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

[wed100105]

Hi everyone. We're a family (DH, me, DD6, DS2) of first time drivers heading to WDW later this month. My daughter has an eye doctor appointment at 8:40 AM, and we'll leave right after. We'll go 2,150 miles round trip. We're leaving Central Illinois around 9:30 (hopefully). We have not booked any rooms (going down or coming back) for our travel dates. DH wants to just stop whenever we get to a good stopping point. I'm not sure we're saving that much money over flying, but it'll be an adventure!

 

[Hasil72]

Hmmmm...dvczerfs, I may need to try this way. Heading down the Thursday before Easter, do you think it would be better than 95? We're leaving from Gloucester County about 20 min from the Commodore Barry or 30 min from DE Memorial. Yet again we'll be leaving around 1pm.

 

[dvczerfs]

Hmmmm...dvczerfs, I may need to try this way. Heading down the Thursday before Easter, do you think it would be better than 95? We're leaving from Gloucester County about 20 min from the Commodore Barry or 30 min from DE Memorial. Yet again we'll be leaving around 1pm.

well, let see, in my opinion, leaving at 1pm you are going to hit a lot of traffic either way you go. 78 thru the Lehigh valley not to bad but your going to be in the Hershey, Harrisburg thru wv area during the rush hour and that is a busy area. not as busy as dc in most cases but.......... how long is it for you to get to the nj/pa state line on 78? about an hour im guessing?


if it was me, I would go 78/81. why, if you don't hit any problems and get out at 1pm and don't stop and drive with a purpose, you may be able to hit the va state line before things get going for rush hour but if you get held up you may inch along. sorry, its just a bad time to leave from that area.
hows that for a definite maybe.

 

[Hasil72]

Haha haha...love it. Oh, and I always drive with a purpose, um sometimes a little too much so. I do all the driving so it's DHs job to keep me within reason. I'll have to map it from my computer tomorrow, can't get a clear picture on my phone, seems like I'll be driving waaaayyyy out of my way if I'm going to be driving through Hershey, that's over an hour away. Yep, 1pm departure stinks but with the extra snow days, the kids have lost most of Easter break and we're already pulling them 3 days. Oh, and we'll have my mom and little sister in tow so it will be a real adventure. Lol.

 

[dvczerfs]

Haha haha...love it. Oh, and I always drive with a purpose, um sometimes a little too much so. I do all the driving so it's DHs job to keep me within reason. I'll have to map it from my computer tomorrow, seems like I'll be driving waaaayyyy out of my way if I'm going to be driving through Hershey, that's over an hour away. Yep, 1pm departure stinks buy

generally people south and east of me are better off going 95.
I am further north and east then you. for me to get to 95, I would have to go down the northeast extension of the pa turnpike (aka northeast parking lot) then the surekill expressway (another parking lot) to get down to south philly to hit 95. by the time I did that I would be in Virginia . even for me the mileage is longer but I can "make better time" going 78/81/77. over the years I have driven just about every way and 78/81/77 just works well from where I live.

I also leave at 1-1:30am and drive straight thru so im well out of the northeast and into the hills before rush hour traffic.

good luck and have a safe trip!!!

 

[dvczerfs]

Haha haha...love it. Oh, and I always drive with a purpose, um sometimes a little too much so. I do all the driving so it's DHs job to keep me within reason. I'll have to map it from my computer tomorrow, can't get a clear picture on my phone, seems like I'll be driving waaaayyyy out of my way if I'm going to be driving through Hershey, that's over an hour away. Yep, 1pm departure stinks but with the extra snow days, the kids have lost most of Easter break and we're already pulling them 3 days. Oh, and we'll have my mom and little sister in tow so it will be a real adventure. Lol.

oh! keep checking back here, there are a lot of people from your area that can give you a better idea of how,what,where and whens.

 

[Hasil72]

I will! I'm also considering the 13 coastal route just so the kids can experience the CBBT. I thought I remembered reading a post that said you make time up even with the lights and lower speed limits compared to the 95 traffic.

 

[mjmyers10]

Haha haha...love it. Oh, and I always drive with a purpose, um sometimes a little too much so. I do all the driving so it's DHs job to keep me within reason. I'll have to map it from my computer tomorrow, can't get a clear picture on my phone, seems like I'll be driving waaaayyyy out of my way if I'm going to be driving through Hershey, that's over an hour away. Yep, 1pm departure stinks but with the extra snow days, the kids have lost most of Easter break and we're already pulling them 3 days. Oh, and we'll have my mom and little sister in tow so it will be a real adventure. Lol.

From South Jersey, you are better off taking 95. The majority of DC traffic will be between DC and Richmond. If you make it past DC into VA and you see traffic, just stop for a longer sit down dinner. If you are not going to moving fast, might as well eat!

 

[nono]

Same boat with a 1pm start time i don't think 95 is an option. I'm really curious about the coastal route coming out of Norfolk. 13 in Delaware is annoying but manageable. I think I can get a better idea about coastal when I test run in a few months

We come out of Cape May County via the ferry and pick up Rt. 13 after most of the annoying part (where Rt. 113 comes in). Rt. 58 has a couple of lights, but not much traffic. It is now a divided 4 lane highway (mostly) with some cross-traffic. The hardest part is navigating through the VA Beach/Norfolk area's highways. There's nothing saying, "pssst -- follow me to I-95."

About 1 1/2 hours from the Bay Bridge/Tunnel to the hook up to I-95. (And a Five Guys at that junction, just in case you are interested! )

 

[dvczerfs]

From South Jersey, you are better off taking 95. The majority of DC traffic will be between DC and Richmond. If you make it past DC into VA and you see traffic, just stop for a longer sit down dinner. If you are not going to moving fast, might as well eat!

I'm going to have that put on my head stone!!!!!

"If your not going to move fast, might as well eat"!!! Lol. I'm on my I phone I need a thumbs ups!!!

 

[artesian]

where I have home to i81. that would be your starting point when you cross the nj/pa state line on i78.

home to i81................... 1 hour 1 min. 71 miles
i81 to ma....................... 1 hour 19 min. 87 miles
ma to wv ..................... 10min. 12 miles
wv to va ...................... 22 min. 25 miles
va to i77 ...................... 3 hours 23 min. 241 miles
i77 to nc ...................... 26 min. 32 miles
nc to charl. nc .............. 1 hour 44 min. 97 miles
char to sc..................... 11 min. 12 miles
sc to i26....................... 1 hour 13 min. 88 miles
i26 to i95...................... 49 min. 53 miles
i95 to ga...................... 1 hour 07 min. 53 miles
ga to fl........................ 1 hour 44min. 111 miles
fl to i4 ......................... 1 hour 42min. 119 miles
i4 to exit 68.................. 54min. 62 miles

now keep in mind, these times include gas stops and rest stops. this is the 16 hour drive. a bit slower pace. time and mile includes exits. entrances etc....
this is a good idea with stops, no sit down meals, how long from point to point.
just remember, there is no perfect way. there could be a crash, traffic any way you go that can hold you up. I also don't use the "belt ways or bypass" I stay on 95 and 4.
the trip I did these times and miles I hit little traffic. I also think I read you were going during the week, being from nj I don't have to tell you what a Friday or Saturday during the summer months can do to traffic on the shore point interstates and 95 in the summer on Friday and Saturday can be fun.

and there again, if you live near i95, leave at the right time and drive straight thru, it can be a quick way of getting there.

I also use 78/81/66/17/95/4 but that's is during the winter months. if your not use to 66/17 and can be a little confusing.

good luck and have a nice trip!

Great info all. Appreciate all the answers.

On the way down I'm set on taking interior route. The way home Is my next wild card. So I need to ask what are my chances of hitting heavy traffic Richmond/DC let say between noon-2 on a Saturday summer afternoon?

 

[mjmyers10]

So we are starting to look into an August FL drive. The Destination America Disney week got us going. Also talking about a big family trip for Summer 2015. Leaving early in the morning like usual and taking 95 the whole way. Doing 4 nights in Vero Beach then 3 in Disney.

 

[jrsharp21]

Anyone have any tips on back support during these long drives? Made a 4 hour drive the other day and my back was killing me after we got done.

 

[mjmyers10]

Anyone have any tips on back support during these long drives? Made a 4 hour drive the other day and my back was killing me after we got done.

The Forever Comfy?

 

[dvczerfs]

Anyone have any tips on back support during these long drives? Made a 4 hour drive the other day and my back was killing me after we got done.

My car has lumbar support in it. I'm no doctor but there are are all types of things you can do pending on what problem you have. I'm a sales rep for a hvac company and drive about 40k a year. This first thing I was told don't have anything in your back pockets. I no longer carry a wallet. For me, if I blow up the lower lumbar support in the seat and raise the front of my seat so it supports under my knee, I'm fine. That's in my car
I drive a minivan for work and the seat fits under my knees and supports my knees that way. I found if I'm stretching for the peddles and there's nothing under my knee and my leg is not at a nice angle, my back will hurt.

It takes some time to figure out what will work best for you.

 

[DSLRuser]

Anyone have any tips on back support during these long drives? Made a 4 hour drive the other day and my back was killing me after we got done.

don't buy cheap cars if you are goon do long road trips.

 

[starwart]

Sometimes a good seat cushion will fix the problem. All that jarring motion transmits to your back if the seat cushion is too stiff. Also see if your thighs are well supported. If the seats are too low or too high, it can cause back discomfort.

 

[amcnj]

We come out of Cape May County via the ferry and pick up Rt. 13 after most of the annoying part (where Rt. 113 comes in). Rt. 58 has a couple of lights, but not much traffic. It is now a divided 4 lane highway (mostly) with some cross-traffic. The hardest part is navigating through the VA Beach/Norfolk area's highways. There's nothing saying, "pssst -- follow me to I-95."

About 1 1/2 hours from the Bay Bridge/Tunnel to the hook up to I-95. (And a Five Guys at that junction, just in case you are interested! )

Hi nono. So you take the ferry, then in DE take 9 to 13, and after the bridge/tunnel "navigate" to 58 and get back on 95 by Emporia? How long does it take you from Lewes to Emporia?

Thanks!

 

[chabs]

Anyone have any tips on back support during these long drives? Made a 4 hour drive the other day and my back was killing me after we got done.

Yes I absolutely do! Google Yogaback. It is a long seat cushion that you customize with cushioned blocks on certain parts of your back depending on your height. It's hard to explain, but basically it keeps you sitting upright in the correct posture (not slumping) while you are driving. I was having terrible neck problems from all the driving that I did last summer (many weekend trips for kid's sports-4 hours here/3 hours there) and once I bought the Yogaback they disappeared. I can't imagine driving my car without it now and even brought it with me when I flew to Florida to help drive my mom's car back to NY.

The man that designed it is very nice and spent over a half an hour talking to me on the phone when I called to order it. I believe it was less than $100, but I bought it last summer so I'm not 100% sure.

 

[dvczerfs]

Yes I absolutely do! Google Yogaback. It is a long seat cushion that you customize with cushioned blocks on certain parts of your back depending on your height. It's hard to explain, but basically it keeps you sitting upright in the correct posture (not slumping) while you are driving. I was having terrible neck problems from all the driving that I did last summer (many weekend trips for kid's sports-4 hours here/3 hours there) and once I bought the Yogaback they disappeared. I can't imagine driving my car without it now and even brought it with me when I flew to Florida to help drive my mom's car back to NY.

The man that designed it is very nice and spent over a half an hour talking to me on the phone when I called to order it. I believe it was less than $100, but I bought it last summer so I'm not 100% sure.

looks good! I can basically do the same this with my seat. for me if I sit square to the wheel, have lumbar support and have the back of my knees supported, it takes the pressure off my lower back. I'm lucky with all the driving I do I don't have more aches and pains while driving. and I'm no spring chicken any more.