Load Up the 'Family Truckster' For Summer Travel

With the airlines creating PR nightmares for themselves daily, perhaps what we need is a good old-fashioned family road trip - Griswold-style. There should be no excuse not to load up your family vehicle (preferably an eight-headlight, wood paneled, gas-guzzling, metallic pea colored, station wagon) and hit the road this summer.

WARNING: NSFW LANGUAGE!

The forecast for gas prices just might make it more economical, too. According to the Energy Information Administration, the outlook calls for an average of $2.39 per gallon.

Reason cited include increased inventory, low crude oil prices, yada, yada, yada. What does matter is that you'll create more memories on the road than you will in a stuffy no-leg room airplane. Unless, of course, you're dragged off the plane for over-booking. That seemed quite memorable for one guy recently.

As a family, we've had our share of busy airports, airline delays, running to a connecting flight terminal, car-rental nightmares, and crowded amusement park lines. And every family should experience that. But there's no substitute for good old-fashioned road trip vacation.

Just ask Clark, Ellen, Rusty, and Audrey. We'd ask Aunt Edna but she had a rough day.