“We could never afford a trip around the world, so visiting 52 zoos seemed like a good option." (HO)

If they weren’t your kids, you’d abandon them by the side of the highway.

Each kilometer eats up precious gas and more of your limited patience.

“No, we’re not there yet. Sit back in your seat. Don’t make me stop this car.”

“And why isn’t the Gravol working on Timmy,” who’s just barfed up a Happy Meal over his sister.

Only 220 kilometers to go.

Summer road trips sure carry some lasting memories.

At least for the Taviano family, who’ve spent the past 52 weeks traveling to 52 different zoos.

Gabe and Marla, along with their three young children, wanted to explore the far reaches of the globe, while never leaving the confines of the U.S.

“We could never afford a trip around the world, so visiting 52 zoos seemed like a good option,” Gabe tells Sun Media from the family’s home in Columbus, Ohio.

Gabe, a 32-year-old web designer, and 33-year-old Marla, an author, made the trips during weekends and their children’s school holidays.

Their zoo safari put 35,406 km. on their vehicle, but didn’t cost as much as you would think. Because, assures Gabe, God was along for the wild ride.

The devout Christian family reached out to other families along the way. They often used contacts made via Facebook and Twitter.

They stayed with 31 different families — they had previously never met 17 of them — over 44 nights.

The adventure started in Louisville, and hit zoos from Birmingham, AL, to Tampa, FL, to Chicago, IL, and right across to Los Angeles, CA. They didn’t venture over into Canada, but would like to down the road.

During the entire year, which just wrapped up at the start of this month, there were no serious problems and no illness among the kids — Olivia, 8, Ava, 7 and three year old Nina.

The family sees that as a true blessing.

Gabe says it really wasn’t about a need to see the different zoos, but rather a love of family adventure and imagination.

While animal rights advocates have taken swipes at the Taviano clan, claiming the kids could have learned as much about the different animals in books, Gabe says his girls, including the youngest, know more about the different species than most kids their age.

And they haven’t gotten tired of family road trips or another elephant walk.

As Sun Media speaks to them, they’ve just returned, once again, from their local zoo.