OK, how long will it take me to get there with the trailer?

[hotdogmj71]

A Bing search shows a map that says 831 miles & an estimated driving time of 13 hours 42 minutes. Does anyone have a suggestion on how long this will take with a travel trailer? I am really unsure of a stopping point along the way. I don't want to make it too far away & have everyone worn out. Also, I would hate to make the stop too early & waste a lot of my potential driving time.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Matthew

 

[MandMLUVMMandDVC]

Bing has you averaging 60mph. That includes all stops & pulling a TT. Don't think so. We figure we average (with stops) 50mph as we always drive at or below the speed limit.

 

[YodaGirl]

According to Bing, we're 833.8 miles from Walt Disney World, with a travel time of 12 hours, 5 minutes.

In reality, we usually figure 14 - 16 hours, pulling a TT.

It's hard to determine what type of traffic or road construction you'll find.

My brother, on the other hand, has made it from our town to WDW in 12 hours.

He was driving a firebird and going about 80mph most of the way.

He was going so fast, in fact, that he almost ran off a curve on Monteagle.

 

[bradisgoofy]

I have always set our travel time at 500 miles, no matter how long it takes. This can be 10 to 12 hours, on the interstate, including stops. Since we have a motorhome, we eat all our meals in the coach, usually lunch coincides with a fuel stop. Now, I do drive between 62 and 65mph, depending on traffic, so you can see we take a very leisurely pace. I have found that with this pace we arrive at FW much less stressed and generally ready to hit the parks after setting up.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

I usually add a couple hours to my estimate to allow for stops and unforseen delays. We normally do NC --> FL without overnights, but it's a very long day.

 

[becky1960]

Depending on speed your tires/weight on the TT get pretty hot so 60 mph while driving is about right. We had had blowouts before so now is its about 60.

 

[dtum]

We always add about 2 hours to the estimate travel time. Seems to be pretty spot on with that estimate. Towing our fifth-wheel we don't go more than 500 miles a day. From OH we take 3 days (2 over- night stops) to get to DW (1200 miles). Towing a trailer is a lot different than just driving. We like getting to a campsite, pulling in and relaxing a little before bed. Also, found out the hard way, when it's really hot, putting too many miles at high speeds (never go over 65) on trailer tires is not a good thing. Long story short--not towing our trailer 2 days, towing our trailer 3 days. Better safe than sorry.

 

[disney4dan]

Ditto to the above. For different length trips, our rule of thumb is to estimate the average speed at 50 mph to account for stops and delays.

My handy little infrared thermometer bit the dust, but I used to get in the habit of checking each wheel during stops to see if they were about the same temperature. Great to give some peace of mind. One stop found that the parking brake had not fully released and the rear wheels on the truck were about 50 degrees warmer than the others. Got them reset, drove a short while and they were back to normal temps. For around $30 it was a great investment for long trips. This will let you know if you have a bearing going on the trailer axle as well. I learned this working in a mill while in college, the operators would have to log the temperatures of bearings on a frequent basis to know when maintenance was needed long before the bearings failed and caused more damage.

 

[ob1quixote]

Google Earth has a cool search function! Try entering the words campground and the name of the state about 1/2 way down. You will get a huge list of campgrounds that will merge with Google searches and Google Maps.

400 miles a day is a good day, when you consider a 50mph average speed {including time lost to stops} I have pushed it to 600 miles at the beginning of an adventure, but it is tough!

 

[Barney Fife]

HotDog, where are you coming from? Will you be coming down I-95 or some other interstate?

On most interstates, it's what you're comfortable with. We typically run 70-75 mph but stop quite often. We also like to stop in south Ga. on the way down to stay overnight. That way, we get to the Fort around noon fresh and ready for the remainder of the first day. Usually, an afternoon at Downtown Disney or something.

On the way home, we run it all the way for 600 miles. It's usually 10 hours but we stop for two quick meals and a couple of bathroom/fuel stops.

 

[bama_ed]

The map tools are pretty consistent and IMO for the most part accurate. I just got back from a 2600-mile round trip drive out to New Mexico and back (with the Boy Scouts). No towing but the listed driving time is for windshield time plus gas/stops. I don't think any meal time allowance is built in.

My rule of thumb pulling the pop-up has been to add 10-20% of the windshield time to the driving time shown. Most trailer tires are only rated at a max of 65 mph which depending on the size of your rig/tv you may want to go lower than that. With over 800 miles you definitely need an overnight stop. Try to time your arrival at the Fort for 1-2pm in the afternoon. Your site might be available earier but then again may not be. Shooting for that time leaves you plenty of time to back in, set up, visit the trading post or pool, eat dinner, then hit the Chip & Dale Campfire/Singalong/Movie.

Finally, when I'm stopping some place for one night and then driving on the next day, I do a hotel stay rather than do the camper thing (even though I am pulling it behind me). It's easier and less stressful and most hotels (we like Hampton Inns) will offer a continental breakfast for the price which is nice too. Since I have 5 people in my group the replacement breakfast cost can help balance out the higher room cost.

Hafe a safe and wonderful trip!

Bama ED

 

[5stljayhawks]

I am 1100 miles from STL. It's 12 FULL hours stl to atlanta 600 miles maybe 14 hours.

then another 8-9 hours 400 miles the next day.

Questions to ask how big is your gas tank, I went from 20 to 39 and how many stops are making for the kids? We stop 2-3 times per day at rest stops to get the kids out and run for 15-20 minutes. AKA an extra hour day.

If I recall we average about 55-60 MPH. Also if you are traveling with another family add additional time.

 

[Disneylitch]

We travel from Maryland and it's about 1000 miles. It takes us about 18 hours to get to The Fort. We go between 55 and 65 mph, but usually stay towards the 55. We stop at a rest area along the way and spend the night. If you are going south on 95 I can let you know the rest areas. We have always felt very safe. There are alot of MH, TT, and tracter trailers staying the night also.

 

[hotdogmj71]

OK, first off, thanks to all the helpful posters here.

I am just across the Mississippi River from Memphis. I had planned on stopping in Albany GA which is about 520 miles away. That way we should get to WDW at a decent hour the next day. The more I thought about it, I wanted a second opinion. After reading everyone's suggestions, I think the original plan should be alright.

Disney4Dan - where do you purchase the infrared thermometer & what are optimal temps for the tires ?

 

[ftwildernessrick]

I am about 828 miles from Disney, 200 miles of it on non-interstate roads, but 4 laned. I do about 65 on Interstate. Depending on traffic, etc, we do it in 15 - 15 1/2 hours.