serious I 95 trip planning HELP!

[stahshee]

ok we are going to drive the 20 hr trip . Now what should do I have 4 The youngest 2 are 3 and 5. I think the 3 year old might be the hardest.
1 Ok should I leave at night.( that means no sleep for me and hubby ) Or should I leave 5 am or regular time 10 am. We are leaving on a Sat.
2. We are bringing our own luch/ dinner food to eat on the way is there any reststops along the way where we can use the bathroom and then sit down and eat our lunch ( the sandwhich that we bring) We do not want to purchase any.
3. should I split the trip up over a couple of days. I think we can do a real long day. However I want to stop at a place with a pool over night.
4. Should I plan first where we are going to stay ( I do not want to pay more than 80 for an overnight) or should I just stop some where ?

Know I am leaving from the utica Ny area 20 hr and 22 min

I might leave from or grandfathers house in the central jersey area 17 hours

please I need all the help

 

[dis-happy]

First, WHEN are you going? If you are talking about driving down the 95 south on a Saturday in the summer months, there will be a whole lot more traffic to consider. All the beach rentals begin and end on Saturday and traffic can be a nightmare.

Second, don't drive all night. You'll be wiped out by the time you get there, the kids won't want to sleep, and anyway, it's dangerous to drive all night. Far better to get there in one piece.

Third: how organized are you? Any chance you could get out of town a little early on Friday afternoon? Drive until 10 pm and hit the road again the next morning? It would make for a long day Sat. but better than 20 hrs. straight.

Whenever possible, leave EARLY in the morning. Less traffic, make better time, kids may fall back to sleep.

I'd say a DVD player is a must for your crew. Try to pick movies with catchy music (like Mary Poppins)--it makes the time go faster for the driver as well.

Most rest areas have bathrooms and picnic areas, so you are set for lunch.

 

[PetLoopers]

Well, we've driven from Fredericksburg, VA (52 miles south of DC) many times and we CAN do it in a day. But we usually do it in two days. Anyway, I can tell you what I've learned from DC heading south:

1) Don't hit the DC area heading south on a Friday afternoon.
2) Don't hit the DC area heading north on a Sunday afternoon.
3) NC, SC, GA, and FL all have nice visitor centers/rest stops as you enter the states. They also have a number of nice rest stops along 95. From what I remember SC was the one with the least rest stops but still plenty to choose from for a lunch/dinner break.
4) Take 295 around Richmond. It looks longer but it works better (unless you're going through late at night and there's no traffic).
5) Hotels/motels are pretty plentiful along the way and we've never had to reserve a room ahead of time. However, that backfired on us once. We planned to stop in Florence, SC and there was some sort of convention in town. We couldn't find a room and it was late and I was tired. We took the next hotel we saw and were terribly disappointed (not clean at all) but too tired to care. Of course, the next morning we hit the road and two miles down the highway were some nice hotels. Oh well, live and learn.
6) Enjoy the South of the Border signs, but don't expect much if you actually stop there.
7) Don't get careless when you hit the Orlando area and start seeing WDW signs. You still have a ways to go and traffic gets heavy (and so do the police ).
8) When you drive through the WDW gates you'll find yourself quite energized despite the long trip.
9) Enjoy the trip.

 

[stahshee]

Thanks for the help. Ok we are leaving Sat Aug 26 comming back Sept 1 Labor day weekend Do you think the roads will be bad? OK I am going to try and do a ten hour. Stop some where and a 7 stop .Then a 3 to Disney and head into the parks. The problem is on Map quest I can not find exactly what is 10 hour drive ect.

 

[cranbiz]

Labor day weekend is a busy travel weekend, no matter what.

Now, I drive all the time and always do it straight thru. I have done this drive alone and with help form DW, DS and DD. I normally leave my house around 4 to 6 pm and arrive between noon and 3pm. I drive from the Cape Cod area and it normally takes between 18 and 22 hours. I have also done the trip with small children ages 1, 2 and 11 (thankfully not in my truck, it was my BIL and family in their minivan). We drove straight thru on that trip also and it was in the 22 hour range as we made plenty of stops for the kiddies to move about and potty.

I, myself would leave friday night. That gives you plenty of time to stop and enjoy the sights and not be slave to a timeline (like I impose upon myself).

Now I'm going to guess, that for you, the 10 hour mark is going to be somewhere between Fredericksburg, VA and Roanoke Rapids, NC. There are many places to stay in that area and you should be able to stay for the $80.00 range.