Driving 20 hours.. Tips Please!!!

[ibcnu]

I LOVE google maps!!! I use it whenever I get in the car and have to drive out of town!

My suggestion is if you can plan ahead to book a hotel room, otherwise get off the road and find something by 8:00 p.m. We've driven to Florida a few times (daughter goes to school there) and I can't tell you how many times we showed up with a overnight hotel reservation in hand and saw signs "NO MORE ROOMS - ONLY THOSE HOLDING RESERVATIONS" or see people roaming around calling hotels in the area. If you don't book something, then make sure you are off the road by 7:00p.m. so you can secure a room.

We like the nighttime driving. I'll never forget the time Google maps had us go through Washington DC on 295 instead of around the 495 loop. It was midnight and the skyline of downtown DC with the Washington Monument lit up was beautiful! Best bet is to get past Washington DC and Richmond - THEN find a hotel room or keep driving!

As far as getting a few nights sleep, one time we drove and I needed to be in Florida by a certain time and we lost alot of time driving through Washington DC and Richmond AND Baltimore, that once we hit Rocky Point NC we found a hotel room at 11:00 that night, I set the alarm for 3:00am. We got a go od 3-4 hours sleep, I woke up, made coffee and took a shower. We were back on the road by 4 a.m., everyone went back to sleep in the car, and I enjoyed sipping coffee and watching the sun come up, and having I-95 all to myself! We made it to Orlando by lunchtime, even with a quick breakfast at Chik-fil-A in Georgia!

 

[OKW Lover]

Lots of good info here. I'd just add that there is a big thread on the subject of long-distance driving at http://www.disboards.com/threads/for-2-000-mile-round-trip-drivers-only-part-v.3351891/

I'd just add a suggestion to use an app like Waze while on your drive. Its good for navigation and for seeing what traffic conditions are like. It also offers the ability to check gas prices along the way.

 

[GreatLakes]

My wife and I drove down a few years ago and we listened to a lot of stand up comedy from YouTube and a couple of live concerts.

We use Waze for the police alert function but they are owned by Google and incorporate the Google map and direction data into their app now.

We always stop just past a large city when we travel. By doing that you are going against rush hour traffic the next day but you are also not in the middle of nowhere so you have plenty of options for dinner the night you get there or breakfast before you leave.

 

[pk1959]

Can anyone recommend a good app to use for finding a hotel for the same night? We ended up driving last year (it's an 18 hour trip for us from Michigan) and had the Orbitz and Hotels Tonight apps, but neither of those worked out that great. We like to wait till we are within an hour or so of wanting to stop and then look ahead on a map and see which town to try and find a hotel for. I remember the Hotel Tonight app found nothing because it seemed to be geared toward larger cities. If airfare doesn't end up dropping, it looks like we might be driving again in January. UGH!!

 

[Boopuff]

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.

I second this! Please make sure you stop and get a good nights sleep! I lost my dear niece-in-law just last year. She and my young nephew were trying to save money and drive straight through from California to Wisconsin!!! My nephew fell asleep at the wheel and drifted into the oncoming lane. He had major surgery to repair his leg and tragically she died at the scene. It's always worth $100 for your life!

 

[MaryS123]

Easy drive we do it often from Canada. One suggestion for you is to alter your sleep to sleep all day then start your drive at around midnight. This way you have an entire day of driving in the daylight when your normally tired and also you will avoid the traffic though NYC, Jersey Maryland. Find many people decide to leave at 6 or 7 am and then trying to drive at night when they are tired is a bad combination. Getting several hours out of the way at night while your "fully awake" leaves less stress on you as you now have entire daylight to drive while somewhat being tired. After many hours in the car driving just seeing the road lines its much easier driving it in daylight then at night where all you see is dark, tailights, headlights and painted lines thats when your eyes play tricks on you lol

You should easily be able to do the 15ish hour drive down to close to the end of South Carolina, Walterboros area and stop for the night at a hotel. Leaving around midnight you should be there around 3/4pm - gives you enough time to relax, have a good meal, get to bed early, wake up early and finish off the last 4.5ish hour drive to Orlando

 

[GreatLakes]

Can anyone recommend a good app to use for finding a hotel for the same night? We ended up driving last year (it's an 18 hour trip for us from Michigan) and had the Orbitz and Hotels Tonight apps, but neither of those worked out that great. We like to wait till we are within an hour or so of wanting to stop and then look ahead on a map and see which town to try and find a hotel for. I remember the Hotel Tonight app found nothing because it seemed to be geared toward larger cities. If airfare doesn't end up dropping, it looks like we might be driving again in January. UGH!!

I'd recommend Yelp or Kayak. Even if you just use them to find the hotel and call them to book it is a way to look up hotels geographically.

 

[LovesTimone]

DH and I use, both Google maps and Waze on a road trip, Google maps for the traffic flow and we adjust as we go, and Waze, for police, red light cameras, and vehicle's stop on the side or the road or and accident that just happened. We use both so we are hopefully getting a better picture of the traffic ahead.

I would use the 417 coming into Orlando, its just easier, and on I-4 with all the construction going on its worth the toll. I live here in Orlando and I stay off of I-4.

When coming through Georgia, go the speed limit, don't take a chance they are serious about speeding, we just moved backed from living in Metro Atlanta area so I am very familiar with driving in and around Georgia.

Make sure to stop and stretch your legs, and this will help get the blood flowing which helps with driving fatigue. DH and I like to stop at the welcome centers in each state and check out the brochures of what to do in the area.

When DH and I stop we normally stop around dinner time and look for hotel in an area that is close to a mall, so that we can get out and walk around some, and /or nicer dinning options close by. Also a hotel that offers free breakfast or some chain close by that offer a good hearty breakfast.

Driving is part of the vacation so why not enjoy it. You just have to look at it like planning any trip, and include it in the planning.

When returning home, do the same things stop, sleep and eat well. You will be twice as tired, its not worth the chance of something happening.

Have a great time.

 

[JodyTG]

When my husband and I do this we switch off driving each time we get gas or stop for food.

 

[tmoo]

To each their own, but I subscribe to the 'get there' camp. Taking long breaks just adds to the total time you need to be awake and big meals make you drowsy. The take your time strategy only works if you are willing to limit how long you travel each day. I am assuming you don't have the luxury of taking 2 days each direction or you wouldn't be posting.

I agree with those saying leave in the afternoon or night. You can make much better time at night due to the lack of traffic. It is much less stressful to drive when the roads are empty. Just make sure you are prepared to deal with a breakdown and the more limited service options at night (stop for gas before empty). When morning comes your body will tell you it is time to be awake.

The best way to stay awake while driving is another adult talking with you. Super hot or sour candy can give you a little boost, but if you are resorting to tricks it is time for look for some rest. Audio books put me to sleep.

Just use common sense to figure out the difference between being tired and being unsafe.

 

[migel]

I reluctantly did the drive this past Saturday. Our return flight from MCO was cancelled along with hundreds of others on the east coast, the only option they gave us was to rent a hotel by the airport 2 nights and fly back Monday. Not an option as we both had to work. I went back to car rentals and re-rented a car, one way to Buffalo airport. We were on the road by 3 pm Sat, I drove straight through the night while the family slept, we were home in Ontario by noon Sunday. I would not recommend this marathon drive however. My motivation to get home got me through, but those hours after 4 am almost killed me. Good luck!

 

[Accident]

If you find yourself tired, find a random place to stay for a few hours sleep. Most hotels offer a day rate or similar that's a fraction of the cost so you can get 5-6 hours sleep and be refreshed for your ride. Don't be this years news that another family died trying to drive to disney.

 

[hearts8701]

We drive twice a year we usually leave early in the AM drive until we start getting tired for sleep and dinner we leave early the next day we do a few things every trip I rent movies from redbox the morning we leave home for the passenger to watch on portable DVD player (you can return redbox movies anywhere)
we pick a state we decide to sleep overnight stop at the welcome center or any rest stop to get a hotel coupon book you will be surprised at how much you save bring some snacks freeze water bottles rather than using ice serves two purposes
Have a good time travel safe

 

[Bee3387]

Thank you everyone for the tips!! SO helpful.

 

[Bee3387]

Does anyone know the age limits on motels/hotels? We are both 20 and were hoping to rest in a motel over night but I can't seem to find anywhere that says exactly how old you have to be to stay in a motel?

 

[Bee3387]

I second this! Please make sure you stop and get a good nights sleep! I lost my dear niece-in-law just last year. She and my young nephew were trying to save money and drive straight through from California to Wisconsin!!! My nephew fell asleep at the wheel and drifted into the oncoming lane. He had major surgery to repair his leg and tragically she died at the scene. It's always worth $100 for your life!

So sorry, we are going to make sure we stop driving and find somewhere to stay if we feel it's unsafe for us to drive any farther. We are both 20 so we are hoping we will be able to find a motel or hotel that will let us stay if we need to!

 

[Bee3387]

To each their own, but I subscribe to the 'get there' camp. Taking long breaks just adds to the total time you need to be awake and big meals make you drowsy. The take your time strategy only works if you are willing to limit how long you travel each day. I am assuming you don't have the luxury of taking 2 days each direction or you wouldn't be posting.

I agree with those saying leave in the afternoon or night. You can make much better time at night due to the lack of traffic. It is much less stressful to drive when the roads are empty. Just make sure you are prepared to deal with a breakdown and the more limited service options at night (stop for gas before empty). When morning comes your body will tell you it is time to be awake.

The best way to stay awake while driving is another adult talking with you. Super hot or sour candy can give you a little boost, but if you are resorting to tricks it is time for look for some rest. Audio books put me to sleep.

Just use common sense to figure out the difference between being tired and being unsafe.

We agree also, we don't want to waste 2 days each way driving, and just want to get there. We are both 20 so it might also be difficult for us to find a motel or hotel to stay in since the age limits vary. We are going to see how we are doing once we get to the 10 hour mark or so I believe we should be fine, but of course we will stop somewhere if we feel it's unsafe to drive. We also planned our first day at disney to be laid back incase we are tired from the driving.

 

[cranbiz]

We agree also, we don't want to waste 2 days each way driving, and just want to get there. We are both 20 so it might also be difficult for us to find a motel or hotel to stay in since the age limits vary. We are going to see how we are doing once we get to the 10 hour mark or so I believe we should be fine, but of course we will stop somewhere if we feel it's unsafe to drive. We also planned our first day at disney to be laid back incase we are tired from the driving.

As long as you have a credit card, you will be fine on the hotel stay. The only problem may be finding a vacancy.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

I believe in getting off the road, sleep rest and waste the day driving. If you get there exhausted you spend a day sleeping instead of at the park. There are restrictions for how many hours truck drivers can drive for a reason. It may not be you causing the accident, but if you try to avoid one and are slow in response it may be tragic. No trip to anyplace is worth losing a life over. How often do we read on here of long delays or stopped traffic to clear a really bad accident or read of a tragedy of a family en-route to or from Disney.

 

[EeyoreFriend]

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.

^^^^ This. We have used audiobooks for a while. They are great. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was particularly fun.