rafiki Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 I'd do it as your outlines. Eleven hours in one day is not bad if you leave very early in the morning, and your destination is within reach. My husband miscalculated one time and we ended up driving 15 hours in one day - hoo boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 My neighbors do 13 hours one way in day regularly. I recently did a 9 hour drive. I think 11 hours is definitely doable. We did 12 hours each way without stopping last year. I think 15 could even be doable, but I would go for the 11 and break it up personally. When my neighbors do their trip, they leave no later than 4 am. When I drive we have a rest stop every 3 hours. Elementary age kids should be able to handle this. You just need to bring things in the car to keep everyone entertained. It would be best if the kids had space in the car too. A long trip with everyone stuffed in between luggage is an extralong trip. So, I'd keep the seating area free of luggage as much as possible. You can play I spy games and mad libs together, listen to audio books, use nintendos and portable dvd players, have crayons and wikistiks. There really is a lot of stuff the kids and you can do to get through the drive together. I also pack a cooler of sandwiches because I find fast food just isn't good for me when I'm driving (and my kids have allergies so options are limited). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 I would stay overnight with your parents one night on the way out, and with your friends one night on the way back, if that's an option. I think an 11 hour drive won't be too bad if it's just one day, but better to do it on the way there when everyone is fresh and excited to be getting to the beach house. We used to drive out to Texas to visit relatives when I was a kid, it was three 8 hour days of driving each way. The drive out there was always much more fun than the drive home. On the drive home we were always crankier and whinier - vacation was over, the idea of a road trip wasn't fun or new anymore. Visiting friends and breaking the drive up on the way home will probably make it little more bearable for everyone. Sounds awesome, have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Packing food keeps everyone happy and you don't have to loose time in restaurants. I find the kids are happier if we find a nice rest stop and they get to run around. We have been known to play simon says and mother may I in front of shopping centers and fast food places as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Dh usually only takes 3 day weekends. This year he has a mandatory one week unpaid off, he's also off the Friday prior. We have a place reserved walking distance to the beach - 15 hours away. Kids are all elementary age. We could stop and visit my family 4.5 hours away from here, stay overnight, then do the last 11 hours straight through. Would that be pushing it? Also we have friends with the same number and ages of kids who are 7 hours from our final desination. We could visit them and stay a night or two on the way to or from the shore. I don't want to overplan our trip. We've gone to the beach before, but it's been a 5-6 hour drive and we've only stayed 4 full days. This place is ours 7 full days. We will be going through or visiting three new states, so that's quite exciting. WWYD? We did a 13 hour drive with kids that were 2, 4, 6, and 9. It wasn't bad at all. We got an early start, and they watched dvds and slept. Your trip sounds like a lot of fun, enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 We did a 13 hour drive with kids that were 2, 4, 6, and 9. It wasn't bad at all. We got an early start, and they watched dvds and slept. Your trip sounds like a lot of fun, enjoy! We did 15 recently with a 6 and 7 year old. No big deal. I also did 12 hours solo with them in the car - again - no big deal. I would drive it in a day and then enjoy the vacation. I think dragging out the drive makes it worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hana Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Our annual vacation requires a 14-16 (depends on traffic) drive each way. We go straight through. We are three adults, an 8-yr. old, a 5-yr. old, a 1 yr. old, and a dog. Just bring snacks and water, lots of books, and some good sing-along music. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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