For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only! (II)

[BC1836]

All-Time "For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" Records (updates 3/2/11):

Most Total Drives: 49 (since '73): dvczerfs

Most Drives in One Decade: 21 (2002-2010): bc1836

Most Drives in One Calendar Year: 4 (three times: 2008, 2009, 2010): bc1836; (one time: 2009): cruisingkat

Most Drives in One 12-Month Period: 5 (12/08-12/09): cruising kat; (12/09-12/10): bc1836

Shortest Time Between Drives: 19 days (2009): cruising kat

Most passengers in one vehicle: 10 (2010: 2 adults, 8 kids; 1999 Chevy Express Van): birdslightyear (aka just*the*ten*of*us)

Still looking for the Longest Drive....

All the best.

 

[Becky2005]

Is the Along Interstate 75 book worth it if you are only traveling part of the trip on the road?

It looks like we will have about 500 miles on I-75 but the book stops at the FL border...basically I'm catching I-75 off of I-24 in TN and then taking the I-75 until I get to the Florida Turnpike. I'm not sure it's worth it for what seems a small section compared to if I was driving I-75 the entire way.

 

[Riviera510]

Which way to you go? Do you come down I-75 or the other route that takes you further east?

I-75 all the way

 

[cruisingkat]

Is the Along Interstate 75 book worth it if you are only traveling part of the trip on the road?

It looks like we will have about 500 miles on I-75 but the book stops at the FL border...basically I'm catching I-75 off of I-24 in TN and then taking the I-75 until I get to the Florida Turnpike. I'm not sure it's worth it for what seems a small section compared to if I was driving I-75 the entire way.

You catch I75 from I24 in Chattanooga which is right on the GA border. So you really only are on I75 for one and a third states.
I see no reason to get a book - the exits have signs that tell the gas stations, places to eat, and lodging.
Now if you were going touring along your drive to Disney (stopping off at battlefields, sightseeing sites, etc), then it might be worth it.

 

[angwill]

I did get the I-75 book and the Florida book and catch I-75 in Chattenooga. My teen son loves it and follows it all the way down to Disney. He tells me when the police cars are on the page for the speed traps and periodically tells me where we are and how much longer to the border. It also helps when he is hungry and tells finds a place he wants to eat in the book. In short I think it was worth the money.

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

I don't know if anyone else is in limbo, but I know that this driving vs flying is making me crazy. We have always flown to Disney, live real close to I-74 at the il/ind line. Well this year I thought this would be the one, I was gonna drive even though my husband has grumbled the whole time. Well now with gas going nuts, and the talks of 5.00 by memorial day, I just don't know. We are going on the cruise first then staying at wdw, leaving on may 28. I drive a chevy traverse awd, is gas going to kill me that much. I have checked a couple of sites, and I think I can do it for around 600.00. The downside of me driving is that I do home health, so my 2010 already has 21000, should I really drive? So far the cheapest tickets to fly are running right around 15-1600 for the 5 of us, I have never paid more than 1100. I just don't know. Someone help me, this is weighing to hard on my mind.

 

[budafam]

I guess it depends how much you want to save that extra money. We're about 3 hours from the south WI/north IL border so I know where you're coming from. We're driving May 13th and back May 20th. For us, it would cost at least $1200 to fly. With driving, I'm able to take along a lot of food/snacks/drinks to save money. Since you're going on a cruise, you won't be needing that. I'm afraid of flying so that probably contributes to the reason as well but I really think it's up to you. If $500 is worth it to you, then fly.

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

500.00 is a big chunk to us. I just want to pick the less stressful way, I will just have to keep an eye out on the boards and see what info is floating around. This place has been a lifesaver.

 

[budafam]

Yes, this board is absolutely amazing!

 

[Becky2005]

I just want to pick the less stressful way

I think that's the key point...what is less stressful for your family.

In my case...flying would stress me out more than driving -- so unless the deal was something like $20/ticket, I would prefer not to stress myself out! I would be worrying about making sure I have everything packed correctly for their rules - which I'm pretty sure I would screw up totally by accident especially with the liquid rules or whatever, getting there on time (both directions), worrying about flight time changes, dealing with the younger ones and security, etc.. Pretty much would be stressed out the entire time and then in reverse when we would have to get back home (what if we miss the flight?).

With driving, I'm on MY timetable...yes things can go wrong and you get delayed but I don't have to worry about "oh I thought my flight was leaving at 6 pm from Florida but the airlines decided to cancel that flight so now I'm leaving at 3 pm" -- that's 3 hours of vacation I'm "losing"...I suppose you could count the drive down as losing time too but I count that as part of the vacation. You can also take detours.

We are going to be doing that on the way home, my DD wants to visit a college in Nashville, since we are driving right past it -- makes way more sense to just include it in the trip plans than to make a special trip down just to visit the college.

I can pack whatever shampoo in whatever size I want and not have to worry if it meets any regulations.

However, I know other people just the thought of sitting in the car for hours on end driving would stress them out to no end and they would fly in a heartbeat no matter how much more it costs them.

 

[tamarag]

We will be driving from RI in 3 1/2 weeks and I am so nervous! We will be traveling with 3 small kids! So far we will be stopping in NJ to drop our dogs off and then continue on...

Any other tips?

 

[ThreeKMom]

I don't know if anyone else is in limbo, but I know that this driving vs flying is making me crazy. We have always flown to Disney, live real close to I-74 at the il/ind line. Well this year I thought this would be the one, I was gonna drive even though my husband has grumbled the whole time. Well now with gas going nuts, and the talks of 5.00 by memorial day, I just don't know. We are going on the cruise first then staying at wdw, leaving on may 28. I drive a chevy traverse awd, is gas going to kill me that much. I have checked a couple of sites, and I think I can do it for around 600.00. The downside of me driving is that I do home health, so my 2010 already has 21000, should I really drive? So far the cheapest tickets to fly are running right around 15-1600 for the 5 of us, I have never paid more than 1100. I just don't know. Someone help me, this is weighing to hard on my mind.

We are still on the fence too!
Driving gives us flexability to possibly do Universal either before or after Disney, but flying gets us there soo much quicker!

 

[ksc37]

I don't know if anyone else is in limbo, but I know that this driving vs flying is making me crazy.

We've been having the same conversation. We have always flown with our kids (boys-10 and 8), but we always paid less than $200 per person. Right now August airfare is running over $300 per person, so we started to seriously consider driving.

When I total up the flying expenses - flights, car rental, and airport parking - flying runs almost $1800. Driving, even with a hotel and restaurant stop each way, looks to be about $1000 less. I anticipate needing about 100 gallons of gas for this trip, so if has goes up another $1.50 per gallon, that costs me $150 more (still way cheaper than flying). The cost, and the fact that we will be on vacation for 12 days instead of the usual 5 or so, makes driving seem more tolerable.

At this point, I'm sort of looking forward to driving. These boards are filled with good ideas around the best routes, times of day to travel, what to pack and activities for the car. I like the idea of being in control of my travel, having my own car instead of a rental, and not dealing with the airports. If flight prices drop dramatically, I'll have to go back and rethink this, but at this point we're driving, and I'm trying to figure out the right driving strategy.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[dvczerfs]

We've been having the same conversation. We have always flown with our kids (boys-10 and 8), but we always paid less than $200 per person. Right now August airfare is running over $300 per person, so we started to seriously consider driving.

When I total up the flying expenses - flights, car rental, and airport parking - flying runs almost $1800. Driving, even with a hotel and restaurant stop each way, looks to be about $1000 less. I anticipate needing about 100 gallons of gas for this trip, so if has goes up another $1.50 per gallon, that costs me $150 more (still way cheaper than flying). The cost, and the fact that we will be on vacation for 12 days instead of the usual 5 or so, makes driving seem more tolerable.

At this point, I'm sort of looking forward to driving. These boards are filled with good ideas around the best routes, times of day to travel, what to pack and activities for the car. I like the idea of being in control of my travel, having my own car instead of a rental, and not dealing with the airports. If flight prices drop dramatically, I'll have to go back and rethink this, but at this point we're driving, and I'm trying to figure out the right driving strategy.

Good luck with your decision!

you forgot you dont get stripped searched when you drive. its funny the other couple who followed us down for the last five years, decided last decmeber, they wanted to fly.they said, driving is ok but it takes so much time. we left nazareth pa at 3am and i walked into the front desk at okw at 7:15pm. no lines, no hearing, im sorry, your rooms not ready. now, i had most of there bags in my van so they didnt check any bags at the airport. they were flying down the following day. they were up at 3am, left the house at 4am. drove to allentown. changed flights in dc. flew into orlando and took magical express into okw. they arrived at all most 3pm. there room wasnt ready till 4:30. (that was after talking to the front desk manager) so the way i see it, (remember i love to drive) it took us 3 hours longer than it took them. i spent 20.00 in sandwiches and about 150.00 in gas. we all had naps in the van on the way down and had fun doing it. it took them longer to get home then it did us, there connecting flight got cancelled and had to wait 4 hours in the airport at 10pm for another flight. for some reason, they asked if they could follow us down in june.

 

[ksc37]

dvczerfs - you're absolutely right, when we consider the time spent 'flying' (driving to the airport, parking, going through the strip search , and waiting at the gate), we could be into Virginia before even boarding our plane in Philly (and that is assuming no delays, which in Philly is a huge assumption!).

 

[sharadoc]

you forgot you dont get stripped searched when you drive. its funny the other couple who followed us down for the last five years, decided last decmeber, they wanted to fly.they said, driving is ok but it takes so much time. we left nazareth pa at 3am and i walked into the front desk at okw at 7:15pm. no lines, no hearing, im sorry, your rooms not ready. now, i had most of there bags in my van so they didnt check any bags at the airport. they were flying down the following day. they were up at 3am, left the house at 4am. drove to allentown. changed flights in dc. flew into orlando and took magical express into okw. they arrived at all most 3pm. there room wasnt ready till 4:30. (that was after talking to the front desk manager) so the way i see it, (remember i love to drive) it took us 3 hours longer than it took them. i spent 20.00 in sandwiches and about 150.00 in gas. we all had naps in the van on the way down and had fun doing it. it took them longer to get home then it did us, there connecting flight got cancelled and had to wait 4 hours in the airport at 10pm for another flight. for some reason, they asked if they could follow us down in june.

This should be a sticky on top of the forum. I get so frustrated at the comparison of 2 hours flying vs. 2 days driving! There's more to flying that the time on the airplaine!!

We're ready for a straight-through drive! I went to DC yesterday, left home at 7:30 and got to the hotel at 10:30, then left to come home around 5:30 and got home a little after 9:00. Around 7 hours driving for me in one day. That's a little less than what I'll do for my part of the drive to Florida!!

On a side note, I got to see fmr Pres. George W speak at lunch of my conference yesterday. He was really fun, cool and charming! Not what I expected at all.

 

[dvczerfs]

This should be a sticky on top of the forum. I get so frustrated at the comparison of 2 hours flying vs. 2 days flying! There's more to flying that the time on the airplaine!!

We're ready for a straight-through drive! I went to DC yesterday, left home at 7:30 and got to the hotel at 10:30, then left to come home around 5:30 and got home a little after 9:00. Around 7 hours driving for me in one day. That's a little less than what I'll do for my part of the drive to Florida!!

On a side note, I got to see fmr Pres. George W speak at lunch of my conference yesterday. He was really fun, cool and charming! Not what I expected at all.

congrats on the dc trip sharon!!! i hate teaser trips!! i forgot to mention, the wife/mother of the other couple,came off the magical express with no coat on.it was about 45 degrees that day. her daughter and her self got sick while the plane landed in dc. it was windy that day and the plane got bounced around. she said i didnt know what to do, there were no "barf bags" so i took my coat off, used it, and when we got off the plane i threw it away. she said, i may be on your bumper again in june! we have a blast driving together. the husband of the other couple wanted to eat at a shoneys in n.carolina on one of our trips down. he got this huge plate of mash potatos with gravy. HE ATE IT!!!i told him, we aint stopping in the morning till s. carolina welcoming center. well, ill spare you the details on the phone heading down i95 at 4am but, we pulled in the parking lot, there suv didnt even come to a stop, he jumped out of the back seat and ran to the rest room!! not trot, ran!! i had to see this, ya ya im a guy,we live for this stuff. i should of had the camcorder.ran into the restroom, tried three stalls, no paper!!!!! final the forth one had a roll of paper in it and i left. he was in there for 30 mins. we still laugh about it today! we all ways ask him, hey kevin, want to stop at shoneys for some mash potatos??? oh the good times!!

 

[bookwormde]

Well 120 days out until our 1st "drive" in 3 years (been flying 4 RT for <$600 made it worth while) and I am actually looking forward to it. As a straight through driver it never is that big of a deal (especailly since we leave in the evening and the kids sleep though till well into NC).

bookwormde

 

[sharadoc]

congrats on the dc trip sharon!!! i hate teaser trips!! i forgot to mention, the wife/mother of the other couple,came off the magical express with no coat on.it was about 45 degrees that day. her daughter and her self got sick while the plane landed in dc. it was windy that day and the plane got bounced around. she said i didnt know what to do, there were no "barf bags" so i took my coat off, used it, and when we got off the plane i threw it away. she said, i may be on your bumper again in june! we have a blast driving together. the husband of the other couple wanted to eat at a shoneys in n.carolina on one of our trips down. he got this huge plate of mash potatos with gravy. HE ATE IT!!!i told him, we aint stopping in the morning till s. carolina welcoming center. well, ill spare you the details on the phone heading down i95 at 4am but, we pulled in the parking lot, there suv didnt even come to a stop, he jumped out of the back seat and ran to the rest room!! not trot, ran!! i had to see this, ya ya im a guy,we live for this stuff. i should of had the camcorder.ran into the restroom, tried three stalls, no paper!!!!! final the forth one had a roll of paper in it and i left. he was in there for 30 mins. we still laugh about it today! we all ways ask him, hey kevin, want to stop at shoneys for some mash potatos??? oh the good times!!

Let's just say - Cracker Barrel, me, turnip greens! What a terrible ride home from Virginia to Delaware. Local restaurants are SO much better for me!

 

[dvczerfs]

Let's just say - Cracker Barrel, me, turnip greens! What a terrible ride home from Virginia to Delaware. Local restaurants are SO much better for me!

it happens to everyone!