Road trip from Boston to Florida
 

A friend and I (plus her 2 kids) are planing a 10 day road trip to the South. We want to get to Orlando, but would love to see the sights on the way (Amish country, SC, etc). Budget is tight..inexpesnive hotels..etc. Any recommendations??( so happy the gas prices went down!!!)Thanks! CSA

Boston to Orlando is 21 hours driving time - that is without stops for food and bathrooms and not allowing for any traffic jams. That is 2 very long days - accounting for 4 of your 10 days to begin with. If you do the drive in 3 7-8 hour days, you have a little time for sightseeing. then you have 4 days in Orlando.

My first suggestion is to get an EZPass or FastLane transponder for tolls - they will be an issue until about Washington, DC and this will save you some time.

What to do on the way depends on age of kids and time of year. You could stop in Washington, DC to see all sorts of free things - but lodging will be more expensive. A detour to Charleston or Savannah would be interesting to adults, less so for kids.

There is a stretch between southern Virginia and Georgia that is incredibly boring with little to see - and fewer plaaces to stop even for meals or lodging.

For lodging, I would go with TripAdvisor website and ask them to sort by price - paying attention to rating. With 2 adults and 2 kids we find a slightly higher priced hotel that includes breakfast sometimes actually saves money. I would certainly throw a small cooler into the car - even if you do not pack lunches, you can save money by stocking it with snacks and drinks.

Orlando and associated attractions tends to be expensive no matter how hard you try - but even WDW is having a tough time in this economy, so there are some deals around.

This <http://www.i95exitguide.com/index.php> may be of some help to you. It sounds like a fun trip!

Gail, as is so often the case, is right about this trip. We have made it on a couple of occasions.

From Petersburg, VA to about Jacksonville, FL, I-95 is about as boring a highway as exists on the east coast. It is a contrast with I-95 from Boston (well, starting in New Haven) to Richmond, VA, which is seriously congested.

Have you looked into flying jetblue from Boston? Tolls, gas (even at today's lower prices), meals and two nights in a motel each way begin to add up. Car rentals in Florida by the week are usually reasonable, and flying both ways will give you a week on the ground in Orlando.

If you are planning to do this at February vacation, be aware that snow and ice from Boston to Richmond can put you in a motel for an extra night. Last February, it took us almost all day to drive from Brookline to Stamford, CT, less than 200 miles because of ice.

April vacation will be easier on the way down but slower on the way back because of snowbirds in motorhomes and towing trailers returning north. Much of I-95 is only two lanes in each direction, and traffic trying to get around slow moving vehicles can back up seriously.

Three drivers could make it in two days, but they wouldn't necessarily still be friends when they got there. Two drivers will really have to push.

I prefer to add time to this long trip and take 81 down. More scenic and relaxing. 95 is either congested or dull. And driving through West Virginia is just beautiful.

Amish country (Lancaster PA) is a little too far west from the most direct route. How much time are you planning to use to get from BOS to ORL?

The OP's question is from 2008.

I have to say that the general route between Petersburg and Jax on I-95 provides the opportunity to see at least three interesting cities with some slight diversion: Charleston, Beaufort, SC, and Savannah. But with only ten days you wouldn't have much time in any of them I am afraid.

The kids are in college by now--8 year old thread

hotel tonight is a good app for your phone. An hour or two before you feel you'll be ready to settle in for the night you can check what's available down the road.

Ocean Creek Resort/Myrtle Beach has some low weeknight rates on booking.com.

When is your trip?

This is an old thread, OP never came back!