Did you "go for a drive" when you were a kid?

[Allthereindeersaregirls]

I was reminded of this the other day, when a friend said she was taking the kids "for a drive" to get out of the house. I'd not heard of anyone doing it since I was a kid (80s) and I don't remember anyone else doing it then.

Mum and dad would bundle us in to the car and we'd go for a drive - just that. No purpose (that I can discern), not a drive to get somewhere, not even an ice cream. We'd just drive around for a bit then go home.

Were my parents nuts?

Yes. My parents would rev up the VW van and off we would go on a Sunday. My brother and I would be so angry as we would see all our friends playing outside. We would stop for lunch or dinner somewhere.

Once in awhile my father would take us on what I call “death marches”. He would pack us up at 8am and we sometimes would not return until 8pm.

I really miss those times now, when my family was young.

Lol, maybe you were very well behaved. I think that was a last resort for my parents on a rainy day. We also went to B&Q to "browse" a lot.

Perhaps with the prevalence of iPad etc it's easier to keep kids occupied.

We did, I once remember we had to wait for ages down a country lane as a stoat was trying to put an egg up a wall, it was pretty cool and the only time I’ve ever seen a stoat.

But all the other ‘drives’ we very boring although we did occasionally stop for an ice cream.

No.
We went on walks. Lots of walks.

Haha my partner and I do this with our toddler and we did it before she came along. We sort of just get bored and say 'let's go for a drive' which is pretty much just that, not stopping anywhere. I did this with my mum too as a child and teen. I think it's fun

We did. I can't fathom why now, I had 6 siblings. The fighting and bitching ftom the back you would think would have been hell for my parents.

We still do :-) on a rainy night just to get out of the house a bit we will have a drive we live near an area of beauty so tend to head up there.

It was a thing then, now we stop to eat at least

Yes, 80s and 90s.

We'd go along for the ride with a parent, e.g. to the shops or (my favourite) the garden centre.

But if we were in the car with both parents, then we were usually going somewhere specific for an actual day out.

All the time! I actually enjoyed them as it was usually a drive somewhere scenic. I confess that now as an adult I’ll sometimes go just for ‘a drive’ with my dog and not even have destination in mind.Just go where I feel like going when I see a sign leading somewhere. My sister on the other hand hates ‘drives’!

We never went just for a drive but we did go to the airport for treat sometimes! We'd maybe have dinner, ride on the train between the terminals and watch the planes. We didn't actually go on a plane until I was a teenager!

yes! We would get in "and see where the car takes us"!

Yes! 80s kid

Not really but we too went to B&Q/Focus DIY as an entertainment destination! Haha you’ve just reminded me @ArosGartref. Must try that with my own kids, they’d actually probably love it!

We did, although I hated it as I had to sit next to my older brother and he would spend most of his time being an unbearable twat. It’s not something I would do with my children now either, but only because I was in a really bad car accident years ago and now only go in a car through necessity, rather than enjoyment. Shame really, as I loved driving around in my late teens/twenties and love the idea of owning a vintage classic car to pootle around in.

Browsing b and q was a huge treat. If we were really good we were allowed to ring one doorbell each

Yep. 70s and 80s. There were usually sandwiches and a bottle of squash (empty squash bottle filled up with diluted squash) involved. Sometimes we even got out of the car to eat/drink!

We still do . Sometimes we take turns choosing where to go at junctions. I’m nosy, I like a good snoop down all the little roads.

Yes, and my childhood was in the 1950s and 60s.
I loved it, sometimes we'd take a picnic (usually tomato sandwiches and a thermos of tea) but I preferred it when we didn't have to get out of the car - and it was even better if I lay down on the back seat and fell asleep, the movement of the car was so soothing.

@WellTidy

yes! We would get in "and see where the car takes us"!

Yep us too! DH, DD & I did this on Easter Monday. I drove for fecking miles (got a wee bit lost). We also did break the “stay local” advice. We did get out and have a wee walk, it was great.

We still do it now and my kids are 17 and 15 !!! Usually end up outside a country pub somewhere. I love it as it is the only place we get their undivided attention !

My dad used to do same day courier work some evenings/nights for (I presume) extra money. I used to love when this coincided with a non-school night, as I'd be allowed to tag along in the van. This usually meant being out till the early hours, pick and mix at a service station when that was a thing, and a particularly memorable spring roll from a Chinese in Birmingham (I have no idea where... or why it sticks in the mind).
Just a really long drive for me, but obviously had a purpose for my dad.

My dad would also take us on 'magical mystery tours' where we followed the nose of the car. I mean he knew where he was going, but it was always a surprise when we got there.

But I don't think we ever really went for a drive for the drive.

As an adult, I enjoy driving, so occasionally if I'm very bored, and the partners decided to have a nap, ill go for a drive, pick up a coffee and pootle around until a phone call asking where I've got to.

My parents still do this. They often drive past some rightmove houses they like the look of but would never actually move to.

we had to wait for ages down a country lane as a stoat was trying to put an egg up a wall

I don't know why, but this made me laugh out loud! The simple pleasures of yesteryear, eh?