??? for those who drive

[Littlemotherhaywood]

If you stay somewhere on the way down, do you make advance reservations or do you just wing it and hope something is available? How do I figure out how much tolls would be? Thanks.

 

[grimley1968]

I'm assuming you're coming down I-75. Is that correct?

If so, I-75 from northern Kentucky (I don't know about Ohio north of Cincy) will be toll-free all the way until you get on the Florida Turnpike about 90 minutes from Orlando. The Turnpike has a few bucks in tolls - can't remember how much exactly. Also, you will probably encounter some tolls on your way into Disney once you get off the Turnpike. I'd say you can budget for about $10 or a little less in tolls.

As for hotels, we've always just winged it, or looked at what our GPS unit showed was ahead, and called 5 minutes before getting there. We've never had a problem finding vacancies.

 

[BANNISTER]

We also wing it...not to limit ourselves driving down. We won't stop for the night until we are at least half way, but if all is well we keep driving and this really makes the 2nd day of travel great since the worst of the drive is over. Driving from Maryland- 1/2 way is Florence, SC and we ended up spending the night in St. Augustine, FL. So I was so happy I did not book ahead.

 

[ducklite]

It depends on if it's a busy travel time or not. Two days ago DH drve from FL to NJ. Normally he makes the drive in one day, but he had decided to pwoerwash the lanai before he left, so he wasn't on the road before 11:00. There was no way he'd make the drive straight through. He thought he could probably get to MD and stop for a two hour nap, but around Fredericksburg, VA he was getting tired and knew that even if he made it to a Maryland House, it wouldn't be as a safe driver.

I had looked online that day, and there was plenty of availability at several Hampton Inns in VA/DC/MD, so he stopped at the one in Fredericksburg and they had rooms, and that's where he spent the night.

Had it been a holiday weekend, or even a busier travel night (Friday or Saturday) he probably would have come up with a plan before he left rather than winging it.

Anne

 

[sammielynn]

When my children were small I would always book a room for the trip down, because I did not want to be stuck with no place to stay and two tired and cranky boys. Now that they are older we just wing it, stop at the Georgia welcome center and get one of the hotel books, when we start getting tired we start calling and find a hotel. Never had any trouble, we travel in late May. If it were a holiday week-end I would pre-book.