Advice please!!! Road trip from Miami to NYC and back
 

I'm planning a road trip with my family from Miami to New York for this December, but our main concern is weather! I live in Central America, so we aren't use to driving in snow or ice. We have done it, but are not really used to it. Is the I-95 too icy or snowy? We would love to have snow for our Holidays, but are kind of worried if it would be safe for us to take the road trip.
Beside this what suggestions can you give us, we are a family of 4 adults, where to stop and what to see... We are planning to stay at least 4 nights in nyc, stop in Orlando for 2 nights and have about 15-16 days to do it.
Thanks

You will have to keep an close eye on the weather forecasts and plan accordingly. It's impossible to predict ahead of time.

Oh, c'mon. It would be REALLY unusual to have snow and ice. anything is possible, but it should not occupy too much worry time. IF IF there is any, it will be below Baltimore.

Gretchen, if there is any, it would be above Baltimore. But definitely hard to predict especially after last year

Though our main concern is if it's "usually" a safe road, I know it's really hard to predict wheather -specially after last year and nowdays crazy climate-. I live in a tropical country and I fully understands what climate change means.
However I must say -with the risk of sounding contradictory- it might be a bit disapointing if we don't see snow at all...what we don't what is to see it on the road.

You are likely to be disappointed about seeing snow. NYC typically doesn;t get a lot of snow before Christmas - many years it doesn;t get any. It's a great city to visit for the holidays - but if you are determined to see snow you're probably going to have to go considerably further north. The real snow belt starts at least 100 miles north of New York.

If you do run into snow it isn't likely to be much. I would encourage you to get off the road until the plows have been through - since driving in unplowed snow can be really difficult. Don;t know what kind of vehicle you have or will rent but I strongly reco that you not drive an SUV - they are top heavy, don;t handle well and are very dangerous in the snow. You are much better off with a sedan with 4 wheel drive or even front wheel drive - they are lower to the ground, much more stable and less likely to overturn.

If you are caught driving in snow, slow down, leave plenty of extra room from the car in front of you, don;t do any rapid turn or braking and if the road is very slippery drive in 1st gear to have more traction.

Overall, if weather reports predict (not guess 3 days in advance but predict in the next few hours) any sort of heavy snow - get off the road into a motel with restaurant until the major roads are clear.

Thanks for your advice!
Though we were expecting at least a little snow in NYC, we didn't want to hit it on the road. Knowing it's not the usual we're way more confortable with the idea of driving.
The only thing I'm a little worried now is about the car. We rented an econo on hertz, but my dad was thinking it would be better an SUV. Based on whay nytraveler said it's the worst idea we could have, so what kind of car you can recommend us to ask for???

Id go full size or even luxury size car with 4 adults. Econo cars would be like a clown car, let alone space for luggage in the trunk.

I have to agree with tchoiniere - an "econo" car for 4 adults will be way too small. In the US car rental companies use there own "definitions" when describing cars and to put it bluntly they use lots of "puffery". Econos (aka Compacts) are the smallest available. What they now call mid-size are actually the slightly larger compacts and even Full Size cars tend to be what just a few years ago most people considered mid-size. True full-size cars are now Luxury models.

I'm surpised nobody mentioned how to drive on bridges if the temperature is freezing. I've never driven in those conditions, but my niece who lived in Alaska warned me to drive over bridges or concrete areas in the following manner:

Drive at a steady speed and don't change lanes, keep your steering as straight as possible.

There will be signs saying "Bridge ices before road" so you will have some warning.

I grew up in Ft Lauderdale, so driving in icy or snowy conditions make me nervous.

With four adults the absolutely smallest rental car you will want is a midsize, but I think even that will be tight considering the luggage situation. Get a full size or larger. Cancel the SUV, they aren't as safe and guzzle gas.

Have a fun trip.

With 4 adults and luggage agree that you are better off with a midsize sedan - refuse an SUV if they offer it. And a car with front-wheel drive is more stable (but few rental cars will have rear-wheel).

NY, I think even midsize will be too small. I get a full zize thru Avis and last time it was a Mitsubishi Gallant. I couldnt imagine 4 people in that with luggage.

Nytraveler has it about right. NO need for an SUV. Front wheel drive, which I think every rental would have (as he says). Snow is an absolutely hazard unable to predict. Don't over-rent because it "might be". BUT the car has to be big enough for you. Maybe more to the point, where are you going to park in NYC.
And good point about bridges, etc. IF IF IF there is freezing weather.

Thank you for your answers. As a matter of fact we rented with Hertz and the car it's supposed to be Hyundai Accent(or similar). Hope it works, though if it's just for space, we might ask for an upgrade once there.
About the parking, any suggestions? We were thinking about hotel parking and walking around

Hotel parking in NYC? Are you picking up the car at the beginning of your trip rather than on your way out of town?

www.bestparking.com might be helpful to you

There is no way an Accent is sufficient for 4 adults and luggage. Friend of mine has one and the back seat is tight for going to lunch, let alone 1500 miles of driving unless you are extremely small

"Refuse an SUV if they offer it"? That's silly. SUVs are not ultradangerous death machines that roll over and kill all the passengers every time the wind gusts. If you're assigned one, it will be fine. Yin, please read the above comments with the knowledge that many of us here in the U.S. have some anti-SUV hostility that I find surprising, in that it doesn't include other gas-guzzling vehicles that Americans love, like pickup trucks and minivans. That said, I agree that you don't need an SUV for this trip, which will be on very well-traveled roads. Particularly as you're unfamiliar with winter driving, it would be helpful to get some vehicle with full-time four-wheel drive if you can. But I think even that probably won't be necessary.

I would agree with nytraveler's excellent other suggestions for winter driving, and add a few others. Keep an eye on the outside temperature gauge, and take note of when it drops below freezing. If you feel your car start to skid, "steer into the skid," which just means keep the wheels pointed in the way you want the car to go in, even if the car is sliding sideways. As someone who did a lot of my early driving in temperate climates and had to adapt to snow and ice later, here's the tip that I found most helpful: If you do find yourself skidding, resist the urge to hit the brakes, which is sort of an automatic response that most of us have when bad things start to happen. Braking on ice makes your wheels lock up, which will make it harder for you to correct the skid. Instead, just take your foot off of the accelerator, and if necessary shift into a lower gear to help slow down. If you ever do find yourself in a parking lot or a side street somewhere with a little ice or snow on the ground, I recommend trying a little test, in which you build up a little speed and hit the brakes somewhat abruptly. Once you experience what it's like to start to skid, and how much easier it is to control the skid if you stop braking, you may find it easier to deal with the situation if it happens under less controlled circumstances.

At some point along the trip, pick up a little plastic ice scaper tool for a few bucks at a gas station. You're likely to wake up one morning and find that a thin film of dew has condensed on your windshield and frozen there. The ice scraper will make it easy to get that off (as opposed to makeshift tools like, say, a credit card, which I had to use once). I don't think you'll need other winter driving tools, like shovels and lock warming spray, driving that route in December.

Another question: do you have

oops, premature posting...

Do you have any destinations in mind other than Orlando? Maybe you should just fly from Orlando to New York? I say this because I used to do the New York-Miami driving trip every year around Christmastime with my family, and frankly, it's not very scenic or interesting, on or near I-95. We drove because we had our own car, and a drive with only one night on the road was cheaper than flying a whole family. But in your case, if you were spending on spending several nights on the road, it might be cheaper to fly, and it might result in a more interesting trip.

just a cautionary note, most rental companies restrict the rental to the State you rent it from,and they have a tracking devcie in the car to check on you.Make sue you tell Hertz youll be drivng to NYC and back so you dont get a big fine.
I agree its a pretty boring drive to NYC,and id consider flying--rates are pretty good.Youll blow atleast 2 days driving,maybe 4 unless you drive striaght thru, so spend more time on a fun trip rather than a car,and possibly snow/ice--and the I95 road is crowded,and lots of trucks,not an enjoyable trip at all.And parking costs in NYC are very high,even at the hotel.And even though im a native from NYC, driving in the city can be a little overwhelming for a newcomer

No matter what the weather decides to do, I-95 will be the cleanest of any road you could choose. You probably won't hit any snow in December; up here the snow usually arrives in February and March. Even if you do hit some, just remember to do everything slowly. The Accent will be packed with 4 people and luggage, but it's doable. I'd look into upgrading to a slightly larger car for comfort reasons.