For the Langenecker family from Dexter, Mich., a 2005 Ford Freestyle was their road trip car of choice.
In June, mom Jackie, dad Scott, 11-year-old Maya and 6-year-old Chloe took it on a 13-day, 4,300-mile journey from Michigan to eight national parks. The farthest one was Yellowstone, in northern Montana.
According to the GPS, the clocked 80 hours in the car. And they suffered only one family meltdown.
"Compared to how traumatized I was as a kid, it's not even comparable," said Jackie Langenecker. There is a center console in the back seat, setting a delineating line between the two girls. They watched movies on the in-car DVD system, and there was enough room in the trunk for everyone to have their own suitcase and easy access to snacks.
And although the car eventually took on an aroma of stale french fries and plant life and feathers the kids collected in the parks, there was very little drama. "We never said we were going to drop them off at the side of the road and leave them there," she said, repeating the traditional threat thrown at children for eons, before the days of DVD players.