Take 2 days or 3 to drive?

[mshanson3121]

Last time we went we took 3 days to drive (it's 28 hours driving from our home). We're considering trying to do it in 2 days next time (basically two 15-16 hour days by the time we stop for gas, meals, potty breaks etc), with our 10 & 7 year old.

It would save us roughly $300 CDN with hotel/meals.

For that amount of savings would you push it in 2 days, or just spread it out over 3, so it's an easier drive?

 

[mort1331]

Well as I have said before, we push right thru with 25 hours all in one.. So I dont think 2 days is unreasonable, but that is me. BTW we have 4 &8 last time and next they will be 5 &9. But they ride great and no issues. Only you know. I think you said you do all the driving so if you are good with the stretch then go for it.

 

[xlxo]

I vote for three days for your sanity. Especially with children and if you drive into rush hour or a lengthy border crossing.

 

[mshanson3121]

Well as I have said before, we push right thru with 25 hours all in one.. So I dont think 2 days is unreasonable, but that is me. BTW we have 4 &8 last time and next they will be 5 &9. But they ride great and no issues. Only you know. I think you said you do all the driving so if you are good with the stretch then go for it.

Haha, my DH does it all. I'm more than willing to, but he prefers to drive.

 

[cslittle999]

I think I would do three days with that length of trip. Cost wise I see it as spending less money on an hotel on the drive down than a night at WDW where all you're going to do is sleep because you arrived so late in the day.

 

[caisland]

How about 2 1/2 down. Arrive midday to start things off.
Push thru 2 days home or more leisurely 3 back home

 

[FigmentSpark]

We do a relaxing 3 on the way down, but push 2 on the way back, when we just want to get home to our own beds.

 

[hardis5]

Everyone's driving (or sitting) tolerance is different and only you two know how your kids would manage with that much longer a day.

If you think the kids could manage (ours have straight through and 2 day with one night spent on the road) and you are not spending an extra day to recover if pushing oneself, why not save the money?

As PP has said, we've done one day less on the way back a few times and maybe driving back to reality, but I swear if driving straight through on the way back it seems like 4 times as long a drive than driving straight through on the way down.

 

[mommymanda]

As usual its what works for you. You have 6-8 hours more driving than us. Our plan (at a mapquest 21 hour drive) is two days. Leaving 5am and going until midnight the first day before stopping. Heading out the next day around 8-9am and finishing the drive. With that plan if traffic or something slows us down day one, it leaves us with a wider window to still arrive for our check in day two at some point. We did it in 2014 with a 3,5 and 11 year old and the kids were surprisingly well behaved. We are hoping it will go the same this round. I should also say DH does all the driving, and he is already planning a straight drive home, but we will make that call when the time comes.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Our drive to Orlando is 20ish hours but takes about 24hrs total on the road. We leave home at 2:30-3am(by that time DH has slept at least 5hrs) and we drive until 9pm. That leaves us a half day for the second day(approx 4-5hrs) and we can sleep in if anyone wants to.

I'm not sure that 28 driving hours could be easily done in 2 days. You would be going on VERY little sleep. Have you looked into driving to a US airport and flying the rest of the way? It could be very similar cost and get you there in one day.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

We've got about the same drive. Our plan is to try and do it over 2.5 days - pushing as far as we can first day (15 hrs) then less the next two - 10, then the remaining. Hoping to arrive early to mid afternoon to have a chance to rest up. Like your dh mine likes to do all the driving too. However I told him he needs to share so he can rest up sometimes!

We may even head out the day before after dh gets off work. We will be driving at Christmas time so will be watching the weather and adjusting plans as needed. So allowing extra time to be flexible just in case.

 

[nacho113]

Last time we went we took 3 days to drive (it's 28 hours driving from our home). We're considering trying to do it in 2 days next time (basically two 15-16 hour days by the time we stop for gas, meals, potty breaks etc), with our 10 & 7 year old.

It would save us roughly $300 CDN with hotel/meals.

For that amount of savings would you push it in 2 days, or just spread it out over 3, so it's an easier drive?

I have a question that hasn't been asked:
Are you doing this so that you have a couple of extra days in the magic, or just trying to shave a couple of days (and expenses) off your vacation?

If it's the first, you won't be saving any money since you will be spending it in Florida.

If it's the later, it may be worth the cost of booking flights (for at least part of the way)
We live in Winnipeg Manitoba and will quite frequently drive down to Grand Forks or Fargo ND or even Minneapolis to save on airline costs (driving 2,3 or 6 hours is way more doable than 30+ hours from home).

***Follow my logic here: if you have 2 weeks vacation but you are spending 6 days driving (plus another day at each end of the drive recovering from that drive), this gives you 7 days (maybe 8) to enjoy your vacation before you have to buckle down and make the drive back (We always hate the drive home - are we there yet? are we there yet?! ARE WE THERE YET!?!)

***Personally, we vacation pretty hard and need a vacation from the vacation when we get home, I don't know if I could drive for 3 days after 7 days in the parks.

***Now if you were to just plan on 7 days in the Magic, look for a discount flight from an airport near home or one that is just across the border into the USA and only plan out the 7 days plus 1/2 day air travel at each end, you may find that you save your sanity/marriage/kids/etc at a cost that isn't a whole lot more than the 14 day driving vacation.

JMHO

 

[mshanson3121]

I have a question that hasn't been asked:
Are you doing this so that you have a couple of extra days in the magic, or just trying to shave a couple of days (and expenses) off your vacation?

If it's the first, you won't be saving any money since you will be spending it in Florida.

If it's the later, it may be worth the cost of booking flights (for at least part of the way)
We live in Winnipeg Manitoba and will quite frequently drive down to Grand Forks or Fargo ND or even Minneapolis to save on airline costs (driving 2,3 or 6 hours is way more doable than 30+ hours from home).

***Follow my logic here: if you have 2 weeks vacation but you are spending 6 days driving (plus another day at each end of the drive recovering from that drive), this gives you 7 days (maybe 8) to enjoy your vacation before you have to buckle down and make the drive back (We always hate the drive home - are we there yet? are we there yet?! ARE WE THERE YET!?!)

***Personally, we vacation pretty hard and need a vacation from the vacation when we get home, I don't know if I could drive for 3 days after 7 days in the parks.

***Now if you were to just plan on 7 days in the Magic, look for a discount flight from an airport near home or one that is just across the border into the USA and only plan out the 7 days plus 1/2 day air travel at each end, you may find that you save your sanity/marriage/kids/etc at a cost that isn't a whole lot more than the 14 day driving vacation.

JMHO

Kind of neither, lol. I mean expense yes, does factor in, but was also just thinking of which way would be "easier". What we did last summer was spend 12 hours driving the first day, 10 hours the second day, and 6 hours the last day, and we jumped right into the parks the next day. But I'm wondering if it'd be just as "easy" (lol) to do two days of 14 hours driving time, and just be done with it. Then, that next day we could spend in R&R.

For us, driving is cheaper than flying. My husband is a teacher and has the summer off, and I'm a columnist for the newspaper so my work goes with me, so vacation days don't factor in. We planned on spending 12 nights in Florida once we arrive, but we're also not heavy touring people. Out of the 11 days we'd have, only 7-8 would be spent in the parks, the rest would be strictly R&R.

 

[isabellea]

Personally I would go CRAZY 3 days in the car. Our first time we did it with one stop. The last two times we drove straight-thru and it's much easier on us and the kids imo. Why don't you do as much as you can the first day and see how it goes. Hotels are easy to find along I-95.

 

[tarakrane]

We usually do the drive in 2 days (1 overnight stop). On the way back though, we stop for 2 nights as we leave later on the first day as we try to enjoy the parks/hotels.

We did the drive during March Break with our 3 kids (7, 3.5, 3.5) in two days from the GTA.

 

[youngb1978]

We have about a 19hr drive we are taking 2 nights down and 1 on the way back..we aren't pushing it we have the extra time so will stop and see different things and make the drive part of our vacation.

 

[starvenger]

We have about a 19hr drive we are taking 2 nights down and 1 on the way back..we aren't pushing it we have the extra time so will stop and see different things and make the drive part of our vacation.

I think this is the best reason to do a road trip. You can save money sure, but trying to have some fun along the way makes it better for everyone.

 

[xlxo]

While you save money on airplane tickets, fuel surcharges, baggage fees, rental cars and insurance.... hotels, food, and extra time from office will eat into those savings. Don't forget... a lot of those hours are one way.... you need to think how many hours for a round trip... with food and bio breaks.

 

[mshanson3121]

While you save money on airplane tickets, fuel surcharges, baggage fees, rental cars and insurance.... hotels, food, and extra time from office will eat into those savings. Don't forget... a lot of those hours are one way.... you need to think how many hours for a round trip... with food and bio breaks.

As mentioned above. My husband is a teacher and I work from home so there is no vacation time to worry about. And all those things are already calculated out. Was basically just trying to figure out from those who drive if theyd do it in 2 days for the savings.

 

[SplashMom]

I can't imagine driving that long at once...I think it gets dangerous when you are so tired. We drove a few times but spread it out over more days and made a vacation on the way down and back (our drive was 35 hours). The highways are so busy...I need to be quite alert and I couldn't do it after driving for more than 10 hours without a rest.