WWYD--Raod trip travel question

[Harriet Vane]

Hi folks,

 

I am taking the kids down to Florida in several weeks to see my dearest friend.

 

My dh would like me to go home by way of Williamsburg, VA to see a dear friend of ours from college. Dh was thinking that dh would fly out to Williamsburg just for the weekend, but I would drive home from there. It would have to be this way because we have alloted dh's vacation time to other priorities for the year.

 

I have never done a road trip by myself, though I feel fairly confident and comfortable with the idea. (I have road-tripped with family and with dh many times.)

 

To get TO Florida, here's my plan:

 

Day 1: Chicago to Springfield = 3 1/2 hours

Stay in Springfield a couple hours enjoying Illinois history sights.

Springfield to Champaign = 1 1/2 hours

Stay in Champaign goofing off with college friends.

 

Day 2: Champaign, IL to Atlanta, GA = 10 hours

Stay with dh's aunt, or if I am falling apart I will stop after 8 hours

of driving and just stay at a hotel.

 

Day 3: Atlanta, GA to St. Augustine, FL = 6 hours

 

Day 4-8: Play at the beach in St. Augustine

 

Day 9: Drive from St. Augustine, FL all the way up to Williamsburg, VA = 11 hours

 

Day 10: Enjoy a day in Williamsburg doing historical stuff. Dh would arrive that evening.

 

Day 11-12: Goof off with dh and friends in Williamsburg. We probably would not do the historical stuff, but focus on our friends.

 

Day 13-14: Drive some more. It takes 14 hours to get to Chicago. I would like to think I could push through in one massive day, but think it more likely that I will burn out and need to stop somewhere and split the driving into two days. What do you think?

 

If I skip Williamsburg, it takes 16 hours to get from St. Augustine to Chicago. Going to Williamsburg adds on a LOT of solo driving hours for me. So, to go straight home is two solid days of driving, or to go home by way of Williamsburg is three solid days of driving. I am nervous about this, both for myself and for my kids. I think I will be tired, and I think my kids will be stir crazy. On the other hand, my kids are well-behaved and good at entertaining themselves and have done really well on car trips in the past. Maybe we'd be just fine??? Perhaps if we stop frequently to stretch our legs and play frisbee and enjoy a hotel pool in the evening it will be okay????

 

This guy has been a good friend to both of us, but has been an especially dear friend for dh. He and his wife had a baby 8 or 9 months ago whom we have not met. For these reasons I think I should go. However, I am balking at the extra driving and just don't know what to do.

 

Can you offer some wisdom? Thanks!

[Harriet Vane]

Okay, I am hideously embarrassed by the typo in the title line. Sorry!!!!!!!!

 

:blushing:

[Ida]

I-95 N from FL to VA is just about the dullest stretch of driving around. At least through GA the South of the Border signs are mildly amusing, but mostly it's flat, straight, with nothing to see. We used to live in Jacksonville, FL and I made that drive regularly back to my hometown in NC with three itty-bitties at the time. Now we own houses in NC and ND which is an almost 24 hour drive. In the fall I went solo from ND to NC stopping in the Chicago burbs to do the indoor Legoland then returned via the DC 'burbs for my cousins wedding which was also not the most direct route. My kids happen to be excellent passengers, which is a good thing since we spend so much time in the car. Long trips (more than three hours) are the only time they get to play the DS, which helps a lot. By the way, there's a really awsome community park in St. Augustine. More than once we drove down from Jax to St. A just to spend an afternoon at that park.

[Jen500]

It sounds like you have a great plan. I've taken lots of solo road trips w/the kids. And 10 hr days in the car are very hard for me...not so much the driving (we get out at every rest stop), but when we get to our evenings destination, the kids are still full of energy but I am exhausted. Although I'm more willing to drive allllll day if that's the night we're going home!

[Harriet Vane]

Thanks for your feedback--anyone else? Please be specific. This is the biggest trip I've ever done on my own.

[Harriet Vane]

I-95 N from FL to VA is just about the dullest stretch of driving around. At least through GA the South of the Border signs are mildly amusing, but mostly it's flat, straight, with nothing to see. We used to live in Jacksonville, FL and I made that drive regularly back to my hometown in NC with three itty-bitties at the time. Now we own houses in NC and ND which is an almost 24 hour drive. In the fall I went solo from ND to NC stopping in the Chicago burbs to do the indoor Legoland then returned via the DC 'burbs for my cousins wedding which was also not the most direct route. My kids happen to be excellent passengers, which is a good thing since we spend so much time in the car. Long trips (more than three hours) are the only time they get to play the DS, which helps a lot. By the way, there's a really awsome community park in St. Augustine. More than once we drove down from Jax to St. A just to spend an afternoon at that park.

 

Where is the park? I have been to St. Augustine many times and do not recall it. We've been to the lighthouse, the alligator farm, the historic quarter, obviously the beach, etc.

[Wendi]

My problem would be that I just CANNOT drive long distance without getting drowsy, no matter how well-rested I am. It's a sensory issue for me. I'm typically good for 3 hours; by then, my eyelids are drooping and I need dh to take over. If you know you can drive 10 hours without getting too sleepy, I'd say, go for it!

 

Wendi

[Jennifer in MI]

Okay - I'll say it - this sounds like A LOT to me to do alone. We've driven cross country as a family a couple times, so we're used to car travel - but to do it alone - ACK!! But, I've got younger kids and don't see myself able to do this ever!!

 

Do you have to go to St. Augustine? What if you found a beach in N. Carolina? That way you wouldn't have that long drive from St. Augustine to Williamsburg. It'd be a much shorter drive.

 

Good luck! I'm sure it'll be a great trip no matter what you do!

[Kathy in MD]

I've driven from the East Coast to the West Coast and back again as the sole driver and loved it. Some days were long days behind the wheel, and some days only felt like it. :001_smile: I had only 1 ds (10yo), so he had no playmates in the car, but then he had no one to fight with either. I did have my mom for company for the outward bound trip, but I had no relief driver.

 

Personally, I'd say go for it. I might leave a day earlier to break-up the drive from St Augustine to Williamsburg, but that would be the only change I'd make.

 

BTW, I do know of a more boring drive than I-95 south of DC. US 250 south of The Great Sand Dunes is much worse even though it's much shorter, as hard as that is to believe. :tongue_smilie:

[ChrisN in NY]

I drove with four of my kids from NY (central-ish) to Orlando, FL, in three days. We picked dh up at the Orlando airport; he didn't drive with us due to limited vacation days. Kiddos were ages 8 to 16; I was the only driver.

 

We stayed with relatives near Baltimore and near Greenville, SC each way. It wasn't the most direct route, but it was free lodging.

 

What helped make the trip most successful for us:

 

I had a goal set for each morning, what time I wanted to hit the road. But I didn't make myself and everyone else crazy trying to meet it.

 

We stopped for lunch in a restaurant each day. It really helped break up all the hours in the car. We ate a light supper when we got to our stopping place.

 

The kids had lots of stuff to do in the van -- coloring, reading, audiobooks/Odyssey CD's/etc, MadLibs, games...

 

The kids had a goal of trying to find the license plates of all 50 states; that kept them all WELL occupied. (And we found Hawaii at the Brevard Zoo of all places!)

 

I LOVE colonial Williamsburg, and Virginia in general. Those plus your opportunity to see an old friend would definitely make the extra driving worth it to me.

 

HTH!

[Harriet Vane]

Okay - I'll say it - this sounds like A LOT to me to do alone. We've driven cross country as a family a couple times, so we're used to car travel - but to do it alone - ACK!! But, I've got younger kids and don't see myself able to do this ever!!

 

Do you have to go to St. Augustine? What if you found a beach in N. Carolina? That way you wouldn't have that long drive from St. Augustine to Williamsburg. It'd be a much shorter drive.

 

Good luck! I'm sure it'll be a great trip no matter what you do!

 

Yes, it has to be St. Augustine. The whole point of the trip is to visit my dear friend who lives there. We wouldn't be going for a trip at all otherwise. The beach and sights there are secondary to time with this friend.

[Harriet Vane]

My problem would be that I just CANNOT drive long distance without getting drowsy, no matter how well-rested I am. It's a sensory issue for me. I'm typically good for 3 hours; by then, my eyelids are drooping and I need dh to take over. If you know you can drive 10 hours without getting too sleepy, I'd say, go for it!

 

Wendi

 

I have never tried such a long trip alone before. My longest stretch alone has been 4 hours. I have traveled longer than that with dh, though he usually does quite a bit of the driving.

 

I figured I would stop every two hours to take a walk and play frisbee with the kids for about half an hour at a time.

 

I also thought I would bring some great audio books. My kids will have the DS and some movies loaded onto dd's Ipod.

[Jenny in Florida]

However, I wanted to say that I drive from Florida to Virginia and back--by myself or with one or both kids--about eight or nine times a year. When it's just me, I usually do it in two back-to-back days, 12 hours each day with a motel stay near the campus.

 

As another poster said, that stretch of 1-95 is mind-numbingly boring. My solution is audiobooks. I subscribed to Audible solely for the purpose of keeping us in listening material for these trips.

 

Other than that, St. Augustine is very cool. You mention playing at the beach, but I wanted to make sure you knew that there's a lot of great historical stuff to do there, too. The Castillo de San Marcos is a Florida landmark.

 

And Colonial Williamsburg is also a blast. My son has gone twice, and would happily go back every year if we could swing it.

 

But, sure, you can do it! I do think it's a good idea to build in stopping time for snacks and walking around to stay alert. Otherwise, go for it. It sounds like a grand trip!

[buddhabelly]

I actually took a very long car trip this past summer. I was the only driver, and was with my 9-year-old son, who was actually a HUGE help. We put the car on the ferry and went to Bellingham, WA (3 day trip) and then drove down the coast (except for where there were fires around the Big Sur area) to San Diego. Then after a few weeks in San Diego, we drove up to Nevada, Idaho, Montano, Idaho, Washington and back to the ferry. I just wanted him to experience a road trip, since we live in a town with no road out. Eastern Nevada is so beautiful! Well, so is Idaho and Montana, but their beauty is more celebrated.

 

We had a great time, but it is exhausting to be the driver all the time. I had to pull over in order to enjoy the scenery properly. You can't just switch drivers, so figure an hour or so maximum driving without a substantial break to rest your eyes and brain. No reading in the car for you! I barely touched my book the whole trip. My son won't eat in the car (he's a clean kid and want to keep his car clean!) so another 2 plus hours a day were spent eating in restaurants. The upside of that was that our car was pretty clean when we got home! Another funny thing is that since we were in a Toyota Prius, we had to stop at gas stations to clean the windshield WAY more often than we had to gas up. Priuses (Prii?) rock on road trips.

 

Julie

[mom31257]

I had a solo drive long trip the summer of '07. My dh tore his ACL (right knee) and couldn't drive any since he had just had surgery (he did go on the trip, though). I drove us to Washington DC for a few days, then on to Hershey and Gettsyburg for a couple of days. I then drove across PA and OH to my in-laws to visit and drop off dd for an extended visit. Then I had the drive back home (south of Atlanta).

 

It was tiring, but well worth it. I did plan things for the kids to do in the car. I had little bags with surprises mostly from the dollar stores. I gave them out each time we stopped. My kids travel really well, though.

 

We went to Colonial Williamsburg this past summer, and if you've never been, you'll want to go back or spend more time there than you have planned. We LOVED it!

[Harriet Vane]

However, I wanted to say that I drive from Florida to Virginia and back--by myself or with one or both kids--about eight or nine times a year. When it's just me, I usually do it in two back-to-back days, 12 hours each day with a motel stay near the campus.

 

As another poster said, that stretch of 1-95 is mind-numbingly boring. My solution is audiobooks. I subscribed to Audible solely for the purpose of keeping us in listening material for these trips.

 

Other than that, St. Augustine is very cool. You mention playing at the beach, but I wanted to make sure you knew that there's a lot of great historical stuff to do there, too. The Castillo de San Marcos is a Florida landmark.

 

And Colonial Williamsburg is also a blast. My son has gone twice, and would happily go back every year if we could swing it.

 

But, sure, you can do it! I do think it's a good idea to build in stopping time for snacks and walking around to stay alert. Otherwise, go for it. It sounds like a grand trip!

 

Yes, we've done all the historical stuff in St. Augustine. My friend has lived there a number of years. We've been to both forts and done quite a bit of the nifty local stuff. It's truly a lovely town.

 

12 hours each day??? But MapQuest said that it would take 11 hours to get from St. Augustine to Williamsburg. Are you starting from further south in Florida, or should I rethink my time estimates?

[ChristusG]

Personally, I'm a worry wart LOL. I probably would not do it alone. I'd be thinking too many things like "what if I break down" or "what if I get sick" or something along the lines of that. Also, I have little ones so I dont let them eat in the car (for fear of choking...yes, it has happened to us). So that would be a lot of stops for food. And like someone else mentioned, I get so tired of driving after a few hours. I mean, I love to be the one driving, but my eyes start getting bleary eyed.

 

So for me, I dont think I would do it alone.

[Sasharowan]

Take a ball and let the kids kick it around at rest areas. Take snacks that they can eat in the car, use stops to get out their energy. Bring headphones for all electronics. They make splitters so that two can share a CD player or DVD without forcing it on the entire car. Bring music you like if you can drive with music. My rule is driver gets final say so on all sounds that can be heard through the van. Don't be afraid to stop any time your tired. Bring your cell phone charger so that it's charged at all times. I would go for it, but I like road trips.

[Christine]

I've done a number of "solo", long-distance driving with kids before.

 

For me:

 

10 hours of driving is "good". I can push it to 12 hours, but if it's more than a single day's drive, the second day can't be more than 10, if I drove 12 the day before. (The 3rd day, if it's the final day of traveling, can be pushed to 12 again.)

 

My kids are very seasoned travelers, so I rarely have issues from them.

 

We stop about every two hours for breaks, and try to keep it to < 15 min. (In fact, this is when I prefer having the kids in the car as opposed to DH as the man just HAS to get a coffee at every stop, and then HAS to stop about 1.25 hours later. . . )

 

We do "quickie stops" for lunch (fast food). Then, for dinner, I try to hit a restaurant that has "actual" vegetables. (Potatoes, of any kind, just don't count in my mind.) If I make a long retaurant stop mid-day I run into a couple of problems, the biggest being that I tend to get drowsy. I also find that a restaurant, at the end of the day, helps to get rid of that "buzzy" feeling you get when driving for long periods before having to deal with the kids that evening.

 

Oh, and my kids and I tend to feel very dehydrated at the end of the day, so I make sure to have water on hand (if necessary). (I know some locales have "funny tasting" water. . .so I bring our own.)

 

Oh, but like so many have said, a good stretch of 95 is very. . . "challenging". (B-O-R-I-N-G!) There are a couple of other interstates similarly "exciting"; but thankfully, they aren't on your planned route.

[JFSinIL]

I can only handle 6 - 8 hours of actual driving if I am the sole driver. With hubby along, 8 - 10 hours is feasible. It looks as if you have SEVERAL loooong driving days stuck in their - what if there is traffic, a sick kid, YOU feel unwell? Could you at least break up the drive from Florida to Wmburg into two days? And give yourself more than one day to drive from Wmburg to Chicago.

 

We drove from Elgin, IL to Gettysburg/DC/Wmburg/Kill Devil Hills (Kitty Hawk)/Monticello/middle of nowhere, KY/home in a little over 2 weeks. You will have more fun if you have more stops to see stuff and less loooong driving days. Just my opinion.

 

And I LOVE to drive. When I was in college I did San. F to Orange Co (California) along Highway 1 in 9 hours with only ONE stop to fill car and empty me. those days are loooong gone, let me tell ya'!!!!

 

 

Oh - and if you are not in it - join AAA!!!!!

Edited April 6, 2009 by JFSinIL

[unsinkable]

I would do it. I love to drive. I went to college 1500 miles from home and drove back & forth at least a dozen times. It is very different with kids, I know, because of the logistics. But I really love long road trips.

 

My best advice is to get up as early as you possibly can on your longest trips. I like around 4 am. Those early morning hours fly by and really eat up the miles. You could get over 250 miles in before 10 am if you leave by 4 am.

[Elisabeth in IL]

In November I drove back up to Illinois from the Tampa area with our three boys. I drove 12 hours the first day and it wasn't bad at all. I'm an early bird so I had the car parked the night before and we drove from 6 in the morning till 6:00 in the evening, stopped at a hotel with a pool so the kids could swim and get their energy out. We left later the next day and reached home by 3:00 in the afternoon for a 20 to 22 hour trip. The second day was harder because they were more tired of being stuck in the car and I had a three year old at the time. Your kids are older so you should be fine. We did listen to books on tape....mostly The Story of the World. :)

[ChrisN in NY]

I forgot to add that we had everything mapped out before hand -- on paper. Dh printed pages for me from the AAA website; you don't need to be a member.

 

And oldest dd was my navigator. We'd have missed a couple of exits around the cities if I didn't have her. That would not have been fun.

 

I hope you get to go and I hope you enjoy your trip!

[Donna]

I know myself and that I prefer not to drive more than 8-9 hours in a day plus I need to get out to stretch very often. My kids ride well. Dd and I have gone to camps on our own up to 9 hours away.

 

I like to get up early and drive, stop for lunch (usually a packed lunch at a rest area), and twice for other rest stops, once before and once after lunch if needed. I prefer to get the driving done then stop earlier for dinner (before restaurants have long lines 4pm or so). If I need to drive more, we do after dinner but if not we hit a hotel, enjoy the pool, and let the kids swim out their excess energy.

 

Williamsburg has a lot to see and do so it would be a great addition to your trip. It seems you have a good plan with the timing which will give you some rest/relax/explore days between the longer driving days. If your kids travel well and are good at entertaining themselves, it should be a great trip.

[OnTheBrink]

Hi folks,

 

I am taking the kids down to Florida in several weeks to see my dearest friend.

 

My dh would like me to go home by way of Williamsburg, VA to see a dear friend of ours from college. Dh was thinking that dh would fly out to Williamsburg just for the weekend, but I would drive home from there. It would have to be this way because we have alloted dh's vacation time to other priorities for the year.

 

I have never done a road trip by myself, though I feel fairly confident and comfortable with the idea. (I have road-tripped with family and with dh many times.)

 

To get TO Florida, here's my plan:

 

Day 1: Chicago to Springfield = 3 1/2 hours

Stay in Springfield a couple hours enjoying Illinois history sights.

Springfield to Champaign = 1 1/2 hours

Stay in Champaign goofing off with college friends.

 

Day 2: Champaign, IL to Atlanta, GA = 10 hours

Stay with dh's aunt, or if I am falling apart I will stop after 8 hours

of driving and just stay at a hotel.

 

Day 3: Atlanta, GA to St. Augustine, FL = 6 hours

 

Day 4-8: Play at the beach in St. Augustine

 

Day 9: Drive from St. Augustine, FL all the way up to Williamsburg, VA = 11 hours

 

Day 10: Enjoy a day in Williamsburg doing historical stuff. Dh would arrive that evening.

 

Day 11-12: Goof off with dh and friends in Williamsburg. We probably would not do the historical stuff, but focus on our friends.

 

Day 13-14: Drive some more. It takes 14 hours to get to Chicago. I would like to think I could push through in one massive day, but think it more likely that I will burn out and need to stop somewhere and split the driving into two days. What do you think?

 

If I skip Williamsburg, it takes 16 hours to get from St. Augustine to Chicago. Going to Williamsburg adds on a LOT of solo driving hours for me. So, to go straight home is two solid days of driving, or to go home by way of Williamsburg is three solid days of driving. I am nervous about this, both for myself and for my kids. I think I will be tired, and I think my kids will be stir crazy. On the other hand, my kids are well-behaved and good at entertaining themselves and have done really well on car trips in the past. Maybe we'd be just fine??? Perhaps if we stop frequently to stretch our legs and play frisbee and enjoy a hotel pool in the evening it will be okay????

 

This guy has been a good friend to both of us, but has been an especially dear friend for dh. He and his wife had a baby 8 or 9 months ago whom we have not met. For these reasons I think I should go. However, I am balking at the extra driving and just don't know what to do.

 

Can you offer some wisdom? Thanks!

 

If you're in Springfield, you should see a fellow WTM board member who lives but minutes from the Lincoln sites.

 

Just sayin' :coolgleamA:

[Jenny in Florida]

12 hours each day??? But MapQuest said that it would take 11 hours to get from St. Augustine to Williamsburg. Are you starting from further south in Florida, or should I rethink my time estimates?

 

When I do the Virginia trip, I'm going from Orlando to Staunton and back. So, yes, I am leaving from farther south. St. Augustine is about two hours north of us. For us, MapQuest puts Williamsburg at about a 12.5-hour drive.