Travelling has a way of bringing people closer together. It’s an opportunity to spend time together without the daily stresses of work and household chores. It’s a chance to work together while planning and exploring and it’s a way to create funny, heartfelt, and/or unique memories.
My mom, my sister and I did a bucket-list trip to Paris. While riding the metro system. I realized as the doors were about to close that we needed to immediately jump off to avoid a long walk back to our Airbnb. My mom got the message and we exited, but my sister misunderstood. The doors to the metro closed and with a terrified look, hands against the window, my sister waved good-bye shouting “where should I get off the metro?” and rolled away. Initially this was a pretty stressful situation, but luckily, we easily reconnected and then laughed heartily because the terror on her face as the train departed was wet-your-pants funny and we tease her about it to this day! It’s a memory the three of us will never forget and it will never be reproduced with any other trip (Paris or otherwise).
My dad’s bucket-list trip was a cruise through Alaska’s Inside Passage. We had inner rooms on the ship, but my dad had a larger room with a balcony for its great scenery. This came with some perks – red carpet rolled out for re-boarding the ship each day and shorter lines, mid-afternoon appetizers delivered to his room, nightly chocolates, and a larger bathroom with real doors rather than curtains. The first day, he didn’t like his appetizers and his shower door wasn’t closing correctly so he talked to his assigned “butler”. He was kind enough to ask us if we’d had any problems with the shower doors or the appetizers, not knowing we didn’t have either of those things, so we gave him a hard time the rest of the trip for being “bougie”. Things like “Sir Gregory, were your appetizers any better today? Is the red carpet acceptable or should we contact your butler?” etc. My sister made this extra funny by using a snooty English accent and because my dad (who is the most down-to-earth guy you’d ever want to meet), was embarrassed by our teasing.
These one-of-a-kind moments are the reason my siblings, Doug, and I have enjoyed travelling with our parents and/or friends and it was no different when my brother and mom flew in to meet Doug and I in Washington DC in late May.
There are plenty of blogs and Google resources out there if you’re planning a trip to DC so I won’t waste too much time telling you what you should do when you visit. Instead, I will share some pictures of what we did and provide a few tips.
DAY 1 – National Museum of African American History and Culture
This museum provides a comprehensive history of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and African American contributions to the U.S.
DAY 2 – National Archives and Records Administration followed by the National Gallery of Art.
The National Archives houses the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and also provides information on all other government records archived like recordings of FDR’s fireside chats. The National Gallery of Art has famous sculptures and paintings.
Bonus – Natural History Museum
Sadly, during this trip, my mom’s dog back at home got sick so she and I cut the day short, but my brother and Doug (both always on the go) went to the Natural History Museum as well!
National Archives 
Nat’l Gallery of Art
Natural History
DAY 3 – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Arlington National Cemetery.
While not an upbeat topic, the Holocaust Memorial Museum is a must-see. Arlington includes the tomb of the unknown soldier as well as some other famous individuals like JFK.
Holocaust Memorial Museum
Gas Chamber Depiction
DAY 4 – US Capitol Tour and the Memorials and Monuments
US Capitol tours need to be scheduled through your state representative. Due to Covid, we did not get the standard tour and due to an event, we did not get to see the rotunda. The Washington Monument can be seen from everywhere in the city. We used a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus to visit the Jefferson, MLK Jr., FDR, Lincoln, and Vietnam Veteran Memorials.
Bonus Day– Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture
Doug and I did this on our own a few weeks after the visit with my mom and brother because we were back in the area. The Portrait Museum includes some interesting art exhibits but is most well known for its display of official presidential portraits. They had a special exhibit on Nixon when we were there.
A few tips
- 4 DAYS MINIMUM – Try to allow for a minimum of 4 days in DC as there are endless interesting museums and you won’t want to miss the memorials and monuments.
- WALKING SHOES – we took advantage of the great metro system and we used the Hop-On-Hop-Off style bus to see the memorials, but there’s still a lot of walking throughout the museums and between metro stops. We walked…and we walked a lot!
- ON-LINE TIMED ENTRY / RESERVATIONS – There are a few places that, although free to visit, require timed entry tickets and or reservations – so check months in advance. As of this writing that included the White House Tour, the Capitol Tour, the African American History and Culture Museum, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Ford’s Theater.
- CHECK WEBSITES FOR SPECIAL ACCOMODATIONS – DC has done a great job of offering special benefits (like walk-in entry without timed tickets for active military). Special tours can be arranged free of charge for the visually impaired. Check websites closely if you need special arrangements as, often, accommodations can be made.
- TWO GOOD RV OPTIONS – While with my mom and brother, we stayed in their same hotel and parked the RV at Regan Airport’s long term parking. If you can get a spot, it’s relatively inexpensive and the metro provides an easy and quick option to get back to the city. Later, we stayed at Greenbelt National Park Campground and it was a quick drive from the campground to the large parking lot at the nearby metro station which takes you into the heart of DC.
- PLAN ON IT – There are no guarantees in life, so if DC is on your bucket list (and it should be), work on a travel plan to see if you can get it done. You won’t regret it!
