Maximum miles and time frame for road trips?

[ivinsfan]

I saw Ronstars post about his trip to AZ .. I think it was around 3900 miles in 19 days.

How much driving do you like to do on a road trip? A neighbor just did a mini snowbird trip and somehow ended up driving over 9000 miles..

The nearest warm weather spot is at least 1500 miles from here, I find myself not enjoying the driving part. Add in some driving around at your destination and it seems like all you do is sit in the car.

Any tricks or solutions you do to make the driving more enjoyable?

[38Chevy454]

I did a decent amount of air travel for work. I am quite happy driving where I am going now; the flying bus of airline travel now is no fun at all. Many of my long trips are in the motorhome. I also have done plenty of trips in the car or truck itself. I suppose for me the drive is OK since I am looking forward to the destination.

As to how to make driving more enjoyable? I think this is a personal thing. Some people just hate driving in a car linger than an hour or so. I can do 600-800 miles in a day without trouble. Yes it is a long day and you definitely are ready for the night's sleep when done. In motorhome about 500 miles is a long enough day. It takes more effort and driving attention than a car. But overall it seems there are people that will never be able to be comfortable driving longer distances, and some that are fine with longer.

[Andre1969]

The longest trip I ever did, as a kid, was about 8,000 miles. In the summer of 1982, my Mom had a 6-week workshop she had to attend at Shepherd Air Force Base in Texas. (oops, just googled it, turns out it's actually "Sheppard"...I've been misspelling it all these years!).

Anyway, my grandparents decided to plan a vacation around it for them, and me. We left out of Glenn Dale, MD, on a Friday afternoon in June, and went down to SW Virginia, where my uncle was living at the time, and dropped off the dog for him to watch. Then, we took our time going out to Sheppard AFB, taking about 2 weeks to get there, and stopping at various sights along the way. The main things that stick in my mind were the 1982 World's Fair in Tennessee, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the highest point in Arkansas, and another place in Arkansas where you could pan for gold or diamonds or something like that.

After we dropped Mom off, we took our time going West, with the final destination being Grandmom's brother and sister-in-law in Long Beach, CA. At the end of Mom's 6-week class, we arrived back there, on a Friday evening, and then I remember them booking it (as we said in the early 80's) to get back home.

As a kid, it seemed kind of unreal, that it took us two weeks to get from our house to Texas, but then going home, it took about a day and a half. And that was with stopping back in VA to get the dog, and resting up and visiting friends for a bit, and then heading home.

I seem to recall the trip was around 8,000 miles, total. My grandparents had a '76 GMC Crew cab 3/4 ton pickup, with a slide-in truck camper.

Nowadays, the idea of getting to Texas in a day doesn't seem like a big deal. But at the time, I was only 12. Prior to that, the only somewhat long trips I'd ever taken were to Florida. In those trips we usually left early in the morning and drove through the night, and would get there early the next day. That was about 1000 miles, versus maybe 1500 for Sheppard AFB. But, for some reason, as a kid, Florida didn't seem that far, where Texas seemed like a whole different world!

On my honeymoon, we drove from Maryland out to see her relatives near Seattle. Made the trip in 76 hours. It had its ups and downs, but I don't think I'd ever want to try driving across the country that fast again. I'd rather stop and enjoy the sights along the way.

[Venturer]

In the late 70's I was a truck driver. I had been running "local" for a few years and then my company got some new business. a fiberglass bath tub co. with a plant in S.Ga. Utica Ny, Corsicana Tx. and South Bend In. While I would usually run the Valdosta Ga. one 2 to 3 times a week, Leave at Midnight, be at the plant at 6 to 6:30 am, unload pick up back haul and be back home by around 4 to 6pm. Then I took some trips to the Tx. plant. Leave Ga. on sunday around lunch time, drive all night with a nap of 1 to 2 hrs. in rest area. Be in Tx. by 7-8am, nap while being unloaded, then boogy back to Ga. getting back Tue. late afternoon/evening. Repeat that Wed. to Friday. Now the question is was it legally do able? No but if you are a dumb 20 something with a thirst for money, running 2 log books it was very do able. Wheels turning = money rolling in, boss didn't care as long as the stuff got delivered. Back then most every trucker had a CB radio, and knew where the Smokies were located, and whether or not the Chicken coops were open. I drove local for 4 years & over the road for 6 years and had my log books checked 1 time in all that time. I was stupid and very lucky and realized later that some one was watching out for me. Now when we travel in the vehicle only we do 3 to 400 miles tops in a day, & if pulling our 5th wheel only try for 250 to 350 a day, makes for a comfortable day.

[walkinwood]

We do a lot more fly-rent-drive than we used to.



Granted the flying experience isn't what it used to be, but splurge a bit - get an extended legroom seat & TSA-Pre to make the flight a bit more pleasant.


Car rentals are expensive these days, but your can still get a deal if you use a site like autoslash.com to track prices.


If we're going to spend 2 days or more driving to our first destination, we fly there & rent.

[Chuckanut]

I have a ratio I like to use to help me decide if I want to do any trip, even just a weekend getaway - fun-time/windshield-time. Windshield time is driving to and from the destination(s). Yes, the times are often an estimate, especially fun-time.

I want that ratio to be at least 2 though I will make exceptions. I have gone down to 1.5 for some special events and places, and will go to 1 for very special people (grandchildren, for example). If the ratio is too low, I will look for interesting places along the road to stop for a day, and boost the ratio back towards 2.

[athena53]

My limit is a couple of overnights and that's pushing it. I'm in Kansas City and have family in SC about 15 hours away. When my parents lived in Myrtle Beach it was longer and we did stretch it over 2 nights. I used to think I'd do a road trip to CA after retirement and decided that multiple days of driving would be too much, even with stops along the way.

I start out around 7 AM and drive to Mt. Juliet, TN, getting off the road in time to work out in the gym, have dinner and watch mindless TV. That leaves a shorter leg for the second day. On the way home I stop in Paducah, KY. My entertainment is downloaded podcasts and classic rock on my iPod Touch, and occasionally local radio stations.

Compared to flying I find it far less stressful- pack what I want, not tied to times I MUST be someplace, easily cancellable/changeable if it looks like bad winter weather.

[tutan]

Driving from home to northern AZ / south Utah is 800 to 1000 miles one way. That's about as much as my wife and I would drive. And that includes 2 nights staying in Bakersfield and Las Vegas. I try to find some attractions/ restaurants, which can be done in a short time along or a bit off the route using Google Maps.

[tulak]

For me, it’s not about max miles but about how much time I want to drive in a single day.

If I’m driving everyday, then I try to stick to around 4 hours: head out in the morning and arrive in the afternoon.

If I won’t drive the next day, then I’ll drive 6-8 hours in a day, preferring to stay closer to 6 than 8.

I usually only do longer drives if I plan on not driving the next day, but a lot depends on route.

[CRLLS]

I used to do 600 miles after a day's work and also 1300 miles in a single day. I can't do that anymore. What's more important is I don't care to. I will now do 500 miles to get to DS and his family's home. My best 2-3 week driving vacations were get in the car and go. We'll end up somewhere by nightfall. Stop to see something along the way when it strikes us. No schedule to follow. 2-300 miles a day, every day, seems about right for continuous travel. We did a 2,350 mile trip about 10 years back over 12 days w/DS and family that was very enjoyable. I have no tricks. I do have a traditional bag of spice drops and 2 cans of pop (or do you call it soda?) and other snacks that I carry along. Long trips are bad for my waistline. It does seem that GPS routing APPs like Google Maps and Waze take some of the fun out of travel.

If you haven't found the app called iExit, I highly recommend it for on-the road searching for gas, food etc.

[disneysteve]

We drive from NJ to Disney World every year pretty much. It's just over 1,000 miles each way. We usually leave in the morning around 9 AM, drive until about 8 or 9 PM and stop for the night. Then we go the rest of the way the next day and arrive late afternoon or early evening.

Last time, my wife and I drove just the two of us. We stopped for the night in the Carolinas. The next day, we made a stop in Savannah because we had never been there. Spent about 3 hours exploring the waterfront area, had lunch, and did a little shopping. Then we got back on the road and met friends for dinner in Orlando that evening.

So generally speaking, I'm fine driving about 600 miles/day with regular breaks.

[2017ish]

For us, it all depends. Internationally, we tend to drive less each day than in the US West. Also, how much time are we spending hiking during the day--and how many days off between driving? If/when we upgrade from my Honda Fit, we may be willing to drive more in a single day, as one limiting factor is the passenger's comfort.

Since retirement, we've done 3 trips of more than 6000 miles each in the US West. One was 8400 (and included 2 weeks of no driving when we rafted the grand canyon). But, those are multi-month trips.

We've done a couple of single days at the end of trips that were 800+ and that is just too much. (OTOH, we did about 800 miles in 24 days in Iceland, which was very relaxed pace with a lot of hiking, horse riding, and photography)

[Aerides]

I live in S. Fla and the idea of road trips is a non starter. 8 hours just to get out of the state, and most of that is the same boring flat view the whole way. Just mind-numbing. And then you know wherever you go, you're facing that same schlep for the way home.

If my route were more scenic, it might be different.

[athena53]

This just brought back bad memories of road trips from Stark County, OH to the Outer Banks, NC- 600 miles including the dreaded PA Turnpike. We'd leave at 9 or 10 PM and parents would drive through the nights, taking turns, with 5 kids in the (non-AC) station wagon.

I never subjected DS to that (easier decision when you're transporting only one kid)- when we lived in NJ and my parents were in Myrtle Beach we flew, till I started dating DH, who cheerfully drove the entire trip (about 12 hours) and didn't mind. He was over 6' tall and preferred that to a Coach airline seat.

[Freedom56]

Road trips along the coast of California are breathtaking. We stop occasionally to rest, snap photos, and eat. We limit road trips to about 600 miles to our destination. For longer destinations it makes more sense for us to fly and rent a car at the destination.

[Car-Guy]

I've made several 6 to 7 thousand mile road trips over the years. (Maybe a little more) The longest I ever drove in one day (or I should say straight through) was ~1350 miles. I usually try to limit my daily mileage to 600 to 700 miles. I like to drive and driving a "fun car" makes it much more enjoyable. YMMV

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivinsfan How much driving do you like to do on a road trip?

We don't go on road trips for fun any more. Guess we're getting old faster than we expected! Really we almost never travel more than 5-10 miles away from home, these days. Last September we evacuated for Hurricane Ida, and went to Arkansas. The trip about 3/4 did me in. That experience sure drove home that I'm not a kid any more. But hey, being old sure beats the alternative.

Before ER, we used to drive from New Orleans up to Springfield, MO for fun. The first day we'd drive to Jonesboro (Arkansas), and then the next day we'd finish the trip and get to Springfield by lunchtime.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerides I live in S. Fla and the idea of road trips is a non starter. 8 hours just to get out of the state, and most of that is the same boring flat view the whole way. Just mind-numbing. And then you know wherever you go, you're facing that same schlep for the way home. If my route were more scenic, it might be different.

My DH sister and her husband picked him up in Fort Bliss when he had leave after basic training. They went North, my SIL always says we drove 12 hours and we were still in TX...

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R We don't go on road trips for fun any more. Guess we're getting old faster than we expected! Really we almost never travel more than 5-10 miles away from home, these days. Last September we evacuated for Hurricane Ida, and went to Arkansas. The trip about 3/4 did me in. That experience sure drove home that I'm not a kid any more. But hey, being old sure beats the alternative. Before ER, we used to drive from New Orleans up to Springfield, MO for fun. The first day we'd drive to Jonesboro (Arkansas), and then the next day we'd finish the trip and get to Springfield by lunchtime.

That was the road trip to end all road trips for you two. My issue is we have to drive about 3100 miles RT to get from home to warm weather and back. So you can't even really call it a road trip. Throw in Vail Pass and it's just a lot.

[Ronstar]

On our recent trip, we took 3 days to get from Illinois to Arizona, 3 to get home. About 3300 miles of the 3900 total miles were driven in these 6 days. We drove 716 miles from Hays, Kansas to South Chicagoland home yesterday - which was our biggest mileage day.

Yesterday was about a 12 hour day driving with 4 or 5 - 20 minute stops. This is a little too much driving for us in one day (DW drove about 3 hours yesterday) - I like to do a max of 9 hour or 550 miles in a day.

On this trip, we stayed near Phoenix for 6 days and Sedona for 6 days. We have a 3600 -3900 mile summer road trip to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons/Glacier planned. We'll do that one in 9 days with a few days of 700 miles driven per day.

Tricks to make driving more enjoyable for us - make a lot of stops.