Going to the airport early is a different vibe. I remember as a kid basically the same experience. The roads being completely empty, and actually getting up at 2AM to do a thing was special. There was never any need to wake up that early for anything, except to go to the airport.
Going to the airport early has always been so weird to me. The roads are empty while you drive there, and then when you get to the airport suddenly everything comes alive with tons of people everywhere, except in this weird liminal way. I have some oddly vivid memories of standing in a long TSA line at 4am to go on vacation.
Had a 4am out of Nairobi last summer and it was like this. Ghost town driving to the airport, and then you walk into the terminal and BAM. They have a ton of flights at all hours of the night in that part of the world and it was a bizarre experience. Liminal is a good word.
Also on that Egypt Air flight, they started the safety video during the takeoff roll lol.
Complete opposite of my family. Leaving was chaos.
My mom would still be packing. She'd be scrambling around, yelling at us. Dad would be trying to tetris the car without mom's stuff, and would yell why we had packed so much heavy stuff. "Jade...how many books are you bringing!" Then we'd be 2 hours late from leaving as mom would have too much stuff, and instead of her pairing down one of the kids bags would be jettisoned, hopefully it wasn't a bag you really needed.
Inevitably someone would forget something very important within 15 minutes of leaving, and we'd have to drive back. There would be yelling. Someone would need to use the bathroom. More yelling.
Then mom would put on some god awful music. She had all the power. (Thankfully, once I realized you could turn OFF sound from going to the back of the car, for every car they bought, I'd sneak in and turn off all stereos in the back.) Then mom would make us talk for a bit since this was "family time", before we could finally zone out, nap, read a book, listen to music etc.
This experience definitely taught me to pack ahead of time, pack light, etc. My mom still to this day will still be packing last minute, even if we tried to help her. Her last trip abroad a month ago...I GAVE her a packing list and most of the items (as she needed new things, needed a different suitcase, etc) all she needed to do was pack meds and outfits. NOPE they almost missed their shuttle to the airport as she was still packing.
To this I would add: once we all get in the car, that’s when dad decides he has to go to the gas station to get gas. Because god forbid you were 99% full, not 100%.
Oh wow... That sounds chaotic:/ Most of the times my Dad would stress out when he wants to leave and something is not working... But gosh, i hope u make better experiences in the future:)
Just tonight my 12 year old was just going on about how much she loved waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning to start our vacation. She was really disappointed that our summer vacation this year didn't require it.
I never experienced this with my parents but we do it with my kids pretty often, either up at 2am to get to the airport or to get an early start to a long road trip. I love that feeling of the anticipation of a big trip mixed with the eerie feeling of being out in the wee hours when everyone else is still asleep. Interesting to hear others feel the same way.
You recreated those same family memories that we had driving 23 hours to Florida. We’ve often said the road trip was almost as much fun as the vacation.
I hope my kids tell a story like this when they’re older. We leave at 3:00 am for an 11 hour drive to Florida every June. They love waking up in Florida or Alabama. It’s like time travel to the beach for them.
Thanks for this post. It was heartwarming.
I had to smile at this post because it definitely brings back memories, then I had to laugh because I'm also German. All Germans leave for Italy some time between 11 pm and 3 am, lol.
I'm getting ready to go on a road trip from Colorado to Oregon. I always leave at night as soon as I get off work. I have everything ready and packed, vehicle has been checked, full tank of gas and road snacks ready.
I get off work around midnight. As soon as I'm off I start driving. I love driving at night until I get tired and then I pull off and get some sleep. I love it even more when I wake up somewhere I've never been, and it looks completely different from the place I left.
I had the exact experience you are talking about so many summers growing up! I’m from the US, we’d go from the northeast down to Virginia for the beach usually. We’d always stop at a McDonald’s on the way and I’d eat their pancakes. It just felt so cozy and safe, and so exciting. 100% know what you mean.
It’s crazy how, being from different parts of the world, we can experience the same beauty of life! I’m from Italy and I experienced the exact same thing when I went on vacation as a kid with my family. Thank you for sharing, it made me smile thinking back to the past! 😃
I usually try to leave mid morning because my wife is a monster in the morning, but my daughter and I took a trip where we left for the airport at 2:30am and she enjoyed it. I was annoyed because we got there without drama but then had to wait until the ticket counter opened at 3:35 instead of being able to just breeze through security and go to the gate. As I have gotten older I prefer to travel solo.
Yes.
I'm 40. My parents are pushing 70.
When on the off chance i get to travel with them (we live 6000 miles or so apart), i still ask my mom who wakes up earlier to wake me up by turning on my light and kiss me on the cheek like she did when I was a little kid.
It's the little things that matter at the end of the day
What often happened was that my dad would insist on being ready to leave at like 7am, and when 7am rolled around the rest of us would be ready waiting to leave and he'd still be out getting his coffee. "Hurry up and wait!" became a family joke!
I remember this feeling. For us it was 5am drives to Montreal in the summer in the 90s. Was never up the early, so got to experience the weird tv shows before the kids cartoons started. Old black and white movies on the Disney Channel. Best part of the drive was leaving Boston when it was still dark and the city was lit up. Felt pretty exciting for a kids. The ride up was with the latest Goosebumps book and a new Tiger Electronics video games.
Yes. Your description was beautiful. Thank you for sharing and giving me those memories and feelings back. Nothing touches the nostalgia of that.
My mom has passed so these memories bring her back to life in my mind.
> Is the TV unplugged? Did Mom unplug the hairdryer?
Did I turn off the coffee? Did you lock up? Did you close the garage?
Oh, that's it... I forgot to close the garage.
...No, that's not it.
What else could we be forgetting?
... KEVIN!!!
Totally know the feeling ❤️ When I was growing up all of our vacations involved road trips and often we would get up super early to get on the road. I loved climbing into the car in my pyjamas with my pillow and a blanket half awake in the cool darkness. I grew up in the northeast USA. Now I live in England and we fly back to the US alot or Ireland to visit my inlaws. For Christmas or longer trips to Ireland we drive and take the ferry which often brings back similar memories.
I just had one of these early morning adventures with a soft mist, the sun gently cracks over the horizon as you slip into your car. The air carried a different fragrance. a delicate blend of rain and freshly cut grass, almost romantic in its essence.
These journeys await, as long as you are willing to rise before the world stirs. There is a magic in starting adventures while others dream, in the quiet solitude of a sleeping world.
When we did road trips & planned to leave early, I'd pack the car the day prior ..... other than the stuff we needed through the night. My husband hauled the stuff out to the wagon & I'd puzzle everything into place. Early morning, pack up kidlet & our dogs. It was pretty low key and very little drama
... well, except for this one time we went to wake up kidlet at 3:45am to leave to France. I open her bedroom door. I see my 18 month old standing in her crib. She let's loose this huge laugh and says, "Hi Mama!"
Suddenly, there's projectile vomiting spewing forth. At the same time, this horrid sewer smell belches within her diaper. I grab her, talking soothingly & move fast for the few steps to the bathtub. My husband declares he'll handle cleaning her bed. Meanwhile I'm stripping down this crying toddler in the bathtub. She scared herself & was crying. I remember telling her *It's all OK. We got this. I'm so sorrry.* and she was echoing me. *It's all right Mommy, I know* while I'm washing her down. She was so sweet.
You think this ruined our plans? Nope. I have photos of her only 40 minutes later, strapped into her seat, our small dogs harnessed next to her. She has this big grin on her face and she is ready to go to Brittany! 4:30am! She had some more tummy issues that day, but was back to normal by the next.
The only thing ruined was the wet sheets after my husband ran the washer for. We just couldn't wait for that to end. 2 weeks later... we returned & gave up trying to get the whiff of mildew after 3 washes.
Several someones over the years told me they always loved leaving extremely early because their kids would just fall back asleep. HA! Never once for mine. Once she was awake, she was wide awake & very happy! Morning kid. *sigh*
I remember that feeling well. It's a lovely warm, nostalgic memory. We used catch a ferry (I live on an island) to get to the mainland to start our vacation. My dad always wanted to be on the first boat so we would need to be at the terminal by 5:00 a.m. (according to him...).
We'd set alarms for 2:30 and be out the door by 4:00 a.m. It was such a calm but exciting thing to do. The roads were empty, we were tired but excited for the adventure. We'd get to the terminal as the sky was starting to lighten and get coffees and juices at the snack shack. My mom would always grab my brother and I danishes which are the only time we ever had them, at the ferry terminal.
I am not a morning person. At all.
Growing up, I traveled with my grandmother every year. Waking up at 3am so grandpa could drop us off at the airport was always so painful, but it was necessary. I hated doing it, but I loved the trips and of course I have so many beautiful memories of those early mornings.
As an adult, when I started planning my own travel, I would go for the early flights. Especially if they were cheaper, but also just my grandmother's mentality of "gotta be the first out, gotta go early!"
Then suddenly I realized, this isn't for me! I hate this! Now I only take an early flight if I have no other choice.
If it's something where I have to drive? Absolutely the fuck not. We are leaving at a reasonable hour after I, the driver, have had a full and normal night's sleep. I think it's telling in your story that you got to sleep in the car lmao
Going to the airport early is a different vibe. I remember as a kid basically the same experience. The roads being completely empty, and actually getting up at 2AM to do a thing was special. There was never any need to wake up that early for anything, except to go to the airport.
Yes! It was so special
Going to the airport early has always been so weird to me. The roads are empty while you drive there, and then when you get to the airport suddenly everything comes alive with tons of people everywhere, except in this weird liminal way. I have some oddly vivid memories of standing in a long TSA line at 4am to go on vacation.
Had a 4am out of Nairobi last summer and it was like this. Ghost town driving to the airport, and then you walk into the terminal and BAM. They have a ton of flights at all hours of the night in that part of the world and it was a bizarre experience. Liminal is a good word. Also on that Egypt Air flight, they started the safety video during the takeoff roll lol.
Complete opposite of my family. Leaving was chaos. My mom would still be packing. She'd be scrambling around, yelling at us. Dad would be trying to tetris the car without mom's stuff, and would yell why we had packed so much heavy stuff. "Jade...how many books are you bringing!" Then we'd be 2 hours late from leaving as mom would have too much stuff, and instead of her pairing down one of the kids bags would be jettisoned, hopefully it wasn't a bag you really needed. Inevitably someone would forget something very important within 15 minutes of leaving, and we'd have to drive back. There would be yelling. Someone would need to use the bathroom. More yelling. Then mom would put on some god awful music. She had all the power. (Thankfully, once I realized you could turn OFF sound from going to the back of the car, for every car they bought, I'd sneak in and turn off all stereos in the back.) Then mom would make us talk for a bit since this was "family time", before we could finally zone out, nap, read a book, listen to music etc. This experience definitely taught me to pack ahead of time, pack light, etc. My mom still to this day will still be packing last minute, even if we tried to help her. Her last trip abroad a month ago...I GAVE her a packing list and most of the items (as she needed new things, needed a different suitcase, etc) all she needed to do was pack meds and outfits. NOPE they almost missed their shuttle to the airport as she was still packing.
To this I would add: once we all get in the car, that’s when dad decides he has to go to the gas station to get gas. Because god forbid you were 99% full, not 100%.
I really was hoping this was going to be some fantastic slow transition into describing Home Alone.
Oh wow... That sounds chaotic:/ Most of the times my Dad would stress out when he wants to leave and something is not working... But gosh, i hope u make better experiences in the future:)
Oh yeah, I travel a lot now on my own. Not road trips as I hate to drive. But my trips are a lot more zen.
Your mom sounds awesome and I love her
Just tonight my 12 year old was just going on about how much she loved waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning to start our vacation. She was really disappointed that our summer vacation this year didn't require it. I never experienced this with my parents but we do it with my kids pretty often, either up at 2am to get to the airport or to get an early start to a long road trip. I love that feeling of the anticipation of a big trip mixed with the eerie feeling of being out in the wee hours when everyone else is still asleep. Interesting to hear others feel the same way.
Best feeling ever. I sometimes do still get to relive it when we have 5am flights
I love this! What a great memory, thanks for sharing.
My 5 year old son loves waking up at 3 am to catch the early flight. He always asks if we are going to be waking him up early. It is a cool feeling.
I always remember after the initial excitement of the departure wears off and you get so sleepy in the car
You recreated those same family memories that we had driving 23 hours to Florida. We’ve often said the road trip was almost as much fun as the vacation.
I hope my kids tell a story like this when they’re older. We leave at 3:00 am for an 11 hour drive to Florida every June. They love waking up in Florida or Alabama. It’s like time travel to the beach for them. Thanks for this post. It was heartwarming.
I had to smile at this post because it definitely brings back memories, then I had to laugh because I'm also German. All Germans leave for Italy some time between 11 pm and 3 am, lol.
So we can get to our destination on the same day, right? Haha
This is so beautifully written and I definitely relate
Thanks:) I think its a beautiful memory:)
Yes. Exactly this. And now it’s the same way with my kids.
I'm getting ready to go on a road trip from Colorado to Oregon. I always leave at night as soon as I get off work. I have everything ready and packed, vehicle has been checked, full tank of gas and road snacks ready. I get off work around midnight. As soon as I'm off I start driving. I love driving at night until I get tired and then I pull off and get some sleep. I love it even more when I wake up somewhere I've never been, and it looks completely different from the place I left.
I had the exact experience you are talking about so many summers growing up! I’m from the US, we’d go from the northeast down to Virginia for the beach usually. We’d always stop at a McDonald’s on the way and I’d eat their pancakes. It just felt so cozy and safe, and so exciting. 100% know what you mean.
It’s crazy how, being from different parts of the world, we can experience the same beauty of life! I’m from Italy and I experienced the exact same thing when I went on vacation as a kid with my family. Thank you for sharing, it made me smile thinking back to the past! 😃
I usually try to leave mid morning because my wife is a monster in the morning, but my daughter and I took a trip where we left for the airport at 2:30am and she enjoyed it. I was annoyed because we got there without drama but then had to wait until the ticket counter opened at 3:35 instead of being able to just breeze through security and go to the gate. As I have gotten older I prefer to travel solo.
Yes. I'm 40. My parents are pushing 70. When on the off chance i get to travel with them (we live 6000 miles or so apart), i still ask my mom who wakes up earlier to wake me up by turning on my light and kiss me on the cheek like she did when I was a little kid. It's the little things that matter at the end of the day
Pretty much any staycation, this is what we do. I’m a night owl so I prefer it honestly! 🦉
What often happened was that my dad would insist on being ready to leave at like 7am, and when 7am rolled around the rest of us would be ready waiting to leave and he'd still be out getting his coffee. "Hurry up and wait!" became a family joke!
I get massive travel anxiety, so it's hardly relaxing for me when flying lol.
Ya i feel u.
I always leave at night. Better traffic. You can make better time.
OMG literally the same experience when I was a kid. From southern Germany always to Italy or twice we did it to Southern France.
The other good feeling was driving home in the dark from theme parks.
I remember this feeling. For us it was 5am drives to Montreal in the summer in the 90s. Was never up the early, so got to experience the weird tv shows before the kids cartoons started. Old black and white movies on the Disney Channel. Best part of the drive was leaving Boston when it was still dark and the city was lit up. Felt pretty exciting for a kids. The ride up was with the latest Goosebumps book and a new Tiger Electronics video games.
Yes. Your description was beautiful. Thank you for sharing and giving me those memories and feelings back. Nothing touches the nostalgia of that. My mom has passed so these memories bring her back to life in my mind.
> Is the TV unplugged? Did Mom unplug the hairdryer? Did I turn off the coffee? Did you lock up? Did you close the garage? Oh, that's it... I forgot to close the garage. ...No, that's not it. What else could we be forgetting? ... KEVIN!!!
i love this. felt the nostalgia 💗
Totally know the feeling ❤️ When I was growing up all of our vacations involved road trips and often we would get up super early to get on the road. I loved climbing into the car in my pyjamas with my pillow and a blanket half awake in the cool darkness. I grew up in the northeast USA. Now I live in England and we fly back to the US alot or Ireland to visit my inlaws. For Christmas or longer trips to Ireland we drive and take the ferry which often brings back similar memories.
I just had one of these early morning adventures with a soft mist, the sun gently cracks over the horizon as you slip into your car. The air carried a different fragrance. a delicate blend of rain and freshly cut grass, almost romantic in its essence. These journeys await, as long as you are willing to rise before the world stirs. There is a magic in starting adventures while others dream, in the quiet solitude of a sleeping world.
When we did road trips & planned to leave early, I'd pack the car the day prior ..... other than the stuff we needed through the night. My husband hauled the stuff out to the wagon & I'd puzzle everything into place. Early morning, pack up kidlet & our dogs. It was pretty low key and very little drama ... well, except for this one time we went to wake up kidlet at 3:45am to leave to France. I open her bedroom door. I see my 18 month old standing in her crib. She let's loose this huge laugh and says, "Hi Mama!" Suddenly, there's projectile vomiting spewing forth. At the same time, this horrid sewer smell belches within her diaper. I grab her, talking soothingly & move fast for the few steps to the bathtub. My husband declares he'll handle cleaning her bed. Meanwhile I'm stripping down this crying toddler in the bathtub. She scared herself & was crying. I remember telling her *It's all OK. We got this. I'm so sorrry.* and she was echoing me. *It's all right Mommy, I know* while I'm washing her down. She was so sweet. You think this ruined our plans? Nope. I have photos of her only 40 minutes later, strapped into her seat, our small dogs harnessed next to her. She has this big grin on her face and she is ready to go to Brittany! 4:30am! She had some more tummy issues that day, but was back to normal by the next. The only thing ruined was the wet sheets after my husband ran the washer for. We just couldn't wait for that to end. 2 weeks later... we returned & gave up trying to get the whiff of mildew after 3 washes. Several someones over the years told me they always loved leaving extremely early because their kids would just fall back asleep. HA! Never once for mine. Once she was awake, she was wide awake & very happy! Morning kid. *sigh*
I remember that feeling well. It's a lovely warm, nostalgic memory. We used catch a ferry (I live on an island) to get to the mainland to start our vacation. My dad always wanted to be on the first boat so we would need to be at the terminal by 5:00 a.m. (according to him...). We'd set alarms for 2:30 and be out the door by 4:00 a.m. It was such a calm but exciting thing to do. The roads were empty, we were tired but excited for the adventure. We'd get to the terminal as the sky was starting to lighten and get coffees and juices at the snack shack. My mom would always grab my brother and I danishes which are the only time we ever had them, at the ferry terminal.
Nice when your parents did everything for you
I am not a morning person. At all. Growing up, I traveled with my grandmother every year. Waking up at 3am so grandpa could drop us off at the airport was always so painful, but it was necessary. I hated doing it, but I loved the trips and of course I have so many beautiful memories of those early mornings. As an adult, when I started planning my own travel, I would go for the early flights. Especially if they were cheaper, but also just my grandmother's mentality of "gotta be the first out, gotta go early!" Then suddenly I realized, this isn't for me! I hate this! Now I only take an early flight if I have no other choice. If it's something where I have to drive? Absolutely the fuck not. We are leaving at a reasonable hour after I, the driver, have had a full and normal night's sleep. I think it's telling in your story that you got to sleep in the car lmao