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Family Station Wagon

Road maps, rest stops, and “are we there yet?”

Holiday Road by Lindsey Buckingham — cover art

Picture this: the sun-drenched road, the hum of tires on asphalt, and the eager anticipation of adventure. Dad’s hands grip the wheel, while Mom deftly unfolds the paper map as the kids squabble over who gets the coveted window seat. Before the age of smartphones and GPS, every family road trip was a journey into the unknown, punctuated by the sweet sounds of AM radio and the occasional cassette tape. It was a time when the destination mattered less than the memories made along the way—those roadside attractions, gas-station snacks, and the thrill of spotting a license plate from a far-off state. This issue, “Family Station Wagon,” is dedicated to that golden era of travel, where the songs on the dial were the soundtrack to our collective adventures, a playlist of nostalgia that captures the spirit of family vacations from beach trips to Grandma’s house.

On the playlist

Holiday Road by Lindsey Buckingham — cover art
Holiday Road
Lindsey Buckingham
1983
Vacation by The Go-Go's — cover art
Vacation
The Go-Go's
1982
Take It Easy by Eagles — cover art
Take It Easy
Eagles
1972
Ventura Highway by America — cover art
Ventura Highway
America
1972
Peaceful Easy Feeling by Eagles — cover art
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Eagles
1972
Sister Golden Hair by America — cover art
Sister Golden Hair
America
1975
Listen to the Music by The Doobie Brothers — cover art
Listen to the Music
The Doobie Brothers
1972
Summer Breeze by Seals & Crofts — cover art
Summer Breeze
Seals & Crofts
1972
Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) by Looking Glass — cover art
Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)
Looking Glass
1972
American Pie by Don McLean — cover art
American Pie
Don McLean
1971
A Horse With No Name by America — cover art
A Horse With No Name
America
1972
Ramblin' Man by The Allman Brothers Band — cover art
Ramblin' Man
The Allman Brothers Band
1973

Did you know

  • Navigated by a paper atlas folded wrong, with Mom calling the turns from the passenger seat.
  • Every vacation was secretly judged by one thing: the quality of the hotel pool.
  • License-plate games, gas-station snacks, and the eternal cry of 'are we there yet?'

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