their home in Virgina to Gettysburg, Philadelpia, New York City, Boston and Niagara Falls, including attractions and Best Western locations,  was planned with TripTik® Travel Planner, available on AAA.com. 

The Monteith family will hit the road and tour some of the Northeast’s most famous cities and landmarks in a way most modern day families don’t – in a standard family van, without access to a CD player, cell phones or other technology.  While traveling in the vehicle, provided by Hertz Rental Car, video games and DVDs will be replaced by road games and paperbacks to keep the children – a five-year-old, eight-year-old and nine-year old twins – occupied.  Midway through the journey, the family will switch to “now,” with all familiar and modern amenities returning.  They will have AAA travel information on a Magellan GPS and will drive a fully-loaded 2009 Volkswagen Routan with cellular phone wireless connection, DVD, and Sirius Satellite Radio.

We'll see how they do ..... with some blogging by mom Vonnette Monteith, who submitted this about the trip preparation:

We are huge fans of road trips and really looking forward to hitting the road. I have been preparing the kids for the road trips that I grew up taking, which will mean car games instead of game consoles or DVDs.  They are really excited to experience an old fashioned road trip. They have been packing for the last month. Every time I am looking for something I find that it has been stashed in one of many bags that is for the big trip!

Tonight is the moment of truth though as I go through the kids bags and explain to Madeline (5) that she does not need to take all her Barbies on the trip and Scotty (8) does not need to take all of his favorite stuffed animals. Teddy and Katie are always within limit but I sometimes find that after they "help" the younger kids pack their favorite items are stashed in someone else's bag so they don't have to carry it!

All my friends here have also gotten into the excitement with many of them lending suggestions for Retro ideas. One girlfriend and I actually went into Georgetown to find the perfect vintage clothes to start the trip. My kids OK'd wearing vintage clothes but said I just couldn't act weird or make them do their hair weird. My answer to them is as long as I get to define weird we're good.

Scotty is probably the most excited about being sponsored by Best Western as it has always been his favorite hotel. We travel to Watertown, NY, multiple times a year and one night as we rolled in very late he woke up and said, "I'm so glad we always get to stay in the "Best" hotel. So imagine his excitement when I told him we are staying at Best Westerns for an entire week. A whole week of "best" hotels he says, I don't understand why everyone doesn't stay at them since they are the "best.”

That is it for now as is normal for me I haven't packed a thing and am going to try and pack with four excited kids running around adding to and taking out of bags. Hopefully when we get to our first stop nothing crucial will be missing like Teddy's ski gloves on our winter vacation and Katie’s bathing suit last year on our summer vacation.