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

[MIChessGuy]

I am heading down for the week of October 16. In the past I'd been able to put together reasonable air/rental car deals, but as you say--things have changed. No matter what memberships I have or discount tricks I try, everything is sky high and getting higher. On the plus side, fuel prices seem to get more reasonable south of me, especially in TN and GA. I will be stopping for a bit in metro Atlanta to see relatives (and get free room! haha). Also look forward to stopping for a bit at a Bucc-ee's, which I had never seen before my trip back last May. Interesting place and very price competitive on fuel.

 

[pwdebbie]

@BC1836 and @dvczerfs -- I hope you are both safe during the storm. Please check in when you can.

 

[dvczerfs]

@BC1836 and @dvczerfs -- I hope you are both safe during the storm. Please check in when you can.

Hi pwdebbie, BC and I talked on the phone this afternoon for bit, just comparing notes. We do live about an hour away from each other but Ian, on its current path looks like is going to hit both of us.
We are all prepared! We both live in concrete homes and on top of hills, pending where you are from, they a little mounds to us, there are no hills to speak of in Florida.lol We got our snacks, water etc. and our interior room hide outs if needed. I had to work tonight and got home about 12:30. Very little traffic on the roads tonight. I left for work three hours before my shift anticipating a lot of traffic on I4, it was business as usual today. Tonight it was very light, lighter than normal. Had an early dinner at a resort before heading into work. It’s funny how other cms can pick you right out, the shorts and footwear are a dead give away. Well, off to bed, the next day and a half should be interesting. I will keep you updated and when I talk to or message BC, I will tell him you guys asked about him.
From the eye of Ian, have a great night.

 

[dvczerfs]

Hi pwdebbie, BC and I talked on the phone this afternoon for bit, just comparing notes. We do live about an hour away from each other but Ian, on its current path looks like is going to hit both of us.
We are all prepared! We both live in concrete homes and on top of hills, pending where you are from, they a little mounds to us, there are no hills to speak of in Florida.lol We got our snacks, water etc. and our interior room hide outs if needed. I had to work tonight and got home about 12:30. Very little traffic on the roads tonight. I left for work three hours before my shift anticipating a lot of traffic on I4, it was business as usual today. Tonight it was very light, lighter than normal. Had an early dinner at a resort before heading into work. It’s funny how other cms can pick you right out, the shorts and footwear are a dead give away. Well, off to bed, the next day and a half should be interesting. I will keep you updated and when I talk to or message BC, I will tell him you guys asked about him.
From the eye of Ian, have a great night.

oops, duplicate

 

[dvczerfs]

Hi pwdebbie, BC and I talked on the phone this afternoon for bit, just comparing notes. We do live about an hour away from each other but Ian, on its current path looks like is going to hit both of us.
We are all prepared! We both live in concrete homes and on top of hills, pending where you are from, they a little mounds to us, there are no hills to speak of in Florida.lol We got our snacks, water etc. and our interior room hide outs if needed. I had to work tonight and got home about 12:30. Very little traffic on the roads tonight. I left for work three hours before my shift anticipating a lot of traffic on I4, it was business as usual today. Tonight it was very light, lighter than normal. Had an early dinner at a resort before heading into work. It’s funny how other cms can pick you right out, the shorts and footwear are a dead give away. Well, off to bed, the next day and a half should be interesting. I will keep you updated and when I talk to or message BC, I will tell him you guys asked about him.
From the eye of Ian, have a great night.

I forgot to mention, they lowered the castle in preparation of Ian today.

 

[AnnaS]

I forgot to mention, they lowered the castle in preparation of Ian today.
View attachment 705928

Thank you for the picture. I had no idea it can be lowered. I know it can be taken apart. Must be some sight.

Be safe!

 

[mamabunny]

I forgot to mention, they lowered the castle in preparation of Ian today.i
View attachment 705928

How does that even work? That looks a LOT lower!

*THIS* is why I should not be allowed on the internet prior to caffiene!

 

[dvczerfs]

Hi everyone!!! We made it through Ian with no damage to the house, pool or pool enclosure!! Just a lot of twigs and small branches. Our power went out around 2:15am which we were ready for.
That was one heck of a storm!!! We caught the north west corner of the eye.
If you didn’t look outside the only way you would know anything was happening was the rain hitting the windows in the back of the house.
This is our third hurricane we went through but first as a Florida homeowner.
From my understanding, BC made it through also. I asked him if they were ok and gave me a thumbs up and will call me later today.
So all we need is power yet, I’m sure it will be a few days. If we don’t have any tomorrow, my wife’s work is going to put us up in a hotel.
Thanks for thinking of us!!!! We are good!!!
Back to work Sunday night!!!!! Lol

 

[Momma of 4]

Hello! We are going to be driving down in November (Only 937 miles each way, hope thats ok ) We are going to be taking it slow though, and split the drive up into two days. Well, technically three I guess, as we are staying in a local hotel for a night before we check in to our Disney Resort. but we will have two days on the road and then Disney Days!
I have a few packing questions for you all though. In the past we used to pack in suitcases for our trips, but I recently packed us up in rubbermaid totes for a week trip and it seemed like we could fit so much more in the van! I'm wondering if anyone has packed this way as well, and if it actually a better way to go, or if I will regret having totes and not anything on wheels when we get there

My second question is for those of you that split the trip up like that and stop in hotels for the night, especially with kids (we have four - 10, 8, and 4 year old twins). How do you pack to make those stops easier? I was thinking of just everything for the night/next day's change of clothes in the top tote (or suitcase if we got that route) and then leaving all the rest of the crap luggage in the car. I made the mistake of packing a bit of everything in each pack last time we made an overnight stop and my poor husband had to lug in the whole van each night then right back out in the morning. We did not learn our lesson until we got home and thought about how maybe that wasn't very efficient, and there's got to be a better way!

Also open to any other tips or tricks or advice! We have traveled a bit this year, the most being 9 hours away split into two days (one long one short) but this will definitely be the longest trip half of my kids have every been on, the other half went to Florida before the twins were born, but I doubt they remember.

 

[Stratman50th]

@Momma of 4
First your tote idea since you asked. We started making the run from Md to Florida around 1989. We always drove. We also made several trips a year. I would agree that you could fit more in totes, however I do believe you will miss having wheels and handles. If I am imagining this right you have to hold your tote upright one end in each hand. Carrying more would require stacking and some difficulty keeping the one on top from sliding off. Snagging a luggage cart would obviously help, if you can get one. I'm speaking from the experience of a family who always carried their own bags to the room. If using bell services I'm not sure how that would work. At one time they used golf carts. Bell services try and be quick and efficient and the totes might cause a slowdown or cumbersome movement for them. Anyway, just a thought. You could also have the two older kids share a bag with a twin. Have the older kids be responsible for the bags. Makes them feel involved and saves the wear and tear on dad.
On our trips we always carried a travel suitcase. Packed with road clothes for days we were in the car. That way at hotel stops you just grabbed one bag into the room which included overnight toiletries. Last travel day we wore park clothes but also had the pool bag ready in case we decided to hang at the pool while waiting on our room.
As far as travel days, we would drive as far as Kingsland GA, which was about 12 hours. That left a short 3ish hour trip to WDW.
Everybody does it different and I'm sure you get lots of advice. What worked for us might not work for you.

 

[bluezy]

Hello! We are going to be driving down in November (Only 937 miles each way, hope thats ok ) We are going to be taking it slow though, and split the drive up into two days. Well, technically three I guess, as we are staying in a local hotel for a night before we check in to our Disney Resort. but we will have two days on the road and then Disney Days!
I have a few packing questions for you all though. In the past we used to pack in suitcases for our trips, but I recently packed us up in rubbermaid totes for a week trip and it seemed like we could fit so much more in the van! I'm wondering if anyone has packed this way as well, and if it actually a better way to go, or if I will regret having totes and not anything on wheels when we get there

My second question is for those of you that split the trip up like that and stop in hotels for the night, especially with kids (we have four - 10, 8, and 4 year old twins). How do you pack to make those stops easier? I was thinking of just everything for the night/next day's change of clothes in the top tote (or suitcase if we got that route) and then leaving all the rest of the crap luggage in the car. I made the mistake of packing a bit of everything in each pack last time we made an overnight stop and my poor husband had to lug in the whole van each night then right back out in the morning. We did not learn our lesson until we got home and thought about how maybe that wasn't very efficient, and there's got to be a better way!

Also open to any other tips or tricks or advice! We have traveled a bit this year, the most being 9 hours away split into two days (one long one short) but this will definitely be the longest trip half of my kids have every been on, the other half went to Florida before the twins were born, but I doubt they remember.

I've never attempted to pack our clothing in bins, but I have packed some non-clothing items (snacks/breakfast food, sunscreen, rain ponchos, first aid stuff, and a ton of things we never end up using) in small bins and that works out nicely. For our clothing, I use a combination of packing cubes and compression bags. I can fit a lot of stuff in just a few suitcases using those things. When our kids were young (up to 10 years old or so) I would pack complete outfits in individual ziploc bags, roll the air out, and throw them in a suitcase. That makes getting dressed every morning so much easier and faster. Even though all of our luggage has wheels, we still usually get a luggage cart to use so we can get everything to the room in one trip (we bring some water and soda in addition to our luggage and bins).

Definitely pack a suitcase just for the overnight stops (don't forget to put an empty garbage or laundry bag in that bag for your dirty clothes). I made the mistake of *not* doing that on our first drive to Disney. It was not fun lugging everything into the hotel room that first night. I immediately spent some time rearranging things and creating an overnight bag that first night. Now I always have a bag with all of our clothing for the overnight stops (we usually stop 2 nights) and I have a separate bag with all of our bathroom stuff in it. And I bring an empty large reusable shopping bag to collect all the electronics, pillows, and any other odds and ends of things that shouldn't be left in the car overnight.

 

[dvczerfs]

Hello everyone! Life in this part in central Florida is pretty much all back to normal, just small piles of tree limbs lining the curbs.
Believe it or not, there is still some flooding going on from local streams.
We don’t live near any of those areas and our house is on top of a hill.
Work is going good. Parks are very busy.
I took a few screen shots of the radar as Ian was approaching.
Sorry they are a bit blurry. We are heading to the Boardwalk for a six day little vacation, yes, it’s like camping in your backyard but it’s still fun. Lol
Thats all I got for now, so remember….. watch Your step and please remain seated.
The little blue dot, is me.

 

[NH-to-FL]

Hello everyone! Life in this part in central Florida is pretty much all back to normal, just small piles of tree limbs lining the curbs.

Glad to hear you survived the wind and all that rain. Our place up in the NE corner of Davenport just lost a couple of screen in the pool cage. A few homes in the neighborhood lost some shingles. We are on the lower edge of a small hill with lower ground to the east so no flooding near us. We feel very lucky.

We are heading to the Boardwalk for a six day little vacation, yes, it’s like camping in your backyard but it’s still fun. Lol

Wonderful! I am jealous. It has been many years since our last stay at the Boardwalk. And I'm not sure I would relate a stay at the Boardwalk to camping. LOL

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[dvczerfs]

Glad to hear you survived the wind and all that rain. Our place up in the NE corner of Davenport just lost a couple of screen in the pool cage. A few homes in the neighborhood lost some shingles. We are on the lower edge of a small hill with lower ground to the east so no flooding near us. We feel very lucky.



Wonderful! I am jealous. It has been many years since our last stay at the Boardwalk. And I'm not sure I would relate a stay at the Boardwalk to camping. LOL

Enjoy your vacation!

When we use to camp, we had 36’ prowler with double slide outs, twin central A/C and heat. The only thing Boardwalk has that our camper didn’t was a whirlpool. Lol.

 

[dvczerfs]

I drove my wife this past Sunday up to Sanford airport, she had to fly back up north for work. Lake Jessup is still flooded weeks after the hurricane. The water levels are going down but very slowly. At one point, the water was up to the fronds of the palm trees next to rt417.
On the way back home, there where house flooded. Some were on stilts but there were a few the water was half way up the side of the house.
I always thank the founder of this thread for the great advice we got when looking for a house in Florida.

 

[pmdeve]

We are headed down to Disney is December From Philadelphia. We usually make a stop in Florence, South Carolina or Fayetteville, Nirth Carolina. . This year we were thinking about taking our time and planning another stop on the way down. Any suggestions for another nice place to stop for a Night on the way down. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[pwdebbie]

We are headed down to Disney is December From Philadelphia. We usually make a stop in Florence, South Carolina or Fayetteville, Nirth Carolina. . This year we were thinking about taking our time and planning another stop on the way down. Any suggestions for another nice place to stop for a Night on the way down. Thanks for your suggestions.

Savannah or Tybee Island would be nice. Maybe a little beach time.

 

[Stratman50th]

We are headed down to Disney is December From Philadelphia. We usually make a stop in Florence, South Carolina or Fayetteville, Nirth Carolina. . This year we were thinking about taking our time and planning another stop on the way down. Any suggestions for another nice place to stop for a Night on the way down. Thanks for your suggestions.

We took our time going back north one year and stopped in Charleston. We stayed two nights so we had a full day to do the tourist thing. Did a sightseeing tour in a horse drawn carriage, went to Patriots Point, looked around, etc.
We really enjoyed it as we too used to just run down and back on 95. I guess it's still nice and a safe place. It has been awhile though. Before our daughter was born in 94.

 

[KCMA]

Making our 3rd (April/July/December) 2700 mile round trip from east of Toronto this December .. will be the first time stopping two nights on the way down… and will let weather be the major factor in what route we take… looking forward to not having to log as many miles each day but doubt we will take two nights to do it very often.. usually drive straight through or one stop in one of the Carolinas

 

[dvczerfs]