For 2,000+ mile round-trip drivers only!

[goofy4tink]

So nice to see DISers who remember rules and work with them!!! You guys are the best. Thanks.

 

[BC1836]

Until page 249, then, let's get back to the road....

[Thanks for the clarification, Diane!]

 

[taximomfor4]

ack, danged dogs in the neighborhood barking forEVER woke me up. Leaving for my loooooooong drive super-duper early tomorrow morning (tonight?!) So much for sleeping in before my upcoming sleep deprivation. Ya know, till I lived here, I liked dogs. Now I only like dogs that are properly trained & contained.

anyway, crossing fingers for good weather, uncrowded highways (on the holiday weekend, haha), and rest tops when we need 'em, lol.
__________________________
/ Next Rest Area 86 Miles /
__________________________

"....Mommmmmmmm, I have to go....NOW!"

 

[BC1836]

ack, danged dogs in the neighborhood barking forEVER woke me up. Leaving for my loooooooong drive super-duper early tomorrow morning (tonight?!) So much for sleeping in before my upcoming sleep deprivation. Ya know, till I lived here, I liked dogs. Now I only like dogs that are properly trained & contained.

anyway, crossing fingers for good weather, uncrowded highways (on the holiday weekend, haha), and rest tops when we need 'em, lol.
__________________________
/ Next Rest Area 86 Miles /
__________________________

"....Mommmmmmmm, I have to go....NOW!"

Neighborhood noise: the unknown variable in every long-distance drive. On our last trip, we didn't sleep well the night before (no neighborhood noise, just WDW anticipation)...and we departed the following morning at 12:30 a.m. But we made three half-hour nap stops along the way. Still, we made it straight through by dusk that same day. But we were tired.

 

[dvczerfs]

here is one good reason ive driven 1080 miles each way for the last 37 years!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usHuqPq7g5w&feature=related have a safe drive!!!

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

I read a bit ago that the DE rest stop was closed. It has reopened.

 

[monymony3471]

here is one good reason ive driven 1080 miles each way for the last 37 years!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usHuqPq7g5w&feature=related have a safe drive!!!

 

[BC1836]

here is one good reason ive driven 1080 miles each way for the last 37 years!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usHuqPq7g5w&feature=related have a safe drive!!!

Let's do the math:

76,220 miles (37 annual trips X 2,060 round-trip miles)

98,880 miles (48 total trips x 2,070 round-trip miles)
[Check dvczerfs signature.]

Now then...it's approximately 25,000 miles around the earth at the Equator....we're talkin' serious mileage here!

[We've done 19 round-trip drives since 2002: about 41,000 miles. We're catching up...but we've got a way to go!]

All the best on America's Birthday!

 

[Becky2005]

I would definitely recommend it -- you can use it on tolls in Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. It really comes in handy.

I know I'm coming in late to this discussion because I was on a long car trip from IL to CT & back for my niece's wedding.

My parents were all prepared to pay tolls but I have I-PASS & I remembered reading it worked I thought only in Indiana until I read it worked with EZ-Pass (& i-zoom) stuff too. It was great for us, we just zoomed right on through once my dad figured things out. We weren't 100% sure it would work all the time & we are used to IL open road tollways where you don't have to stop for gates, you just keep on zooming through in the lanes, so we were afraid we would get somewhere with a gate stuck down or something & it not work but it worked everywhere.

My parents don't even use the tollway that often & my dad is considering getting one now.

Now that is over & done with, it's time to preliminarly think about our 2011 trip that we weren't sure if we were actually going or not. DH had been unemployed but he just started a new job last week...if all goes well we might make this happen.

Just have to figure how to squeeze as much time as possible out of 1 week vacation.

 

[Riverhill]

So comforting to see that there are so many others who do this!
We'll be making the loooooonnngggg trip from Michigan in August. About 2400 miles roundtrip -- eek !!!

Just joining in for moral support !!

See you on the road we too are driving from Michigan. We will be leaving late on August 20th. We drive straight through until Lake City FL. Then stop for the night, before heading to WDW.

 

[Becky2005]

Thanks for the confirmation about going I-74 to I-57. DH and I reviewed it on the map and it looked a lot more straight forward.

My Dh ia solo driver by choice. I wish he'd let me do some of the driving, even though he won't likely sleep but he is a control freak in a car so I don't hold out much hope of helping. I'm still looking forward to our road trip to WDW!

Those look like confusing directions to me but I do tend to pick the easier to understand way. One thing I would skip the Atlanta bypass. Everytime we have gone we just breeze right on through on I-75 because we are in the HOV lanes as we aren't exiting and we have more than 1 person in the car. We must just hit the timing right though because I never find the traffic any worse than Chicago traffic.

Since we are coming from the North, we take I-47 to I-74, I think it was to I-24 then catch I-75 from there and follow that straight down. It has been a few years so I would have to check again but I'm pretty sure we took I-24 into TN and caught I-75 at that point. We debated which way was better going over to Indiana and going that way or going through IL and going that way. I think it ended up being about the same either way.

I see at your other post you are stopping at a Comfort Suites, I may have to look into that since we are a family of 6 and that could work. We recently stayed at one in CT and it was nice. Usually we tend to do Holiday Inns but wherever we stay, we always have to look for bigger accomodations so it makes it trickier.

 

[mamaprincess]

Those look like confusing directions to me but I do tend to pick the easier to understand way. One thing I would skip the Atlanta bypass. Everytime we have gone we just breeze right on through on I-75 because we are in the HOV lanes as we aren't exiting and we have more than 1 person in the car. We must just hit the timing right though because I never find the traffic any worse than Chicago traffic.

Since we are coming from the North, we take I-47 to I-74, I think it was to I-24 then catch I-75 from there and follow that straight down. It has been a few years so I would have to check again but I'm pretty sure we took I-24 into TN and caught I-75 at that point. We debated which way was better going over to Indiana and going that way or going through IL and going that way. I think it ended up being about the same either way.

I see at your other post you are stopping at a Comfort Suites, I may have to look into that since we are a family of 6 and that could work. We recently stayed at one in CT and it was nice. Usually we tend to do Holiday Inns but wherever we stay, we always have to look for bigger accomodations so it makes it trickier.

We are right by the I-74 so we will get that and take that to 74 then I-57 to I-24 to I-75. It seems more straight forward than the map quest directions of I-74 to I-55 to IL-4 to I-64 to I-57 to I-24 to I-75. It is probably a little quicker to do it the map quest way but I think I'd prefer a more straight forward route.

We are going to stay at the Comfort Suites in Mcdonough, Georgia because DH is familiar with the area. There is also one a Comfort Suites in Locust Grove which seems very nice and is a little further south.

 

[Lilysmom]

Hi all! DH and I are considering driving for our upcoming trip. We have NEVER driven before and I am not even really sure where to begin. Here are some of the details. If anyone could point me in the right direction that would be great!

It will be myself, DH and 3 DDs (ages 7, 6 and 3.) We live in Central NJ (Monmouth County.) We are scheduled to check into AKL Villas on 10/7 and depart on 10/16. Airfare, parking and transportation from Orlando Airport to the hotel is looking at costing us $2000. That is not a pill I want to swallow (especially since this is our second trip this year) so we are kicking around the idea of driving. I will be 6 months pregnant at the time of the trip.

DH is wanting to take off from work on 10/6, sleep during the day while the two older girls are at school and leave that night around 6 pm after feeding the girls dinner and putting them in pjs (hoping they sleep a big chunk of the way)....then drive straight through with the two of us alternating and stopping only for potty breaks until breakfast the following morning. (I will pack a cooler of snacks for the girls as well as DVDs, Nintendos, activity books, etc.) He thinks we can be in Disney by 2 pm on the 7th. Does this sound reasonable?

He drove down to Florida once, by himself about 20 years ago to visit a friend in college and other than skiing in VT (which was about 8 hours from here) we've never really taken a road trip. We always fly. I am just not sure where to begin looking to map this out and try to figure out the timing of it. I think it may not be so bad going but the trip home will be looooooong because there is nothing to look forward to... but we have to do what we have to do.

We do have AAA in case of a roadside emergency and our Sienna is only 2 years old and a lease (which I am currently 8000 miles UNDER on.)

Any advice you can offer me is GREATLY appreciated!

 

[Malaguti Ball Clan]

Get a readily accessible cooler with ice ice ice cold bottles of water and a ROUGH face cloth, like hung out to try rough, trust me when I say they are the end all be all com 3-5 AM, that last little push chasing the rising son.

 

[Malaguti Ball Clan]

Figure roughly 12 - 13 hours from DC if you take 95

 

[BC1836]

Hi all! DH and I are considering driving for our upcoming trip. We have NEVER driven before and I am not even really sure where to begin. Here are some of the details. If anyone could point me in the right direction that would be great!

It will be myself, DH and 3 DDs (ages 7, 6 and 3.) We live in Central NJ (Monmouth County.) We are scheduled to check into AKL Villas on 10/7 and depart on 10/16. DH is wanting to take off from work on 10/6, sleep during the day while the two older girls are at school and leave that night around 6 pm. He thinks we can be in Disney by 2 pm on the 7th. Does this sound reasonable?

Plan on 17-18 hours for the total drive (+ gas and bathroom stops). You should be missing all the major rush hour traffic problem areas. After your first hour you will have a lot of nighttime driving, which can take a greater toll on the driver's eyes than daytime driving.

We've done the drive 19 times since 2002.

All the best.

 

[monymony3471]

See you on the road we too are driving from Michigan. We will be leaving late on August 20th. We drive straight through until Lake City FL. Then stop for the night, before heading to WDW.

More Michigan folk and I-75 drivers. We are leaving the 20th also, but early in the morning and stoping in Chatanooga TN for the night. We will leave a bread crumb trail.

 

[dvczerfs]

Hi all! DH and I are considering driving for our upcoming trip. We have NEVER driven before and I am not even really sure where to begin. Here are some of the details. If anyone could point me in the right direction that would be great!

It will be myself, DH and 3 DDs (ages 7, 6 and 3.) We live in Central NJ (Monmouth County.) We are scheduled to check into AKL Villas on 10/7 and depart on 10/16. Airfare, parking and transportation from Orlando Airport to the hotel is looking at costing us $2000. That is not a pill I want to swallow (especially since this is our second trip this year) so we are kicking around the idea of driving. I will be 6 months pregnant at the time of the trip.

DH is wanting to take off from work on 10/6, sleep during the day while the two older girls are at school and leave that night around 6 pm after feeding the girls dinner and putting them in pjs (hoping they sleep a big chunk of the way)....then drive straight through with the two of us alternating and stopping only for potty breaks until breakfast the following morning. (I will pack a cooler of snacks for the girls as well as DVDs, Nintendos, activity books, etc.) He thinks we can be in Disney by 2 pm on the 7th. Does this sound reasonable?

He drove down to Florida once, by himself about 20 years ago to visit a friend in college and other than skiing in VT (which was about 8 hours from here) we've never really taken a road trip. We always fly. I am just not sure where to begin looking to map this out and try to figure out the timing of it. I think it may not be so bad going but the trip home will be looooooong because there is nothing to look forward to... but we have to do what we have to do.

We do have AAA in case of a roadside emergency and our Sienna is only 2 years old and a lease (which I am currently 8000 miles UNDER on.)

Any advice you can offer me is GREATLY appreciated!

thats what we did when dd was very young. as long a dh can sleep during the day.(i never could, to pumped up.) night driving and staying alert between 1am and till the sun comes up is ruff. i would drive from 5pm till 1am. dw would take a snooze while i was driving. she would drive from 1am till 3:30am than i would drive the rest of the way in. now, once you get there, dh and yourself are completely wiped out and the dds are ready to go!!! so you end up spending time sleeping when you get there. im only about 45 min. west of you. we have about the same amout of time on the road. what we do is head out around 9am.( i have to work a 1/2day on the day we leave from 4am till 8am or we would leave earlier) we drive till about 6:30pm. that puts us 45 mins into s.carolina. we bring sands. and food in a cooler, we eat in our room, take showers and dw and i fall asleep while dd (now17) watches tv and is on the internet. we get up the next morning at 3am, hit the road by 3:30am. we pull into okw at 10:15-10:30am. and we got the rest of the second day all rested and ready to go. we found you dont gain anything by driving over night as far as fun time at the world. on the way home, we leave okw at 3:30am and hit our driveway by 7:30-8pm. and i do most of the driving. our dd was all ways a good traveler. i think there was only one time and she was about 4 that i said, "dont make me stop at the airport and fly you back to grammys." and after that she never asked how far again. when she got a bit older, i showed her how to follow along with a map and the mile markers than she drove us nut how far we had to go. wouldnt trade any of the drives for the world. every time we drive down, we talk about, do you remember the year we..... even when just dw and i drive down alone. now that dd is a sr in high school and will be off to school after next year and wont be going with us for awhile, dw and are planing to go every sept. for 10 nights and every jan. for 8 nights for the next five or so years. we are driving them all!!!!

 

[BC1836]

TO: Driving to Florida...

FROM: The 2,000+ mile round-trip drivers

This is the thread to visit! All your questions will be answered...and then some!

All the best

 

[Lilysmom]

Thanks guys! We decided we are going to give it a try. We don't really mind road trips, my girls travel well and the money savings is just too large to pass up.

We mapquested the directions this morning. Can someone tell me where I could look to find appropriate places to stop? (Rest stops with bathrooms, restaurants, gas stations?) Would I find all of that info through AAA? Also, I have a ton of rewards points on a credit card that I can convert to a gas gift card to cover $250 worth of gas but I have to choose between BP or Shell. Is there a way to know which of those we would be passing most frequently?

Thanks again for all the advice! I am sure that with all the advice and tips on this thread we will be smooth sailing!