Drivving from Orlando to Washington DC
 

My family and I (from Australia) will be visiting Orlando + Washington DC in December. We were planning on flying (time factor etc) but one of the kids (the savvy 12 year old) asked "Why can't we drive there? We could have a real American (apologies for that one!) family road trip and see all the sights along the way." So the Qs are: could we do the drive in 4-5 days with 2 kids (12 and 7), staying medium budget along the way (B&Bs perhaps) or is it likely to be just too stressful given the distance and the need to use at least some Interstates? And finally, is a one-way car hire possible? Thanks very much for all comments.

Simond: By "do the drive in 4-5 days, I assume you mean drive it back and forth and have a few days in Orlando as well? If so, that seems like alot to me, but perhaps others have done it. I drove DC to ORlando in December 2004. It took 15 hrs each way w/short stops (and it was on a weekend so no rush hour traffic anywhere and luckily no detours or traffic problems). We stopped overnight as I was only driver and couldn't do 15 hrs in a day. If you getan early start and have two drivers you could do it. But it is a long drive and not much to see/do along the way- a few outlet store centers as you get closer to Orlando, and you could stop in the beach towns of S. Carolina but it will be December. If you stop overnight be careful about the hotels. Some are bad, some are ok, and they all look alike on the websites. If you post that you are going to do the drive then I will give you a Hwy 95 website w/hotel info and routing, etc.

4-5 days is PLENTY of time and will make for a pretty stress-free trip even on the Interstate 95 (which cuts the total drive time in half). I know people that do it in one really long day (not me, thank you very much).

Some possible stops along the way and close to I95 are: Savannah, GA; Charleston, SC; and Williamsburg VA (incudes the Theme Park Busch Gardens). Staying in these 3 destinations would make a great road trip. You can search theses three stops here on Fodor's for tons of ideas.

I agree with bardo1 100% - even on his suggestions for stops. This trip is a good one for 4 to 5 days. Although it will be off season, you could also stop in the Outerbanks - there's lots of places along the way.

My parents do this trip every year on their way back to New Hampshire from Florida. They usually take 2 days to get to me here in DC, stopping overnight just so they don't have to sit in the car that long.

I think the kids would have a great time with this.

Karen

In my opinion, both I-4 and I-95 are the most unpredictable roads in country. One accident on either can mean hours of standing still - adding hours to your travel time. I have driven this route many times. The drive time has varied between 15 hours and 23 hours - due to traffic, accidents and on my last trip - BIKE WEEK traffic outside of Daytona. Good Luck, it is going to take patience, but flying takes a whole lot of patience these days as well. At least you are in your own car and in control. Oh, remember it takes 1 hour to drive from one side of Orlando to the other side of Orlando on I-4.

Williamsburg would be a fun stop on the way to DC for you but Busch Gardens will be closed in December.

If the poster meant 4-5 days just to drive down there, of course you can do it. I thought he/she might mean drive there and back and time in Orlando for 4-5 days total, drive time and visit.

You should be able to do the trip comfortably one way in 4-5 days. (I've known people who've made the trip in 1 day.)

As for one-way car rentals, often US companies add an extra charge to the rental for that, but you'll have to check with each company.

I-95 between Orlando and DC is what I consider the "easy" stretch -- it gets a lot more congested north of DC. Of course, if there's an accident, you could have a problem, but that's true of just about any highway on the US East Coast. Just remember to take 495 around Jacksonville instead of staying on 95 through the city.

Stops: Other posters have given OK advice. Your kids are probably going to want to stop at South of the Border. Stop, but don't stay.

Another possibility for stopping: You may want to take in one of the beach areas along the East Coast. Which one depends on your interests and budget.

Good luck, mate!

There is no 495 around Jacksonville, its 295. Also, its much faster to stay on 95 through downtown. The northbound ramp from 95 onto 295 N is gone due to the construction of that new interchange. You may have to go pass it, get off, double back around. Stay on 95 N through Jacksonville. The new fuller warren bridge will get you right through downtown fine.

Hello:

Since the purpose of the trip is to "see America," driving frantically along I-95 doesn't seem very attractive. How about meandering from Orlando to St. Augustine (my kids loved the "fortresses") and then up the coast to Savannah, taking 17 up to Charleston? A beautiful trip!

Don't forget that this is winter, which means that it's going to be cold once you hit Virginia, limiting some of the activities and parks that would otherwise be enjoyable for the kids. Similarly, the scenery is not going to be that spectacular.

Besides, one doesn't have to go 95 to DC -- I sometimes go through Charlotte (Carowinds open?) on 77 and 81 which seems to take the same amount of time. We always stopped at Harper's Ferry in WVa before heading into DC -- a bit out of the way, but worth the detour. Just my 5c worth.

B/

You asked about a "one-way car hire" in December. Sometimes some of the rental companies have deals in the late fall for one way drives from northern areas to FL with no drop-off charges, and similar deals in spring to get the cars out of FL. If you can get one of these deals, I'd jump at it. I flew to FL one May and took 8 days slowiy driving to Hartford; it's nice to spend time along the way instead of racing from place to place on the interstates. I like bergator's suggestions.

To correct an earlier post: bluestructure is right about 295, not 495 (my keyboard misspoke and I was thinking of the route around DC). However, I was unaware of the construction, so going by what blue says, sounds like 95 through Jacksonville is a better option.

Four to five days is plenty of time to drive from Orlando to Washington. I would not let the possibility of traffic or weather delays on I-95 dissuade you. You might not encounter any, and besides if look at a map, you will see alternate routes that continue northward if you must detour off I-95. As other have said, there are many worthwhile places to stop (St. Augustine, Savannah, Charleston) right off or close to I-95. Even South of the Border, a quintessential tacky roadside attraction - and what's an American road trip without a stop at a cheesy tourist trap? Dependng on your family's interests you can surely find several destinations you will enjoy (have that savvy 12-year-old do some research).

I don't know what you mean by "medium budget" but I can say that in the United States, B&Bs are usually more like elegant small inns with upscale appointments and rates to match rather than family-type accommodations. You may want to check out the innumerable chain motels, several specimens of which are clustered around every Interstate exit in the US. Try chains like Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Days Inn, and the tribe of motel chains under the Choice Hotels umbrella (www.choicehotels.com)- to name only a few. These chain motels are usually independently owned franchises, so it is possible to get a substandard one (as someone else pointed out), but in general, they provide clean, comfortable lodging (not luxury).

The most difficult part of your trip will be the approach to Washington DC. Here is real traffic - but there are ways to minimize the problem. Try not to arrive in the DC Metro area (and remember, this starts around Stafford, Virginia) on a week day during the morning commute time (roughly from 5:30 - 9:30 AM). Also try not to arrive on a Sunday afternoon - because this is when the local residents who are returning home from weekend trips will also be heading north on I-95.

I am assuming the you will be staying in the city for several days to see the major "monumental core"
attractions. So you will need to get to your city hotel from the Virginia suburbs, and suddenly that rental car which has served you so well will become a horrible liablity. In the city, traffic is extra-awful, public parking is essentially non-existent, hotel parking is extortionate ($25-30 USD or more per day), and the meter maids who slap on parking tickets are the only efficient city employees. And downtown DC is one of the few places in the United States where a car is really not needed - you can easily get to the main "museums and monunents" on foot, Metro, or even the hop-on hop-off tourist trolley.

So ditch the car as soon as possible, and take public trnasport into the city. Leaving the car at one of the long-term Metro lots is not practical -since it's a rental car, and anyway the few long-term rental lots are too far north. So your best bet is to drop off the car at one of the airports, and take the Metro (from National) or the Metrobus or a taxi (from Dulles)into the city.

By the way, the enormous new annex of the National Air and Space Museum (the Udvar-Hazy Center) is located just south of Dulles airport. This is a terrific place, enjoyable for both kids and adults. It is best accessed by private car, especially when approaching the DC metro area from the south (it is possible but awkward and time-consuming to go out there FROM the city on a shuttle bus). So if you'd like to visit the Udvar-Hazy Center, you might consider driving there first and then going up the road (Rt 28) to Dulles Airport to drop off your car. (The U-H Center parking lot does fill up fast, though, even in December).

Thank you everyone for the incredibly helpful replies - you have (as always in this site) exceeded my high expectations for friendly, down-to-earth and v. helpful advice. Thanks again and happy trails.