Last year as summer approached, Keith and Eilleen Thomas began planning their family holiday realizing that it just might be the last time both their twelve year-old son, Colin, and their sixteen year-old daughter, Pauline, might be available, or interested, in going with them. So when Colin suggested a trip across Canada, Keith and Eileen were immediately in agreement and Pauline soon began to like the idea as well.

It was a major decision for the whole family. The kids would be leaving their friends for ten weeks and Keith and Eilleen would have to shut down their business, CJ's Café, for the summer; however, as it always has been for them, what they considered best for the family came first, so the planning began.

Soon the Internet was buzzing and maps and books filled the house as all four got involved and each found their own list of "must sees".

Keith and Eilleen felt it was a great opportunity for the kids to learn about the geography, culture and economy of their country first hand and also to meet friends Keith had made when he first moved to Canada in 1967.

So when the school year came to an end, the rest of the family was waiting in the van as Pauline finished her final exam. As soon as she joined them, they raced to catch the 12:30 ferry and they were off.

That night as they were setting up tent for first time, a bird flew over and did its business with great accuracy, hitting Keith dead centre in the head. Some might have considered that a bad omen, Keith saw it as a lucky charm ... and it was.

The trip was a wonderful success, the entire 17,000 kilometres of it.

When I asked about the highlights, I was told that they all agreed that Ottawa, Quebec City, and ... wait for it ...Moose Jaw were the cities they would most highly recommend to others planning a similar trip.

Apparently Moose Jaw is a fascinating city that features underground tunnels that have something to do with the early Chinese population and it has a lot more of interest too according to the Thomas family. Who would have guessed?

Spending ten weeks driving 17,000 kilometres with four people squeezed into a small van is enough to put a lot of pressure on a family, pressure that Keith says brought them even closer together. The kids had lots of books and kept busy writing their diaries and maintaining an Internet Blog reporting on their trip.

Keith had another suggestion for anyone planning a similar trip. Get a CB radio. He says the whole family enjoyed getting to know the truckers they met through the radio. They learned a lot about them and their families and a whole lot about the country they were driving through.

When I asked if he would recommend a trip like this to other families, Keith enthused, "If you have nothing else in common, after a trip like this, you'll have memories to share forever. It’s a draw string that pulls you all together."

Now when they hear of a curling match on PEI, something that's happening in parliament, or reports about a flood in Manitoba, they can all go there in their minds because they've been there, and they've been there together.

If you have been thinking about taking a family vacation this summer, especially if you have young teenagers, do you think this just might be the last year they will want to go with you?

Not everyone is able to take a ten-week vacation but a special one or two-week vacation with a focus on family togetherness is an investment I can assure you, you will never regret.

Would Keith and Eileen do it again? "In a nanosecond!"