Driving 20 hours.. Tips Please!!!

[Bee3387]

My boyfriend and I are driving from New Hampshire to disney this September. This is our first big road trip we are so excited but a little nervous! We are driving for cost reasons and to help prepare for bigger road trips out west. Has anyone done this drive before? Any tips on how to not go crazy driving for so long? We are stopping over night in Virginia for a few hours to rest.
Thanks in advance!

 

[jec6613]

I use audiobooks, and listen to them while driving. I have a copy of Harry Potter read by Stephen Fry that I picked up in England that's excellent, but it's a great way to keep awake and alert on long car drives. I did a sixteen hour drive by myself in one day (eight hours each way, round trip: I left and noon and got back in at 4 AM), and they kept me quite happy.

Also, before you go, fix any little things on the car: make sure your washer fluid is topped off, check all of your brake and headlights, ensure your wipers are in good condition, and your oil change will be good until you return, your air filter is clean, et cetera. The last thing you want to worry about is a problem with your car.

 

[kj2mom]

I am in MA and drove down when my children were 2. My advice would be to relax, take the drive as part of the adventure and don't be afraid to stop. When I travel I get in this crazy mode about stopping (like I refuse to do it lol) and honestly, in the big picture what is 15 minutes on a 20 hour drive if it keeps people happy? Also, I like to avoid the George Washington by taking the Tappanzee and go around Washington DC!

 

[supersnoop]

Schedule your stops based on time, not mileage. If you're going to eat lunch, you eat at noon (or the closest opportunity thereto), and you stop at a hotel at 10 p.m., no matter where you are. Prepare by reviewing a map to see what cities you'll be close to at that time, and figure plus or minus 100 miles on either side, so you know what your options are.

 

[cranbiz]

+1 on the Tappan Zee bridge/Garden State Parkway to the NJ Turnpike. The Cross Bronx to the GW bridge is horrible roadway and much more expensive toll wise. That route also is almost always congested as the bridge is always undergoing maintenance at night and either the upper or lower level will be closed.

I also recommend I495 around DC to VA and I295 around Richmond. I have done I895 and the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel but it really doesn't save any time and costs the same. DO NOT do 295 from Baltimore to DC.

Once approaching Jacksonville, I295 wither east or west is a good alternate route if you arrive near rush hour. If it's not rush hour, stay on I95. When coming down I4, if it's during rush hour, think about SR417. It will cost you somewhere between $6-8 in tolls but save you a huge amount of time. If its not between 7-9a or 3-7p I4 is fine.

 

[bumbershoot]

We are stopping over night in Virginia for a few hours to rest.

Stop for more than a few hours. Take a proper nighttime sleep.

The drive is part of the vacation. Make it part of it.

 

[englanddg]

+1 on the Tappan Zee bridge/Garden State Parkway to the NJ Turnpike. The Cross Bronx to the GW bridge is horrible roadway and much more expensive toll wise. That route also is almost always congested as the bridge is always undergoing maintenance at night and either the upper or lower level will be closed.

I also recommend I495 around DC to VA and I295 around Richmond. I have done I895 and the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel but it really doesn't save any time and costs the same. DO NOT do 295 from Baltimore to DC.

Once approaching Jacksonville, I295 wither east or west is a good alternate route if you arrive near rush hour. If it's not rush hour, stay on I95. When coming down I4, if it's during rush hour, think about SR417. It will cost you somewhere between $6-8 in tolls but save you a huge amount of time. If its not between 7-9a or 3-7p I4 is fine.

For Richmond, depends on when you hit the city.

The I-95 drive through downtown at night is one of my favorite nighttime city drives out there (up there with Atlanta). It's really beautiful with all the buildings lit up. It's a bit better South to North, but both are great. 295 won't save you all that much time unless you are hitting it during rush hour.

 

[xlxo]

My only advice is to get a good GPS (I like Garmin) and have it updated pre-trip with the latest maps. Having those restaurants and rest stops at my fingertips real helpful on my West Coast drive for unplanned stops.

While you are saving on flights.... think about...

• additional vacation days from work
• extra hotel costs during the round trip drive
• extra meals costs during the round trip drive

Otherwise, it's a great way to explore the East Coast.

 

[rwdavis2]

A good smartphone using Waze or google maps is an excellent GPS. When google maps detects a slow down and it figures out there is a delay on that highway it will suggest faster routes. Use it. It is correct. We ignored it once and costs us an hour but listened to it the second time and saved us 1-2 hours. Waze is not so good at this.

Don't hit the Baltimore/DC (especially DC) area between 7 and 9am and 3 and 7pm. If you do you will get to experience one of the worst traffic situations in the country.

As the PP said, weigh the costs of driving vs. flying. The actual costs of driving/food/hotel can end up eating up a large chunk of the airfare savings. IMHO, there is not much to see from the interstates while heading south.

 

[Bee3387]

Thanks for all the advice! We are going to try to avoid the major cities by taking I81 down from new York and connect back onto 95 in Florida

 

[rwdavis2]

Thanks for all the advice! We are going to try to avoid the major cities by taking I81 down from new York and connect back onto 95 in Florida

That should work. Don't be surprised to see a lot of truck traffic on I-81. We drove it for 3 years while our daughter was at Virignia Tech in Blacksburg.

 

[cranbiz]

For Richmond, depends on when you hit the city.

The I-95 drive through downtown at night is one of my favorite nighttime city drives out there (up there with Atlanta). It's really beautiful with all the buildings lit up. It's a bit better South to North, but both are great. 295 won't save you all that much time unless you are hitting it during rush hour.

You are right, it doesn't save much time but I295 is almost always light on traffic, is a better road surface and does not have the Highway Enforcement Corridor with high speeding fines that I95 in Richmond has.

 

[englanddg]

You are right, it doesn't save much time but I295 is almost always light on traffic, is a better road surface and does not have the Highway Enforcement Corridor with high speeding fines that I95 in Richmond has.

Having had a reckless driving by speed enforcement ticket on I-95 in VA (which involves a court appearance), I just don't speed anymore (so don't pay attention). I lived in Richmond for about a year and a half and worked right off Midlothian (I lived south of Petersburg).

 

[leebee]

If you are trying to save money, you can borrow books on tape from your local library.
Use a good GPS, but also have a decent map of your route. My Garmin loses signal at the worst times!
Please get a good night's sleep!
Don't speed... the cost of a speeding ticket is ugly. I was "only" 12 mph over the limit (caught in traffic that was moving that quickly, trying to move to a slower lane but it wasn't happening) and it cost me $187.
Make up a goodie bag of snacks you love but don't eat very often. It's so wonderful to get a yummy surprise when you are bored with riding in the car!

 

[kollerbear]

+1 on the Tappan Zee bridge/Garden State Parkway to the NJ Turnpike. The Cross Bronx to the GW bridge is horrible roadway and much more expensive toll wise. That route also is almost always congested as the bridge is always undergoing maintenance at night and either the upper or lower level will be closed.

THIS IS SO SO SO TRUE. Avoid the George Washington, even if Google Maps tells you it is faster (which it often, mysteriously, does.) As a local, I can't tell you the number of times my husband and I have fallen for this. By the time you get closer, the traffic conditions have changed and you're stuck for an hour. The risk of this traffic backing up is not worth saving an extra 20 or 30 minutes. Honestly, every time we have taken the Tappan Zee the trip feels like it flies.

A good smartphone using Waze or google maps is an excellent GPS. When google maps detects a slow down and it figures out there is a delay on that highway it will suggest faster routes. Use it. It is correct. We ignored it once and costs us an hour but listened to it the second time and saved us 1-2 hours. Waze is not so good at this.

The only exception to this, IMHO, is the George Washington Bridge and any routes bringing you through Manhattan or the Bronx. That traffic changes so quickly and gets so heavy for such long periods of time that by the time it updates you it will be too late to change your route.

My DH and I made this trip from Queens a couple of years ago (substantially less distance than you, but still). We did it in two days, but we were going HARD. (Granted, only he can drive.) I had an ADR scheduled for the night we arrived at 10 PM and I wish I hadn't done that to us--we were exhausted and had it hanging over our head for hours. DH (fiance at the time) was too exhausted to enjoy dinner at all (if you're not Disney crazy the adrenaline doesn't really kick in like it does for us). Don't make a hotel reservation until about an hour before you're ready to quit driving (use a mobile app) and don't have any expectations or plans about when you will arrive at Disney the second day. We enjoyed listening to audio books but I suggest having a few to choose from in case you don't like what you picked and want to switch it up. Stand up comedy is also awesome to listen to in the car--you can stream from Netflix for a lot of that route if you have decent cell service. Aziz Ansari is our favorite. I also like "listening" to Bones because that show requires no visuals to follow the plot--they really spell it out for you in the audio.

 

[ParrotBill]

Thanks for all the advice! We are going to try to avoid the major cities by taking I81 down from new York and connect back onto 95 in Florida

I am a big fan of this route to bypass the cities and heavy traffic on I-95. Yes, I-81 is a truck route but I find far less delays and just find the driving is easier. If you feel tired, switch drivers, don't think you can just push through it... especially when you get to the last 8 hours. You are going to get tired. Stop often and change drivers often. Drink and keep the car cool. We did this once... and ever since have overnighted somewhere in South Carolina.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

There is a thread if it wasn't mentioned before, The 2000 mile drivers or something like that with the top tips, recent construction and top places to stop.
Really it is unreasonable to do a one day 20 hr trip, too risky for fatigue and huge traffic delays in the major cities could make it a near 24 hr trip. It never works out that someone sleeps and gets rested to take over.

We drive 2 @ 10 hour Days for our 18 hr drive. There is construction, bathroom stops, stop and eat...I like to get as far south as I can before we stop. But with traffic it usually is 10 hrs and we get into SC or the boarder of NC/SC.
If you drive straight through, count on the first day being spent in be sleeping when your body crashes.

 

[diznymom]

Get a Disney Trivia book and have the passenger read it to the driver. I do this with DH when we drive anywhere. Keeps conversation going and helps keep driver awake and interested.

I find the books on tape to be too monotone and they put me to sleep.

 

[BostonJP]

My wife did the same exact trip (New Hampshire to Orlando) in May for a runDisney event with just my 7-year old in the car. She had a few places that she planned on stopping but ended up ditching that plan completely. She also said she would never do it again without a second driver.

I second the note above about Waze. I've tried using it a couple times and always felt like it was taking me out of the way for no reason. Google Maps has been great for avoiding traffic and even updating my route on the fly as traffic conditions are reported.

 

[North of Mouse]

Stop for more than a few hours. Take a proper nighttime sleep.

The drive is part of the vacation. Make it part of it.

Agree! Can not stress this enough for your safety and the safety of others.
Fatigue and sleep deprivation is the cause of a huge number of crashes and fatalities because it can happen even though you 'think' you are aware and in control! Too many people take chances because they don't want to 'lose' precious vacation time - but a few end up losing everything! Please be safe.