While I don't think the overall distance isn't doable... the part that gets me is that you are driving every day, sometimes long distances (Charleston to Asheville,Fort Walton to Tallahassee). You are not giving yourself much time to relax and take it all in. Please give yourself an extra day on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and be sure to visit Mt. Mitchell and Grandfather.

Having said that, I wish it was something I was planning for myself. Enjoy!

Wow, that does seem like a lot of driving! I'd be interested to know your thoughts behind some of the places you've chosen. Are you committed to "doing it all"?

I think I'd recommend cutting off Philly and NYC on this trip, so you can focus on the people, places and food in the south. (Besides, being a New Yorker, I'm not sure giving it only one day does it justice! And the city can be disgustingly hot in August, made worse by the concrete canyons. At least down south you'll be in an area where they know what to do for the heat!!)

As for the rental car, all will have a/c. In addition to seat comfort etc., you probably want one that has a big enough engine to make the driving easier. (My poor car is rather wimpy on the acceleration, and I'll confess that sometimes I have to turn off the a/c to get the most "oomph" uphill-!)

This is not a road trip - it's a forced march. You will be driving the whole time and not seeing or doing anythng worthwhile.

You need to cut your destinations by half - to have even one day to see much of anything. And IMHO DC and NYC each desere at least 3 full days (well, really more - but 3 to see anything at all).

At the end of this trip I think you will find yourselves exhausted, poor and miserable - having spend all that time and money and seen nothing.

Believe me, I know how tempting this typeof trip can sound. But it's not. We are veterans of a ton of road trips in Europe - where distances are smaller and highway speeds higher - and we long ago learned to allow 5 nights (4 days) for big cities and 3 nights (2 days) for smaller ones.

I would get a good mapping website and find out the time (not distance, but time) for these days of driving. I thin you may be underestiamting traffic and overestimating how fst you can go (in much of the estern US the speed limit is 55 on highways - not 70 or 80 as in much of europe).

It's doable, but I agree with other that you should cut all the stops after DC and then look at spending a couple of days in some key places. DC is one and Ashville, Smokey Mt. Nat. Park, Blue Ridge Parkway would be the other if I were making the choices. Sounds like a blast either way, but if you trim expectations a bit you might be happier (and less weary) at the end of the trip.

Hi Danielle,

I'm afraid I have to agree with my fellow Americans and say that your road trip is a bit too ambitious. I was fortunate to have some Aussies tell me the same when I visited there and was very glad I trimmed my trip accordingly.

Just to throw a wrench into the entire works..any reason why you're choosing to fly into New Orleans and work around the south? In August (as already mentioned), it is going to be disgustingly hot and humid. An alternative might be to fly into Chicago and work your way south. Certainly lots of "foodie" opportunities along the way as well. An absolute must is to make room for more days in DC. It will be VERY hot but it is the best city on your itinerary, in my opinion. And unless you absolutely have to see NYC, I would skip it in August.

If you really love the idea of driving through the south, I'd skip New Orleans and fly into Atlanta directly and start there to trim time off your travels. Enjoy!

As food is the first priority you mentioned, I strongly suggest you modify and or cut so you end up with 3 days each in New Orleans and NYC.

When you are traveling up the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, stop in the town of Crisfield, MD for some seafood and a look around.

Do you have a deal on the rental car without a drop off fee?
My thought would be to fly to and rent the car in New Orleans. See New Orleans for a full day and then head for Florida and Amelia Island. Return to New Orleans by another route and turn in the rental there and then take the Amtrak Crescent from NOL to Washington DC and rent a car there to drive Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive and maybe Knoxville. Turn in the car in Washington and take the train to New York City.
You have a variety of airports to fly back to the UK in the New York/Newark area.
Save the Chesapeake Bay for another trip where you fly to the east coast.