Road Trip Advice (PA to FL)

[QueenGoblin]

We are trying our first real road trip to FL in January. Previously, we have flown or taken the auto train both ways so we are newbies! This time we are driving down and taking the auto train back.

We are planing on leaving January 1st and we want to arrive early on January 3rd. We have two children (3 and almost 7). They have done single day trips up to 8 hours, and it is not their favorite thing, but we load them up with dvds and games and books and they do alright.

I am looking for any general advice, but I also have a couple of specific questions.

We are leaving from SE PA and the most direct route is 95 but it looks like swinging out to the west and picking up 81 etc. adds only a nominal amount of time. Is that a better route?

Any suggestions of places to stop along the way to break things up and/or places to stay overnight?

Advice as to whether it is better to split the trip up equally (three 5 or 6 hour drives) vs. getting as much over as soon as possible (two 8 hour drives and spending the last night right outside Orlando) ?

TIA and wish us luck!

[mrodgers]

Watching your thread here. Taking our first vacation ever with the girls (6 and 9) along with my wife's and my first vacation together. We are driving down from above Pittsburgh.

We plan to put the hammer down and drive as long as possible the first day, hopefully putting us 4 hours from Orlando. I want to be in Magic Kingdom seeing my daughters' faces on our 2nd travel day.

Who knows, that could change not knowing how the kids will do in the car for that long.

I am wondering as well where to stop for the night after about 12 hours of driving. Googlemaps tells me that Savannah, GA is 4 hours from Orlando. That sounds like a good general area to stop for the night. I've also already googled Savannah and it looks like a very historic and beautiful city/town to visit. Might be good to do some evening walking around town with the camera to get the blood flowing in the legs again after driving so long.

[beachphotog]

We are in the middle of this exact thing right now... We left SE PA last night at 7:30. Hit the road, stopping for bathroom breaks and stretch breaks along the way. We wanted to get as much done as possible by driving through to Savannah via 95. We had one slight problem around Sumter, SC. We were looking for a place for breakfast and ended up driving an hour out our way, and then had to get back onto 95 to find someplace further down.
Savannah might have been a little to adventurous for us on our first road trip to FL.
Plus, it didn't help that my dad ended up not feeling to well because of the lack of sleep... and we are all EX-HAUSTED!
But the good thing is that we are less than 5 hours from WDW and when we get up to leave, we don't have to worry about getting there too tired!

Good luck on your trip!

[bookwormde]

I am a 15 hour straight through person so I may have a bit of a distorted view by I can not imagine taking ore than 2 days to get to WDW from our area. If you are west of Lancaster then 81 is a good alternative otherwise as long as you are not in high traffic times 95 works best.

You should be able to make it well into SC on the first day as long as you get off by 9am and probably to GA and that would leave an easy drive to Orlando on the second day so I would figure on an offsite on the 2nd so you can be rested for a full day on the 3rd at WDW.

bookwormde

[mcco5543]

My dad travels for a living and I've driven many long distance trips as a child.

Since your kids are still young I am going to highly advise leaving at night if possible so your kids will sleep through the first leg of the trip.

A. This will let you drive pretty far without having to worry about what will entertain them, their games, books, and toys will last longer into the trip when they wake up in the morning.

B. Traffic will be much much much less, even on 95. You'll get farther faster. It's really the only way to go!

Only you know your children's "car personalities" I was the kid that if you gave me a book I could read 8 hours straight and never even look up to ask to pee. My poor sister on the other hand gets motion sick just thinking about driving in the car. She could not read, watch movies, knit, or do anything in a car other than sleep or she'd be sick sick sick.
Luckily the motion of the car put her straight to sleep and she could also sleep for hours.

If that sounds like your kids then by all means get it over with as quick as you can. If not, I'd go with the 3 shorter stints.

It'll also depend on how much driving and switching off anyone who's driving can handle.

My mom is an early morning person and can drive early mornings while my dad sleeps. However my dad can be up all night no problem. So "drive to your strengths!" and have a great trip!

[jstack]

We live in Maryland right off of 95 between Baltimore and DC. DO NOT take 81 there really is no need to do that and it will add extra time to your trip. My parents have a country home in Virginia off of 81. Lots of tractor trailers use 81 and it is a two lane highway as opposed to 95 which is 4 lanes. I have been stuck on 81 when tractor trailers wreck and it is not pretty.

[mrodgers]

Originally Posted by mcco5543

My dad travels for a living and I've driven many long distance trips as a child.

Since your kids are still young I am going to highly advise leaving at night if possible so your kids will sleep through the first leg of the trip.

A. This will let you drive pretty far without having to worry about what will entertain them, their games, books, and toys will last longer into the trip when they wake up in the morning.

B. Traffic will be much much much less, even on 95. You'll get farther faster. It's really the only way to go!

Only you know your children's "car personalities"

Many folks at work tell me this same thing. I'd love having the kids sleeping for half the trip or more, but I can't figure out how those folks do it with the driving. Work all day (I just posted another thread saying that in the summers it is a nice chilled 115-120 F with 97% humidity where I work..) then they leave at 10 pm for Florida. I would be like Clark Grizwold, while my family snoozes away in the car, I'm kicking out the ZZZZ's as well at 65 mph down the highway.

[mcco5543]

Originally Posted by mrodgers

Many folks at work tell me this same thing. I'd love having the kids sleeping for half the trip or more, but I can't figure out how those folks do it with the driving. Work all day (I just posted another thread saying that in the summers it is a nice chilled 115-120 F with 97% humidity where I work..) then they leave at 10 pm for Florida. I would be like Clark Grizwold, while my family snoozes away in the car, I'm kicking out the ZZZZ's as well at 65 mph down the highway.

Well, If one of you or the other could take off work or get out early to get in those Z's one of you can start the trip while the other one snoozes during the first leg.

Lots of caffeine is also invovled ( I know not the healthiest, but it works).

Otherwise, I advise getting the kids in the car at 4am (in the PJ's and having them sleep at least half the night in the car, that way y'all can get in a 4 hour "nap" or so, and then start the driving.

[disneydreamkate]

We plan on packing the car completely the night before (including the cooler!) and leaving at 3am! That way, the kids will sleep on and off until at least 9! By the time we then stop to stretch our legs, and eat breakfast int he car...it will be almost 11 before they need any kind of entertainment. We plan on driving until 8ish, grabbing a quick bite, and getting a good night sleep so we can get up early the next day. I'm planning on a hotel by the Savannah airport, as it looks like it's right off the highway.We should only have about a four hour drive to Disney on our second day!

[QueenGoblin]

OP here. It is tempting to get up really early, let the kids sleep the car, and try to make it to Savannah the first day. We could spend part of the second day in Savannah and then have an easy drive to Orlando so we would be ready to check into our hotel (and get into the parks) bright and early on the third day. Because of the timing of our trip though, if we did that we would be leaving on the 1st of January and I am a bit worried that an early start for us would mean we would be sharing the road with people coming home late from New Year's parties. I wonder if we should keep the kids up late on New Years Eve and then hope they nap in the car?
Thanks for all the ideas. Please keep them coming!

[mcco5543]

Oooh good point. I didn't take New Years into account. Can you take back roads New Years Eve night until morning and then Jump on 95 (I'm assuming you have a GPS that will help you with this relatively easily). I think I'd still reccommend leaving in the wee early hours of the morning after most of the crazies are off the road,

OR start early evening dec. 31, let the kids fall asleep in the car, or put them in just after they're definitely asleep, drive until midnight , or until you feel comfortable on the road, find a rest stop, kick back and nap until 6am and go again.

Your kids will still sleep through a lot of it. If you are planning a big break once you hit Georgia or S.C

(which I would advise you skip if the kids are up for it and get straight to your destination, the idea of getting back in the car for kids is often harder then getting in the first time knowing you've got a long drive ahead)

anyway, once you hit Georgia or S.C, one of you could stay back in the hotel and sleep while the other entertains the kids, and you could start at night time driving again. Most of your trip would be when kids are asleep!

[Uncleromulus]

We always stop in Brunswick Ga. when we drive down I-95--that is just a bit less than 4 hours away from WDW. Jacksonville and Orlando traffic will always slow you down.
And I-81 is NOT the highway of choice in the winter. The slightest bit of ice/snow will cripple that road.
Weather notwhitstanding, you will have never seen as many tractor/trailers in your entire life.

[GranddadTom]

I think that you are overplanning. I would guess that you are 3 hours north of me (I'm on the northern edge of Washington). For us Orlando is 12 1/2 hours on a good day and 13 on a bad day. We do it all in one day (often!). Although the 1st is a Friday, traffic on I-95 will not be a problem and I repeat what Uncleromulus says - avoid I-81 in the winter at all costs. In the best of times its the most dangerous road in Virginia - in the winter, lots of luck. Brunswick is a nice place to stop, plenty of motels and service right at the exit. Then its a little over three hours to DisneyWorld.

[bookwormde]

Since you are not pushing hard, why not spend the night at the DVC hilton head resort and get a jump on a little disney feel. They often have discounted Sat night rooms. It will take an extra couple of hours but you will feel like you are on vacation sooner.

bookwormde