Tell me I'm not crazy...

erbeaman

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
I have decided to drive down to my mom's place, about an hour south of Orlando, for spring break this year. The problem is, my DH couldn't get the entire time off of work, so he is going to fly down halfway through the trip and drive back with us. Has anyone ever been brave enough to drive from Mid-Michigan with only one driver? It will be me, DS 11, DS 7 and DD 5. We have driven it 3 times, so I know what I'm in for, and I will split it into a two day drive, but I'm still nervous about not having someone to split the drive time with. Not to mention kid management. It will be worth it, right?? Any advice?
 
It would not be on my list of things to do.... Even stopping over night, that's a long drive with 3 children in a car.... Tiring for sure .... No one to spell you during the drive.... For me, totally unsafe... Sorry!
 
I have decided to drive down to my mom's place, about an hour south of Orlando, for spring break this year. The problem is, my DH couldn't get the entire time off of work, so he is going to fly down halfway through the trip and drive back with us. Has anyone ever been brave enough to drive from Mid-Michigan with only one driver? It will be me, DS 11, DS 7 and DD 5. We have driven it 3 times, so I know what I'm in for, and I will split it into a two day drive, but I'm still nervous about not having someone to split the drive time with. Not to mention kid management. It will be worth it, right?? Any advice?

I wouldn't. I would worry about the car breaking down or what if you got sick?
 
Would I want to do it? No. Is I doable? Probably. We drive about 20 hours from southwestern Michigan. Even more than having someone else to drive, I like having the second person there to help me navigate. Having someone tell me what lane to be in or check my blind spots is invaluable. As far as the physical toll on being the only driver? Last year I drove 17 out of the 20 hours. Going down, we went straight through, coming home we stopped for the night.
 


I would not. That is a lot of driving for one person especially during a busy holiday travel time. And this crazy weather with a handful of states getting large amounts of snow I would never do it.
 
My mom did it. A couple of times. With my brother (1) and I (3). In 1970, 1971-ish. This was from Canton, OH, though :)

Not to Disney, though. She was checking it out before/after our move in 1971.
 
2 years ago I drove alone from Boston to Hilton Head, SC which is about a 16 hour drive with my kids ages 3, 7, and 9. However, I really took my time. We stopped for 3 nights along the way and did some fun activities (like the Great Wolf Lodge). The first day I drove for about 6 hours to PA but that was the longest I drove on the trip. Just be prepared for the unexpected. For example, my car got broken into in Amish country. We were staying in a nice area at a really nice hotel. Nothing was stolen but it took a 1/2 day to get my window repaired. Also, bathroom breaks were a real pain as obviously I wasn't going to let kids of those ages stay in the car alone & no one ever had to go at the same time! It just made every stop take a lot longer than when we have 2 adults. Just always keep checking the weather in the areas you are driving towards and be prepared to stop, possibly overnight, if you have to. The 11 year old should be able to help you with navigation & weather reports.

We enjoyed it so much that we are driving again this summer to Hilton Head. Hoping it will be a little easier with the kids being a little older now. Good luck!
 


I wouldn't do it with the weather some eastern states are having.

And I'm not sure of the distance or time it will mean in the driver's seat each day. I personally am considering a nice relaxed drive with my 8 year old this summer, down to CA maybe all the way to San Diego, but that's not going to be in 2 days.


But overall driving I'm comfy with...I drove from VA to FL then got onto 10 and went all the way to CA, turned onto 5 (I'm ignoring a few highways here obviously) and went on up to WA when I moved back to WA. It was December and I was NOT going to drive through ANY amount of snow, and it was a beautiful, long trip with just me, myself, and I.

I'm not afraid of driving, but I AM afraid of weather. (and other drivers. especially in weather)
 

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