7 Dads Share Their Best Advice for Surviving Spring Break Family Vacation

Aaron Turpen on the Right Vehicle and a Rock Station Strategy

Aaron Turpen has spent 15 years writing about cars and three times as many years raising teenagers. He has opinions about both.

His first rule is non-negotiable: "Make sure you have a vehicle oversized for your family, preferably a minivan or large SUV. One thing that makes road trips not suck is having the maximum distance between passengers in the vehicle."

Fair. But his backup plan for when distance alone isn't enough is where it gets good. Tune the radio to a hard rock station — Ozzy's Boneyard gets his specific endorsement — and keep the volume low. "When the back seat sitters start getting feisty, you can crank it up and drown them out."

It's funny, but there's something real underneath it: having a reset mechanism when the cabin pressure rises is genuinely useful. Aaron's just honest about what his reset button sounds like.

(Aaron is the founder of AaronOnAutos.com)

Gregory Lee on Booking Smart and Letting Kids Own a Day

Gregory Lee is COO of a Boston-based apartment rental marketplace, which means he's watched thousands of families figure out — or fail to figure out — the lodging question.

"Book a place with a kitchen and extra space instead of cramming everyone into a hotel room," he says. "Families who rent a full apartment or condo come back happier than the ones who spent twice as much on a resort." The math works: breakfast in beats resort buffet pricing, and a second bathroom is worth more than most people realize until they don't have one.

His other move is deliberately handing over control. "Let the kids own one day — pick a day where they choose the activity, even if it's something you'd never pick." He once lost a harbor boat tour to a random mini-golf course. "They still talk about that mini-golf game. The boat tour? They wouldn't have remembered it by Tuesday."

(Gregory is COO of Spot Easy)

Dean Rotchin on Building In the Buffer

Dean Rotchin's advice is short and direct: ditch the rigid timetable, and build a financial cushion before you leave.

"Allocate an extra 15-20 percent for unforeseen expenses," he says, "to ensure that you are not stressed when chaos hits." That's the part most dads skip. They budget for what they planned, then absorb the surprise costs with visible frustration — which the kids pick up on immediately.

The other thing Dean hammers home is presence over performance. "Keep your cell phone aside. Your children will see you pay more attention than a five-star hotel." That's the trade-off on most spring break trips: phone down, eyes up, and the whole thing gets easier.

(Dean is with Black Jet)

Justin Crabbe on Letting Adventure Drive

Justin Crabbe runs a private aviation company, so he thinks a lot about how people move through the world — and what gets in the way.

His take on spring break cuts to it quickly: stop front-loading the schedule and start following your kids' energy. "Go to places that will make your children excited, and see how your support makes the whole trip completely different."

What he's really describing is a posture shift. Most dads go into vacation trying to execute a plan. Justin's suggesting you go in trying to respond to the moment. "Flexibility in taking up new paths is what makes the best stories" — and he's right that the stories nobody tells are the ones where everything went exactly as scheduled.

(Justin is CEO of Jettly)

Neil Turner on Realistic Expectations and What Detours Teach

Neil Turner homeschools his youngest son, who has autism, and has built a travel philosophy around a concept he calls roadschooling — using the unexpected as part of the education.

"Start with realistic expectations," he says. "Not everything will go as planned, and the energy and excitement will go up and down. Don't expect perfection." But his real point goes further: "The rough patches are also teaching opportunities. Your kids are watching how you handle the disappointments and learning how to react from you."

He's got two examples that land hard. A truck breakdown in California turned into an unplanned museum day that became a trip highlight. A burned-out afternoon in Montana became an afternoon skipping rocks at a lake his son still brings up years later. "I missed out on the sights I had planned for that day, but it was a great afternoon."

The detour often is the destination.

(Neil is with OkieSchool)

Hasan Morcel on Burning Off Energy Before It Burns You

Hasan Morcel has a simple system, and it works: do something active every single morning.

"Whether it's swimming, hiking, or even just a really long walk," he says, "that way they are more mellow in the afternoons and not so squirmy in their seats when we eat at restaurants or take long drives." He's working with kids' biology instead of against it. Morning energy is real, predictable, and useful — if you point it somewhere deliberate before it becomes backseat chaos.

This is the most tactically specific tip in the roundup, and it's one you can implement tomorrow regardless of where you're going. The activity doesn't have to be elaborate. It just has to happen before noon.

(Hasan is with Keys Please)

Brian Stanley on Building a Tradition Instead of Filling a Week

Brian Stanley wrote a book about the Pinewood Derby and built a business around it — but the advice he's giving here isn't really about the car.

"Spring break doesn't have to be about finding distractions — it's the perfect time to create traditions that last," he says. His point is that shared projects stick in a way that scheduled activities don't. "I've had countless late nights with my son, carving, sanding, and laughing over mistakes. The best part isn't the race — it's the time spent together."

If Pinewood Derby isn't your thing, the principle transfers: find something you build or make together over a few days. A fort, a recipe, a film you shoot on someone's phone. The artifact matters less than the hours you logged getting there.

(Brian is the founder of Turbo Derby)