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going to visit family who have moved to France. Two kids in a car for hours on end and yet we managed to do itin good humour.

Definitely driving to the South of France

My daughter doesn't like me. For many years now, I feel that my daughter doesn't like me. Fourteen years ago, her first husband died, and I feel that she needed a scapegoat, and that was me. Following his death she was really awful to me, and even now that she has remarried and has a 2 year old daughter, she is still hostile toward me and it upsets me so much. For instance, we Skype every week and today her daughter sang a song and I joined in. The response was, ' oh, granny just ruined that for you.' There are constant snide remarks after everything I say. Perhaps I am too thin skinned! But she is not like that with my husband. Today he got an e card for Father's Day with ' to dad with lots of love from x ( x being her name). She sent me a Mother's Day card and the message was 'to mum, from x.' Any advice appreciated, because I love her so much and her behaviour really upsets me.

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Oh, Antonia. Do you think she changed noticeably after her husband died? Was she OK with you before that? It does sound as though she may have some issues with you and it's not always possible to discuss these things without sounding needy or unreasonable. Can you think of an incidence that might have caused this cooling off towards you? It does seem sad but I note you say she was really awful to you and can you associate something specific with that? It's not always easy to turn things around again once they've gone that far. Just go on being her loving mum, and a loving granny, and maybe things will get back as they were, but only you can really know the history of the way things are at present, why they may be like this. Hopefully it's just a case of time. You don't say whether you get to meet up, as well as skyping, but it would be ideal if you could actually all get together more often. I do wish you well.

Antonia, before I replied to you I should have read through the thread. I think you need to start a new one as this one is about road trips. Hopefully you would then get some responses to your problem.

My best trip was driving from the north of scotland to London! It took a few days, but it was fun stopping and visiting different cities and enjoying the british countryside. I don't know if I would do it again though.

In 1980 when our children were just 9 and 10 we all went on a trip of a lifetime to South Africa. After a magical trip on the blue train from Cape Town to Pretoria we picked up a hire car. We travelled to the Kruger national park . We stayed in rest camps in little round huts with thatched roofs. We got up a 3am each morning so that we could get to see the animals who had been asleep on the roads. The children kept a diary of the places we visited, things we did and lists of animals we saw. At every twist and turn of the journey there was something new and exciting to see. Vast grassy plains dotted with architectural baobab trees and herds of running,leaping antelopes. Lazy lions snoozing in the shade,wide murky rivers full of wallowing hippos and the odd sneaky crocodile. Lumbering herds of elephants and zebras crossing the roads right infront of us. Tall giraffes nibbling at trees and many,many more. At the end of our journey we came to the spectacular great escarpment taking us down from the heights of the national park. In those days there were very few wildlife programmes on tv.
We will never forget our magical journey!

For Christmas last year my family clubbed together and bought me a car. An amazing gift which took my breath away, as you can imagine. They bought it from a teacher in Newcastle upon Tyne. Lovely condition, safe and secure. One problem only, I live in Devon and was terrified of the idea of driving that far alone.

In steps my hero Son in Law. He drove me all the way, well as far as Bristol Airport, which is nearly all the way. We had such a laugh on the drive. I bought us Greggs breakfast sandwiches and we ate them totally free from the hand gel my daughter always instists we use. He loved that !

No it's not a Route 66 story but the drive cemented our already wonderful relationship. He is literally the son I never had and as his own mother died when he was small, I feel I bring something to his life...even if it is just Greggs Bacon Sandwiches !!

In 1972 my DH and I drove from England to Iran in a second hand Morris Traveller with DS in his high chair in the back!! We had lots of adventures but one of the most memorable was when we had a puncture half way up a mountain in the middle of nowhere and we had to unload the car to get to the spare tyre. Out came my upright vacuum cleaner, the said high chair, a gorgeous 'proper' pram, and an original McLaren buggy, various bundles, suitcases and boxes. Then the spare was flat! So DH left me on the side of a mountain in Turkey with our 18 month old child, surrounded by our worldly possessions while he rolled down the road to a garage we had passed earlier...much earlier! All was well until round the corner of the mountain came a flock of goats followed by a family of adults and children. They walked amongst all the articles looking at me and everything very carefully while I stood clutching my child with a silly grin on my face. Then they strolled off. I have often wondered what they thought this woman was doing amongst so much stuff with nothing and no-one in sight.
The thought of what might have happened fills me with horror but it was a different maybe safer age then.
We survived the trip and DS (now 44) has dined out many times on this and stories of other adventures on that journey.

Our best road trip was when we took our 3 children camping in different locations around the UK visiting lots of sites of interest and lots of nice campsites. Got lots of happy memories and lots of photographs! Would love to do that again in a heartbeat, the kids are too old now though and wouldn't be interested!

My best road trip ever was a thrilling drive from Rothbury to Elsdon through the Northumberland National Park on the B6341. The fast(ish) car, the steep ascent, the tortuous bends, the amazing scenery and, coming from an expanse of beautiful purple moorland, the sound of gunfire. Pure James Bond!
The shooting, I discovered, was from the Otterburn ranges. They’re used by the MOD for training.
I zoomed (sort of) along, the wind rushing through my hair, with the baddie (pretend) in hot pursuit.
An arthritic grandmother set off from Rothbury but a glamorous Bond Babe arrived in Elsdon. Pure magic.

There were six of us, in our early twenties. We set off from my home town on a clear June morning in 1975 at 06.00. We loaded our luggage into a converted blue Dormobile and all piled in for the trip. We were travelling from Cumbria to London on the first stage of our trip to Taize` in France for the Festival of Youth. In London we slept on the living room floor of the flat of a friend of a friend. We set off again for Ramsgate, breaking the journey in Canterbury, the Cathedral was closed! We crossed the channel by hovercraft, the sea was as calm as a mill pond. We drove down through France until we reached Paris. Two minor road accidents later, (they drive like mad men in Paris), we had set up camp in the grounds of a convent. Off we went to see the sights. Not having a map, we saw parts of Paris that regular tourists never see. It rained! The Nuns had very kindly rescued our belongings and let us stay in the guest wing of the Convent. We reached Taiz`e and had a fabulous time, the Brothers were wonderful. We met some very interesting young people from all over the world. The journey home again was uneventful until we reached the hoverport. My sister and I went for a meal, the others didn't. Crossing the channel there was a twelve foot swell! Have you ever travelled by hovercraft? It's very bouncy. My sister and I giggled as one by one all the passengers turned a delightful shade of green and ran for the side of the hovercraft. We stayed in the same flat in London overnight, you could see the back of The Oval cricket ground from the windows. It was a trip I'll never forget.

The best ever was a trip through Texas with 4 adults and 2 kids. The guys in one car and the girls in the other. The one year old sleeping the four year old screaming that her film had just gone from the laptop and a frantic phone call to her dad, computer geek, asking how to reset it. Said he couldn't do anything as he couldn't see the problem. Did the usual reboot and it worked - wahey! My BF and I still wonder why it was assumed the girls had the kids. Great trip though.

My best road trip was from San Francisco to Los Angeles. En route we visited Yosemite, the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Palm Springs and finally drove up Highway 1 which hugs the coast from San Diego to LA. It was a fantastic trip with lots to see and do everyday.

My funniest moment was on a whole family holiday in Portugal - my SiL was driving and she went the wrong way round a roundabout! The locals were going bananas, shouting & gesturing like mad at us...

Driving all the way from Shrewsbury to Orkney in the mid 1950's
Dad had a Ford Consul and driving over Shap seemed a massive undertaking but he did it. He wanted to take his family to see where he was born.

our first trip to lands end was epic!

We left home once in Norfolk not knowing where to go, tent in car! We kept driving and driving and ended up in York! Had a great few days in that area, hubby wasnt impressed though as there was a sudden thunder storm and we had pitched under a tree...I made him move the tent in the dark at 10.30pm!

A few years ago my wife and I flew to Las Vegas for 2 weeks.
Weather was great so we made extensive use of our hire car to visit the Hoover Dam and virtually every casino hotel on and off the Strip, including Fremont Street, to sample their all-you-can-eat buffet buffets as well as several shows. Driving up and down the Strip at night to see all the glittering lights and the Bellagio fountains was magical and I doubt I will ever experience anything better.

My best road trip ever was when I was about 10 and we spent two weeks travelling around the highlands of Scotland in a dormobile. I can't remember any bad weather or ever being bored.

Our best road trip was last November when we started in Orlando FL, then drove up through Georgia, South Carloina, North Carolina into Tennessee where we went to the Smokey Mountains, Pigeon forge (Dollywood) and Nashville & Memphis (Gracelands), We then 'popped in Arkansas & Mississippi, then drove through back through Alabama to Florida.. The end.. or was it? we then drove to Miami where we got on a cruise ship to Nassau (Bahamas) Coco Cay (Bahamas) and Key West, then drove back to Orlando.. Best holiday ever!

One of my most memorable road trips (and I have been lucky enough to have had many!), was driving from Marrakech to Essaouira on the coast of Morocco.
In this small corner of South west Morocco grows the worlds only argan forests. Argania Spinosa, the tree that produces precious Argan Oil.
These trees take 50 years to mature and the oil is extracted from the kernals. No wonder they call it liqued gold on a tree! Goats love the taste of the fruit and are encouraged by the herders to climb up into the branches to eat. An amazing sight indeed.
Luckily they leave the nuts behind and it is these which are collected and crushed to make the Argan Oil.
Watching the centuries old process of extracting the oil by hand to make up the range of cosmetic and other products we today, take for granted, made this a memorable and worthwhile road trip.

I wrote earlier,very briefly about my road trip, also very brief, but when DH bought a sportsy car, I drove it to pick him up one afternoon. At the junction, pause, look, foot on accelerator, and WOW, off I went, whoosh. He would have been proud of me. I was a bit taken aback, but enjoyed the moment.

My best ever road trip was a few months after my marriage broke up, when I was feeling very depressed and my self esteem was at rock-bottom. I went to Australia to stay with my sister and her partner in Sydney and we rode right round New South Wales on motorbikes, spending Christmas in a chalet park in Broken Hill. I still have pictures of me with a beer, in a pool, on Christmas morning when the temperature was 40 C...
Riding a bike again was very empowering and I felt much better afterwards!