Gab

At the last minute my husband and I decided to drive from Mass. to Orlando with our 2 kids (ages 11 & 14) for April vacation. Are we crazy? Anyway, any tips out there for those that have made this trip. We planning on leaving home (Cape Cod) at 4:00 on a Wednesday evening. Would appreciate ANY help....

TX, Gab

Scarlett

Leaving at 4:00 will be tough..you will hit rush hours and it will get dark, and you won't get far..would it be possible to leave the next morning, very very early? It might save you one night in a hotel/motel. And by 4, no one is that ready for a looong drive. You are better off with an early start.
We left from NYC at noon on a Sat and put in 8 hours, then the same thing the next day (leaving at 8am)-won't you be adding about 4-5 hours coming from Mass?
Anyway, I don't think you are crazy, we have done it in the past with children, not always Florida, but long car trips..mine were almost 5 years apart and always fought. (mom, he's touching me!)
Using maps and Google, we figured out how far we would get driving an 8 hour day-then booked the hotel that was nicest, closest to the highway (you don't want to have to search for the hotel, tired and in the dark)..eat nearby or get room service, you don't want to have to drive far again, for food. Then sleep, and do it again
Plan to bring lots of silly games, Yahtze..car games, I can't think of now..Thank goodness, my car trips lately have involved a dog and he just slept and looked out the window . LOL..Have a great time!

rkkwan

Not much of a tip, but if you're leaving that late, you might consider not leaving until early Thursday morning. Save a night of hotel, as you'll arrive Friday late in Orlando anyways.

Oh, and I-95 at Bridgeport, CT may still be closed when you go. Check the news and CT's DOT website to see if they have any update.

shaz60

You are not crazy. DH and I did it with 5 daughters in 1992. Packed up the station wagon and went to St. Pete. I also recommend that you leave early in the morning. We only stopped once overnight. In Richmond VA on the way down and Rocky Mount NC on the way back. If you don't have one of those new DVD players for the car, perhaps you can rent one. Also pack a cooler with drinks, sandwiches, and snacks. Make everyone who is not dead asleep get out at every rest area. The fresh air will do you good. Have a snack/drink from your cooler. Avoid the Garden State Expressway. It has approx. 500 tolls in a 10 mile stretch. Bring a good map in case you need to avoid a congested route. If I did not have my wonderful husband driving, I would stop twice on the way down. He prefers to race through the trip ordering 20 burgers and 20 fries at McDonald's drive-thru and sleeping as little as possible. If you are not as driven, mosey and enjoy the trip. Have fun.

shaz60

One more thing. Don't kill yourselves getting there. You will spend the entire vacation dreading the trip back. The aforementioned husband and also took 4 kids and one son-in-law to another child's boot camp graduation in Columbia, SC. We did it in 14 hours straight. We arrived at 8:00 am after leaving Lowell, MA at 6:00 pm the previous evening. We could not check into our hotel until 1:00 pm forcing us to spend the next 5 hours in, YOU GUESSED IT, the car. We went to a Shoney's to get something to eat. I believe that that was the best meal of my life. So you can imagine that this was not one of our better trips.

JoyinVirginia

Yes, you are crazy - but a fun crazy! We have done same thing. Usually we try to pack the car, take a nap, then leave at 9 or 10 PM and drive thru the night. Hubby and I swap off driving, and last summer when our oldest had her learner's permit, we had three drivers to swap off. If you can manage it, there is so little traffic on I-95 at night it makes driving a pleasure. Try to time your trip so you will avoid DC during rush hour, take I-295 around Richmond VA and also take highway around Jacksonville FL. If you need to stop - lots of motels around Emporia VA, and Santee SC. Have fun!

PaulRabe

I'd go stronger than saying avoid Washington DC during rush hour. My advice is to avoid it COMPLETELY. I've driven from Philly to south of Washington on I-95 several times, always thinking "Traffic won't be so bad this time." Well, I've always been wrong! When news reports showed 18 mile backups during road blocks for the DC area sniper last year, I half expected the announcers to say "Folks, these jam-ups aren't being caused by the police road blocks -- they're normal DC traffic."

My advice: take I-895 as you get to Baltimore. Follow the signs to I-97, and head south towards Annapolis. Exit (before Annapolis) onto State Hiway 3, which eventually runs into US Hiway 301. Stay on US Hiway 301 into Virginia and then when it runs into I-95 between Fredericksburg and Richmond.

One last bit of advice, stop for at least a minute at "South of the Border" as you enter South Carolina. In 43 years of travel I have NEVER seen a tackier tourist trap; Wall Drugs doesn't even come close.

rkkwan

I've done PaulRabe's US301 bypass suggestion a few times, but I've found that US301 is getting crowded between Waldorf and Upper Marlboro, in the SE suburbs of Washington. Many business and traffic lights have showed up in recent years. It's still preferable to stuck on the Beltway in rush hour, though.

With the closure of I-95 and all the traffic involved in NYC & Washington, an alternative will be to take I-84 to I-81 along the Shenandoah Valley, and then I-77 to I-26 back to I-95 in S. Carolina. It's about 100 miles longer, but the scenery is a little better, and traffic may be a little less. However, keep in mind that I-81 has lots of trucks and grades, and in the summer it's hard to find motels along that route, though April should be okay.

mirela

I-95 Southbound is under construction from Jacksonville to Daytona Beach; not pleasant; check with AAA about the Fl Turnpike; it might be in a better shape.
I don't know about the Northbound lanes, I was too busy with sudden line changes and other cars braking at the last minute to even take a look ;-)

If you're looking for accomodation in Orlando, stop by "Yeehaw Travel" in NC -I don't remember exactly where (exit #)but you cannot miss their ads; I got a good deal, but it was not the first thing they offered; I had to ask several times if they don't have something better, and in the end they had - so, keep asking.

crosbie

I can see Scarlett's point about traffic if you dont like to drive in the dark- BUT... I've started many trips to FL about that time-- after the first couple hours I'm normally home free... then i drive into the night. The kids (in my case parents) will probably be asleep. I'd drive for about 12 hours - sleep a few - and go again about 10 am.
The highway is pretty quiet in the wee hours except for a few tractor trailer trucks and me.
I get to listen to what ever i want on the radio and then i slow down and see some sights the next day or 2.
How ever you do it-- good luck!

LN

The beltway around Washington dC still has a major snag in it at Springfield VA. They are building "The Mixing Bowl" there with about 16 large overpasses and it's a mell of a hess for most anyone to get through.

If you think getting through Waldorf MD is slow you would triple your time through Northern VA. I think Paul Rabe has given you very good advice and i use it everytime I head south.

I also have to visit Virginia and there's no way for me to get around Springfield so I do know what's happening there.

Gab

Thanks so much for all the great tips (boy, am I confused. We are still sticking with leaving around 4:00 p.m., which would put us in Providence around 6:00 (we may hit traffic there), NYC around 10:00 p.m. and then driving on. We are still deciding whether to try to make it through (our first stop is Jacksonville for a few nights) or to stay over just north of Washington and then leaving D.C. early the next morning. My husband thinks we should dirve right through. The kids are not problem, I am sure they will sleep. Any thoughts??

Scarlett

It is 8 hours from NYC to Rocky Mt NC. Then another 8 to Jacksonville. We did it in January.
I guess it all depends on how much you can stand being in the car without sleep.
I would just recommend mapping out the trip and figuring out where you will stay when you do stop and book ahead.
Keep your cell phone with you so you can call ahead if need be.
Good luck!

Gab

Scarlett, did you stay over or drive right through.. what time did you leave NYC?

Gab

Scarlett

We left NYC at noon on a Saturday, stopping in Rocky Mt that night around 9:00pm. We got lost trying to find the hotel~
Left the hotel the next morning around 8 am, arriving in Jax around 5 pm.

rkkwan

Book something just south of DC, like Woodbridge or Triange, VA. If you drive fast enough, you'll get there before 1am. That way, you'd have missed all the DC traffic. You'd have only about 700 miles to go before Jacksonville from there. Either arrive late at night, or stay another night somewhere before that.

rogfam

Suggestions? Don't drive. Take a plane!! Driving to Fla. is awful, but at least you have something to look forward to. However, the drive home is brutal. Nothing to look forward to but work, school, and bills. Fly, even if it means stowing away.

JoyinVirginia

Gab, I would recommend trying to get south of DC the first night, that way you will avoid the DC rush hour in the AM. Depends on how well you sleep in the car and how far you can each drive before you need a break. Fredericksburg there are quite a few motels, also the Best Western (I think) Kings Quarters next to Doswell - King's Dominion exit is fine too and usually not crowded. The 301 option is also a possibility, once in Virginia you can stay on 301 until it intersects I-295 north of Richmond. Last summer hubby and I did a trip to Massachusetts to pick up a tandem bike we got on ebay, drove to Maine on a lark. We left Freeport at 11 PM and got back to Richmond about 10 AM.

Patrick

I have to admit that flying is often a good option. If you can get a good flight price, think about it. Car rentals are cheap in Florida. And if you have less than two weeks, using up four days or more of that time driving down and going back, plus one or two nights motel each way are something worth giving up. Have you figured the cost of gas and the mileage on your car two ways?

Gab

A good airfare is out of the question...it is school vacation week. Also, on the way back we are going to Baltimore for 2 days to see a baseball game. But, thanks for the suggestion.