Ramblin’ man

Hi, readers. Welcome to the Reno News & Review’s 2019 Spring Family Guide. Watching the warm weather roll in after a long, dreary winter has got me thinking about spending some time outside of my stale routine. As Reno sits at the confluence of two interstate highways, a day’s drive from some of the most popular destinations on the West Coast and surrounded by miles of breathtaking Sierra Nevada landscape, there’s no better way to celebrate summer’s imminent arrival than by hitting the road. That’s why this guide is full of ideas for planning the first road trip of the year, whether it’s the full-on Griswold trek, or just a quick day-trip to some new scenery.

On page 8, RN&R contributor and local mom Jessica Santina put together some handy tips for taking a trip with kids in tow. Jessica wrote a similar piece for our Nightlife Guide a few weeks back, and while we don’t want to pigeonhole her writing talents, her connections to the Reno Mom’s Blog mean she’s got great advice when it comes to planning potty breaks, slingin’ snacks, and describing fun destinations for the whole family.

For my own contribution, I spent some time with a few young people who are applying the road trip mindset to their full-time living situations for both fun and financial freedom. Find out what life on the road—or specifically, two modified school buses—looks like on page 13.

After that, its all about the essentials, and what are the absolute must-have’s for hours at a time in the car? Check page 11 for a road trip checklist of the essentials (food, gas, knowledge of the destination, etc.) courtesy of camping guru and RN&R contributor Kris Vagner. Then let our Editor-in-Chief Brad Bynum tell you about the most crucial drive-time element—the music. As a dad who’s heard enough squabbling over the stereo in his time, he has thoughts on how to keep the peace with kids in the car.

As Special Projects Editor, my job also includes talking to random Reno citizens for our Streetalk column, which you can find on page 3 of our regular edition. Listening to people recount their favorite road trip memories for this week’s edition reminded me of one of my favorite trips—when I spent a week in my Subaru Forester on my way up to Casper, Wyoming, to watch the 2017 solar eclipse from the line of totality—and got me excited to make some new plans soon. Hopefully, this guide will have have the same effect on you. Happy trails.

• Special Projects Editor,

Matt Bieker