My brother and I are veteran road trippers. From elementary school on, we were routinely packed into our family’s minivan and motored off to destinations near (the North Shore) and far (Yosemite National Park, for one). Over the course of our travels, the weeks leading up to the trip packed their own kind of excitement: picking out a book for the road, selecting a bag of treats from the grocery store and narrowing down the DVDs we’d watch on the portable player—Scooby-Doo being the reigning champ.
I thought a lot about these family trips when I spoke with Katie and Ben Zweber, the pair behind the Two Wandering Soles travel blog. Some of the wisdom (pack snacks and find a novel source of entertainment for the trip) rang true from personal experience. Other tips (being mindful about breaks and avoiding day-of-travel stress) are being tucked away for future use. Although these might pertain predominantly to traveling with younger kids in tow, I think the takeaways can be just as useful to adults.
This spring will mark a travel first for me: visiting the South. My partner’s parents have a long-held tradition of attending the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans, which takes place late April. For this journey, they will serve as our tour guides, leading us through busy oyster bars and hole-in-the-wall jazz clubs where festival artists sometimes make a surprise visit for a late night show.
Where will your spring take you? Let me know about your near and far adventures at madeline@localmedia.co.
Happy travels,
—Madeline Kopiecki
![“The design inspiration came from artist Briana Auel’s piece [Concrete Jungle//Glass Ceiling]—its modern lines, vintage gold frames and palette of greens, pinks, and blues set the tone for the entire room,” Andrea Soule says. “To layer in fun, I painted the fireplace in Breakfast Room by Farrow & Ball, displayed art we’ve collected over the years and incorporated antique pieces inherited from Chase’s grandmother [Anne Hull].” Her father, Charles Soule, created the stained-glass entrance to the room, partnering with Down Home Stained Glass in Anoka.](https://plymouthmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AndreaHeadshots-61.jpg)
