Questions for those that drive

[mom42860]

Just wondering how to plan a drive out. We have DD 12, DS 10, DD (will be 18 months) and am wondering if we should leave late afternoon and let them sleep in the car. Or leave early am and let them enjoy (?) the ride. We would plan for stops but how do you know where there would be playgrounds, etc. Should we join AAA? Any words of wisdom would be so appreciated.

 

[friskykitten]

How long of a drive are you looking at? From Mass.?? We drive from Mid-Missouri every time and take it in two days. Sometimes three. The past couple of times we have left on a Friday afternoon right after the kids got out of school and drove to Paducah, KY. We stop there for a good night's rest and get back on the road by 8-9 am the next morning. From there we drive all day to Tifton or Valdosta, GA. We prefer Tifton. Get another good night's sleep and head out the next day to Orlando. We usually get to WDW by 1-3 pm in the afternoon. Our first night is almost always spent checking out the hotel and it's offerings. Swimming in the pool, eating in one of the restaurants and generally taking it easy and absorbing the wonderful surroundings. We use Priceline to get really cheap rooms at places like the Courtyard by Marriott. I think I paid $12/room in Paducah. We had four kids aged 9, 6, 4 and 2 last time we went in June. We always drive back in two days. Orlando to Atlanta, GA to Mid-Missouri. We do have AAA and use it for the peace of mind the roadside service brings as well as their tourbooks and discounts. The kids have always traveled well, especially since we make it a point to stop somewhere for the night to get a decent night's sleep. We will never try to drive it straight through. Too dangerous IMHO. And too hard on the kid's. But.....that is just my feelings on it. If you have any specific questions I will try to answer them.

 

[imgoingtodisney]

My MIL and husband left yesterday morning to drive from MA to FL. They are planning on stopping for 2 nights. First day they left at 6am and were hoping to get about 12 hours of driving done. Then 2nd day again drive most of the day. On the 3rd day they only have about 4 hours left. They will have 3 nights at MILs house before going to airport to pickup my 9yr son and myself. They have our big suitcase with them so I dont need to carry that with us. When given the choice my son wanted to go 3hrs flying with 2.5 hrs at the airport instead of 25 hours in the backseat of a car.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Mom 42860,

As far as playgrounds go, what we did when DS was younger and still do sometimes ,is to stop at a fastfood place with an outside playground and let him play while we ate outside and watched him. We all got fresh air and he got rid of some energy and then we took his food in the van with us and he spent the next half hour or so eating and then he has the new kid meal toy that would keep him happy a little while longer.We have also use interstate rest stops with lots of open spaces to let him let off a little steam.Fifteen minutes running time can make the next three hours so much easier.Totaly worth it.Have a great trip.

Jordan's mom