Driving to Ft. Lauderdale from Montreal. Where to stop?
Dec 3rd, 2007, 03:29 PM
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Driving to Ft. Lauderdale from Montreal. Where to stop?
Hi Guys,
Well, my winter/spring vacation plans seem to get more and more exciting as each day passes haha!! I'm looking at the possibility of going to a sporting event in Columbus, OH for a wknd in Mar. and now possibly driving my grandparent's car down to Ft Lauderdale, FL and spending about a week there in Dec. then flying back home to Mtl.
I am looking at the route now, and according to Mapquest we pass thru new york, new jersey, delaware, maryland, virginia, N. carolina, S. carolina, and georgia before we get there. I am not sure where we should aim as our stopover for the evening before we keep driving. I was thinking Virginia, but I'm not really sure if we'll poop out before then.
Do you guys have any advice or suggestions or experiences you'd like to share? We're both comfortable driving, we'll be in a 4WD SUV, and have driven in horrible conditions before, but this is our first drive to FL so I was hoping to see if anyone here had any pointers for me
Thanks guys!
Layla
Well, my winter/spring vacation plans seem to get more and more exciting as each day passes haha!! I'm looking at the possibility of going to a sporting event in Columbus, OH for a wknd in Mar. and now possibly driving my grandparent's car down to Ft Lauderdale, FL and spending about a week there in Dec. then flying back home to Mtl.
I am looking at the route now, and according to Mapquest we pass thru new york, new jersey, delaware, maryland, virginia, N. carolina, S. carolina, and georgia before we get there. I am not sure where we should aim as our stopover for the evening before we keep driving. I was thinking Virginia, but I'm not really sure if we'll poop out before then.
Do you guys have any advice or suggestions or experiences you'd like to share? We're both comfortable driving, we'll be in a 4WD SUV, and have driven in horrible conditions before, but this is our first drive to FL so I was hoping to see if anyone here had any pointers for me
Thanks guys!
Layla
Dec 3rd, 2007, 03:46 PM
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It's been a long time since we used to do a Boston to North Carolina trip, but I suspect much of it is the same.
The NY, Pennsylvania, NJ, route is a TON of traffic. To avoid the worst of NJ and Baltimore/Washington DC traffic (also HORRIBLE) we used to take Route 9 down through NJ because it is very scenic. Then we'd hop on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry (lots of fun - Cape May is really nice). http://www.capemaylewesferry.com/
Then we'd take the, after driving through Delaware and Maryland, we take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Virginia. Really fun - it has a great look out spot on it.
Anyway, I do not know if that helps you think about planning at all, but those were the highlights of that drive.
The NY, Pennsylvania, NJ, route is a TON of traffic. To avoid the worst of NJ and Baltimore/Washington DC traffic (also HORRIBLE) we used to take Route 9 down through NJ because it is very scenic. Then we'd hop on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry (lots of fun - Cape May is really nice). http://www.capemaylewesferry.com/
Then we'd take the, after driving through Delaware and Maryland, we take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Virginia. Really fun - it has a great look out spot on it.
Anyway, I do not know if that helps you think about planning at all, but those were the highlights of that drive.
Dec 3rd, 2007, 04:35 PM
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Hi Shoefly,
Thanks for the info, I'm looking into different routes now. The car we'll be taking has GPS navigation so I don't know if we should follow that route or create our own?? I'm not that great with in car navigation systems either so i'm not sure exactly how they work.
The least amount of traffic is always good, but if the bigger roads/interstates/hgwys are the easiest then we might just stick to them and live with a bit of traffic.
Does anyone know if any sections of the drive are risky? My grandfather told me his cousin was carjacked once on her way there? I think she stopped for gas/car maintenance issues and was robbed at gun point from her vehicle. I know this is a VERY rare occurance, but if there are any spots we should totally avoid I would like to know of them!!
Thanks again guys....I always get great advice here!
Layla
Thanks for the info, I'm looking into different routes now. The car we'll be taking has GPS navigation so I don't know if we should follow that route or create our own?? I'm not that great with in car navigation systems either so i'm not sure exactly how they work.
The least amount of traffic is always good, but if the bigger roads/interstates/hgwys are the easiest then we might just stick to them and live with a bit of traffic.
Does anyone know if any sections of the drive are risky? My grandfather told me his cousin was carjacked once on her way there? I think she stopped for gas/car maintenance issues and was robbed at gun point from her vehicle. I know this is a VERY rare occurance, but if there are any spots we should totally avoid I would like to know of them!!
Thanks again guys....I always get great advice here!
Layla
Dec 3rd, 2007, 06:39 PM
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aucho53,
A "bit" of traffic does not begin to describe what you are likely to encounter taking I-95 down the NY/DC corridor, depending on the time of day you are passing through.
I-95 does have the advantage of being cleared relatively soon if there is snow, but it is unusual to have a lot of snow in December, at least from NYC south.
You are talking about two 12-hour days in the best of circumstances...
When we drive to FL from MA we typically head further west. There are many options for doing this, but the two best are probably either taking 84 West in Newburgh, NY to Scranton, PA, then 81 South; or you can go into NJ and then head west on 78, then pick up 81 South outside of Harrisburg PA. Once you're on 81 South you take that almost all the way through Virginia, get on 77 South, which will take you through North Carolina and into South Carolina, and then 26 East (really southeast) to hook back up with I-95.
The disadvantage of the inland route is that, in bad weather, it is not always fun. But if you keep your eyes on the weather, it is much more scenic than driving down I-95, and avoids all the NY-Philadelphia-Baltimore-Washington traffic.
As for risky...I have never felt that I-95 was particularly risky (except for crazy drivers and sleep-deprived truckers) as long as we stick to rest stops.
The route shoefly mentioned would be a lot of fun for some sightseeing, but I have the idea that you are primarily interested in getting to FL in the shortest possible time.
A "bit" of traffic does not begin to describe what you are likely to encounter taking I-95 down the NY/DC corridor, depending on the time of day you are passing through.
I-95 does have the advantage of being cleared relatively soon if there is snow, but it is unusual to have a lot of snow in December, at least from NYC south.
You are talking about two 12-hour days in the best of circumstances...
When we drive to FL from MA we typically head further west. There are many options for doing this, but the two best are probably either taking 84 West in Newburgh, NY to Scranton, PA, then 81 South; or you can go into NJ and then head west on 78, then pick up 81 South outside of Harrisburg PA. Once you're on 81 South you take that almost all the way through Virginia, get on 77 South, which will take you through North Carolina and into South Carolina, and then 26 East (really southeast) to hook back up with I-95.
The disadvantage of the inland route is that, in bad weather, it is not always fun. But if you keep your eyes on the weather, it is much more scenic than driving down I-95, and avoids all the NY-Philadelphia-Baltimore-Washington traffic.
As for risky...I have never felt that I-95 was particularly risky (except for crazy drivers and sleep-deprived truckers) as long as we stick to rest stops.
The route shoefly mentioned would be a lot of fun for some sightseeing, but I have the idea that you are primarily interested in getting to FL in the shortest possible time.
Dec 4th, 2007, 04:02 AM
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I don't have maps in front of me - but I would take a more inland route that includes I-81 thru the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.It connects to I-75 further south not I-95, which we all agree is a horror.
We had friends in Upstate NY who took that route every year.
Come on down !!
We had friends in Upstate NY who took that route every year.
Come on down !!
Dec 4th, 2007, 05:00 AM
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Montreal to Ft. Lauderdale is about 2,700km using I-81/77. I totally agree with Babara_in_Fl that it's the way to go, and I won't even head south of I-87 from Montreal. Instead, take the Autoroute20/401 towards Toronto and then cross at Thousand Island to I-81.
That is impossible to in 2 days. You need to stay two overnights. First night in VA along I-81 in the Shenandoah Valley. Second night probably around Savannah, GA.
That is impossible to in 2 days. You need to stay two overnights. First night in VA along I-81 in the Shenandoah Valley. Second night probably around Savannah, GA.
Dec 4th, 2007, 03:28 PM
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Hi everyone,
Wow, great advice!! Thank you sooo much. We'll definitely look into switching up our routes based on some of these suggestions.
SuzieTrue...Columbus is a whol other trip we'd be taking in March for a long weekend for a sporting event, not related to this trip to Florida
Barbara_in_FL.....12 HOUR DELAYS!!! That's crazy!! I have never even heard of anything that nuts! 'm definitely looking into alternatives. I'll be sure to get my grandfather's route from him since he used to drive the car down quite often so i'm sure he's comfortable with the route.
We want to leave the morning of the 26th (5-6am) and arrive in Fl. in the late evening/night (10pm-12am) on the 27th. We want to wake up in Fl. the morning of the 28th, so our route needs to allow us to do that.
Thanks again!!
Layla
Wow, great advice!! Thank you sooo much. We'll definitely look into switching up our routes based on some of these suggestions.
SuzieTrue...Columbus is a whol other trip we'd be taking in March for a long weekend for a sporting event, not related to this trip to Florida
Barbara_in_FL.....12 HOUR DELAYS!!! That's crazy!! I have never even heard of anything that nuts! 'm definitely looking into alternatives. I'll be sure to get my grandfather's route from him since he used to drive the car down quite often so i'm sure he's comfortable with the route.
We want to leave the morning of the 26th (5-6am) and arrive in Fl. in the late evening/night (10pm-12am) on the 27th. We want to wake up in Fl. the morning of the 28th, so our route needs to allow us to do that.
Thanks again!!
Layla
Dec 4th, 2007, 04:30 PM
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Do you mean you need to get to Ft Lauderdale the night of the 27th? Or just Florida? Savannah is just 100 miles from the FL border, so just slight adjustments where you stay first night in VA.
If you mean Ft. Lauderdale, then you're talking about 14-15 hour driving each day. You'll need to overnight somewhere in North Carolina.
If you mean Ft. Lauderdale, then you're talking about 14-15 hour driving each day. You'll need to overnight somewhere in North Carolina.
Dec 4th, 2007, 04:35 PM
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Hi rkkwan, I want to get to Ft Laud. by the night of the 27th...so ya we're looking at about 14-15hrs of driving per day. It's a lot but, we're 2 people and want to maximize the time that we'd have their instead of spending it on the road. It'll be a grueling drive i guess, but we have 5 days of relaxation to re-coop and a short 3hr flight home at the end since we're leaving the car there for my grandparents to use when they fly down in January.
Layla
Layla
Dec 4th, 2007, 04:41 PM
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Hi Layla,
Assuming you're planning on sleeping, I think your plan is unrealistic, especially for driving in the Xmas season! You can count on it being a full, exhausting day of driving, should everything go well, to get you from Montreal to the Washington DC/Baltimore area. As a kid, my parents after a full, exhausting day's driving from DC were proud when they were able to get as far as GEORGIA (leaving at the crack of dawn, arriving in Athens Georgia for supper)!
That'll put you morning of the 28th in Georgia... with a full day's driving to go down to Fort Lauderdale.
I think it could still be fun and maybe I underestimate speeds people drive, but I'd plan an extra day at least, so you'll be more relaxed about the whole thing.
DAN
Assuming you're planning on sleeping, I think your plan is unrealistic, especially for driving in the Xmas season! You can count on it being a full, exhausting day of driving, should everything go well, to get you from Montreal to the Washington DC/Baltimore area. As a kid, my parents after a full, exhausting day's driving from DC were proud when they were able to get as far as GEORGIA (leaving at the crack of dawn, arriving in Athens Georgia for supper)!
That'll put you morning of the 28th in Georgia... with a full day's driving to go down to Fort Lauderdale.
I think it could still be fun and maybe I underestimate speeds people drive, but I'd plan an extra day at least, so you'll be more relaxed about the whole thing.
DAN
Dec 5th, 2007, 01:49 PM
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Hi Guys,
Someone from my family does this drive for my grandparents every year, and they do it in the same amount of time that we are planning on. Yes it will be very long days spent in the car, but we're expecting that. According to Mapquest (which I know I shouldn't rely solely on) it's 25hrs38mins in total, so by putting in 15 hours a day we should have enough time to sleep over night and survive the traffic especially if we plan our route to avoid as many busy areas as possible.
Thanks again,
Layla
Someone from my family does this drive for my grandparents every year, and they do it in the same amount of time that we are planning on. Yes it will be very long days spent in the car, but we're expecting that. According to Mapquest (which I know I shouldn't rely solely on) it's 25hrs38mins in total, so by putting in 15 hours a day we should have enough time to sleep over night and survive the traffic especially if we plan our route to avoid as many busy areas as possible.
Thanks again,
Layla
Dec 5th, 2007, 05:24 PM
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Are you planning to eat? I don't care WHO does this drive in 2 days... I don't think one SHOULD PLAN on doing this drive in 2 days AND ESPECIALLY not in the Xmas season, a busy driving time.
Having unrealistic schedules creates an unnecessary sense of "gotta-get-there!", makes one drive when one probably shouldn't and just ASKS for an accident.
To give you an example of potential traffic, one Thanksgiving, it took my brother and I FIVE HOURS to get from Washington DC to Richmond Virginia (avoiding this busy bit of I-95 would also add hours to your travel), something that should take TWO; another year THREE HOURS to get through traffic from DC to B'more (I'm not sure how you'd manage to get out of this stretch of road either), something that can take less than ONE. Heavy traffic will be normal, you're travelling at one of THE busiest travel times of the year! And I haven't even started talking about Florida, where the traffic is notorious!!!! From Montrealer to Montrealer, I plead with you, add one day to your schedule! Driving exhausted IMO results in far too many accidents.
BTW regarding your boyfriend/fellow driver who does not have a passport... he will be able to get in to the US by land with birth certificate and photo ID, but I'm not sure he'll be able to fly into Canada with no passport to get back... that I'm not sure of.
Happy travelling but please add a day!
Having unrealistic schedules creates an unnecessary sense of "gotta-get-there!", makes one drive when one probably shouldn't and just ASKS for an accident.
To give you an example of potential traffic, one Thanksgiving, it took my brother and I FIVE HOURS to get from Washington DC to Richmond Virginia (avoiding this busy bit of I-95 would also add hours to your travel), something that should take TWO; another year THREE HOURS to get through traffic from DC to B'more (I'm not sure how you'd manage to get out of this stretch of road either), something that can take less than ONE. Heavy traffic will be normal, you're travelling at one of THE busiest travel times of the year! And I haven't even started talking about Florida, where the traffic is notorious!!!! From Montrealer to Montrealer, I plead with you, add one day to your schedule! Driving exhausted IMO results in far too many accidents.
BTW regarding your boyfriend/fellow driver who does not have a passport... he will be able to get in to the US by land with birth certificate and photo ID, but I'm not sure he'll be able to fly into Canada with no passport to get back... that I'm not sure of.
Happy travelling but please add a day!
Dec 6th, 2007, 04:57 PM
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Hey guys,
daniel, thanks for your concern, but we're gonna stick with our plans for now. but if we decide on the road that we want the extra day, then who cares....we'll take an extra day, we'll see how it goes. thanks again for your help and advice. My boyfriend actually applied for his passport and paid an extra fee so that he can pick it up on the 18th, so we'll be covered for that! thanks again!
GoT- thanks for the info, it's reassuring to here that!!
Layla
daniel, thanks for your concern, but we're gonna stick with our plans for now. but if we decide on the road that we want the extra day, then who cares....we'll take an extra day, we'll see how it goes. thanks again for your help and advice. My boyfriend actually applied for his passport and paid an extra fee so that he can pick it up on the 18th, so we'll be covered for that! thanks again!
GoT- thanks for the info, it's reassuring to here that!!
Layla
Dec 8th, 2007, 11:25 AM
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aucho53,
In case you're checking back in...I forgot to mention that there seems to be a LOT of construction going on around Jacksonville FL on I-95 and 295. Depending on the time of day you are coming through that may or may not be a problem, but keep it in mind. If you are getting to Jacksonville at around rush hour, it might be good for your sanity to stop and eat -- you'll probably not lose any time overall!
I still think getting on 95 in South Carolina (the route I described above) is probably the most direct route to where you're going, but you could also take the other suggestion of taking 81, to 85, to 75, and then 75 South to the Florida Turnpike. The problem with that is that it takes you through Atlanta, which we usually try to avoid if we can.
You are obviously younger and more energetic than my husband and I...but we did similarly crazy things back in the day. Just please stop if you get really tired, in case I'm driving next to you. ; ) Have a good trip and I hope the weather will cooperate for you.
In case you're checking back in...I forgot to mention that there seems to be a LOT of construction going on around Jacksonville FL on I-95 and 295. Depending on the time of day you are coming through that may or may not be a problem, but keep it in mind. If you are getting to Jacksonville at around rush hour, it might be good for your sanity to stop and eat -- you'll probably not lose any time overall!
I still think getting on 95 in South Carolina (the route I described above) is probably the most direct route to where you're going, but you could also take the other suggestion of taking 81, to 85, to 75, and then 75 South to the Florida Turnpike. The problem with that is that it takes you through Atlanta, which we usually try to avoid if we can.
You are obviously younger and more energetic than my husband and I...but we did similarly crazy things back in the day. Just please stop if you get really tired, in case I'm driving next to you. ; ) Have a good trip and I hope the weather will cooperate for you.
