Solo driving over 1,000 miles?

[happily single]

Has anyone driven solo over 1,000 miles? I’ve done the drive as the sole driver, but with my kids on at least 4 occasions. Kids are all grown and have zero interest in a road trip. I’m debating on doing a solo drive from New England. It’s not the most cost effective way, but I’m not loving air travel lately

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

Has anyone driven solo over 1,000 miles? I’ve done the drive as the sole driver, but with my kids on at least 4 occasions. Kids are all grown and have zero interest in a road trip. I’m debating on doing a solo drive from New England. It’s not the most cost effective way, but I’m not loving air travel lately

Price it out, food, gas, overnight accommodations (and rental car?). Then look at airfare. Then there is the matter of personal safety. Do you have to consider weather? I do not like driving in the rain. I wouldn't want to travel in any snow, sleet or ice either! I have never spent a night in a hotel room alone and I do not think I would like it. Although, I could do it at WDW ( I have not done) because I really do feel safe there. I don't love air travel either BUT, I do love getting to my destination quickly!
Good Luck and Have Fun whatever you choose!

 

[fla4fun]

Has anyone driven solo over 1,000 miles? I’ve done the drive as the sole driver, but with my kids on at least 4 occasions. Kids are all grown and have zero interest in a road trip. I’m debating on doing a solo drive from New England. It’s not the most cost effective way, but I’m not loving air travel lately

It’s not bad. Make sure you have something you enjoy listening to (radio, streaming, etc.) and that you stop for breaks. When I am solo on a long car trip I tend to get in the groove and forget to take breaks (I drive a hybrid, so I go a long way before I need fuel). One good thing about driving is you can overpack and you have your car at the destination. Try to break up the journey into manageable chunks. I prefer to drive about eight hours, so breakfast, drive four hours with a short break at some point, lunch, another four hours with a short break, and then stop for the night. With the breaks and lunch it works out to about a 9 1/2 hour day on the road. I am a Hilton Honors member, so I stay at Hilton properties on the road and have not felt unsafe on my own. Just make sure nothing is visible from outside your car and take any valuables inside with you for the night.

Depending on the time of year, have you considered taking the train? Just another option to put out there. You could take train only for the full distance, or take the Autotrain so you are only driving part of the way. I wouldn’t do the train in the winter though. Too many cancellations . . .

I understand not wanting to fly, but coming so far I wouldn’t rule it out completely until you have fully researched and priced your other options.

 

[bama_ed]

Well I will offer my advice having done a nearly 1,000 mile drive as the solo driver (DW was in the car but I did all the miles behind the wheel).

My drive was in January which meant shorter daylight times so we left about 2-3 hours before sunrise, drove all day in daylight, and got to our destination about 2-3 hours after sunset. For me, personally, I have no problem being awake and driving early. But after the sun sets, I get more tired so I probably would never drive more than 3 hours past sun set (which in my travel direction was VERY familiar territory, I knew every crack in the interstate pavement, and could manage easily to get home). Our entire drive was all interstate (besides the <3 miles on either end).

But depending on weather conditions and time of day/travel, you might encounter an accident/traffic backup. So I would recommend a back-up plan or pick a stop or two along hte way in case you run into delays that (I know you said you don't want to) but places you have pre-screened for an early- or late-stop along the way. I think of the folks coming down I95 and there can be traffic issues (not my route).

I can vouch for 'start early, drive all during sunlight with few stops, and only go 2-3 hours after dark' but be prepared for the unexpected. God bless you and good luck with your decision.

Bama Ed

 

[jtopp]

From New England, you are looking at about 16 hours driving time, as opposed to about 3 hours by air. To me, my time is worth more than the savings of the drive, if you drive straight thru. Add in hotels, food and fuel and the scales dip even further towards flying. Is your adversity to air travel due to safety, or just the whole experience. I know after that long drive (16 to 18 hours for me) I need some recovery time, and then more on the return trip. In hindsight, the perceived (sometimes) discomfort with air travel is preferable to the drive.

 

[Chili327]

From New England, you are looking at about 16 hours driving time, as opposed to about 3 hours by air. To me, my time is worth more than the savings of the drive, if you drive straight thru.

Agree with all of this, UNLESS I wanted to do a road trip vacation, and not just trying to get to WDW. Do you have 4-6 extra days besides your park days?

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

I haven’t done it completely solo but like PP I was the only driver with my kiddo and parents on a 1000+ mile trip to WDW. We opted to drive vs fly at the end of the pandemic.

I generally don’t mind driving but but found that sitting that long made me absolutely exhausted - so much so that I had to pull over for super short naps during the day (and we even broke the trip up over 3 days)!!

After that experience, I couldn’t imagine doing it alone.

 

[AnnaS]

My son does it all the time - NY to Disney and NY to the Keys. He does not fly (has not in about 14 years/used to). My daughter-in-law flies with the kids (and usually me or her parents). My daughter-in-law refuses the drive with 3 kids. Costs them more $$ with my son driving/staying overnight on the road and her flying.

I have a friend who does the drive alone also to visit his sister in Florida.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

From New England, you are looking at about 16 hours driving time, as opposed to about 3 hours by air. To me, my time is worth more than the savings of the drive, if you drive straight thru. Add in hotels, food and fuel and the scales dip even further towards flying. Is your adversity to air travel due to safety, or just the whole experience. I know after that long drive (16 to 18 hours for me) I need some recovery time, and then more on the return trip. In hindsight, the perceived (sometimes) discomfort with air travel is preferable to the drive.

It’s more than 16 with no traffic.

 

[zackiedawg]

I love driving in general, so though I'd often fly when pressed for time, given an opportunity and the spare time, I'd do the drive. I've soloed often on longer trips, including S Florida to New Jersey (1,100 miles), western North Carolina (780 miles), Williamsburg, VA (800 miles), New Orleans (850 miles), Fort Worth (1300 miles), and cross country to Los Angeles (2,700 miles). I've done trips where I'll stop off at a hotel/motel, and I've done trips where I pulled off at rest stops and slept in my car. Trips of under 1000 miles i typically do in one run, no stops (other than gas).

 

[goofyernmost]

I've done the solo run a number of times from central Vermont. That was about 1500 miles, so I'm guessing that you must live fairly close to the south wester corner of Connecticut. It's about 900 miles from Mid-Vermont to my current location in central North Carolina, from there to the front gate of WDW is exactly 600 miles. From here I drive straight though. However when I came down here from Vermont I took at least two days, but usually three. I was usually not in a hurry so instead for driving to the point of exhaustion I would drive from home to Fredericksburg getting past the heaviest traffic around Baltimore and DC by bypassing all of it to the west of them. I don't remember the Rte #, it was either I-81 or I-83 or it might have been both, then I'd cut back across to Fredericksburg via 64 &. 17. It's a little further but I'd skip all the heavy traffic and the next day to Walterboro, S. Carolina and then it was a casual drive into Kissimmee.

If two days I would try to get to Richmond, VA and drive through to there, I could never understand those the just drove straight through. Even when was young, I knew I would have been so exhausted that I would not enjoy the expensive day a WDW. Your first day would be about 300 miles less so two days is probably the more doable. I love road trips but my daughters advise me to no longer do that.

 

[happily single]

I've done the solo run a number of times from central Vermont. That was about 1500 miles, so I'm guessing that you must live fairly close to the south wester corner of Connecticut. It's about 900 miles from Mid-Vermont to my current location in central North Carolina, from there to the front gate of WDW is exactly 600 miles. From here I drive straight though. However when I came down here from Vermont I took at least two days, but usually three. I was usually not in a hurry so instead for driving to the point of exhaustion I would drive from home to Fredericksburg getting past the heaviest traffic around Baltimore and DC by bypassing all of it to the west of them. I don't remember the Rte #, it was either I-81 or I-83 or it might have been both, then I'd cut back across to Fredericksburg via 64 &. 17. It's a little further but I'd skip all the heavy traffic and the next day to Walterboro, S. Carolina and then it was a casual drive into Kissimmee.

If two days I would try to get to Richmond, VA and drive through to there, I could never understand those the just drove straight through. Even when was young, I knew I would have been so exhausted that I would not enjoy the expensive day a WDW. Your first day would be about 300 miles less so two days is probably the more doable. I love road trips but my daughters advise me to no longer do that.

Thanks for the response. I’d be coming from Rhode Island, close to the CT border. Normally, when I had the kids with me, I’d make it to Lumberton, SC (or NC?). But that was 12+ years ago. I’m older and not sure of I’d make it that far, or if I’d go further the first day.