coldwar27

Hi everyone,

I am taking the plunge and moving from Florida to Vermont this June. My bf lives there and I am very excited about living in a totally new place, climate, and all of that.

We are planning to leave Tampa on a Saturday about 8AM. While we would like to be in the great state of Virginia by evening, can anyone give me more of a realistic expectation? We don't plan any major stops along the way but I feel that we are probably being too ambitious. The last time I moved such a distance was Minnesota to Florida so it has been awhile. Any hints, tips, advice appreciated as well. I am traveling with cat and have checked out previous messages about traveling with one but again, additional advice appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

bluestructure

What part of VA are you talking about? It's probably 3 hours to Jacksonville, then about 10 hours to Richmond area. 8AM + 13 hours = 9PM, plus factor in gas/food/potty stops & traffic since you'll be driving I-95 during the day. Are you driving a moving truck? That will slow you down even more esp if you tow a car behind it. No matter how friendly your pussy is, keep it in a kennel of some sorts. You don't want it to get freaked out and cause you to have a crash. You also don't want to lose him/her along the way but getting loose at a rest area or something. Plan ahead and print out cat friendly hotels along the way with the exit numbers where they are located. Good luck with your trip. It's good to see that your making the move, I remember you talking about it last summer.

coldwar27

Thanks for the info/advice. Richmond would be ideal. It is car only - most items have been/will be shipped up prior to the drive. I have been doing some "test drives" with my cat in his carrier and he seems ok. I am going to attempt a longer drive next weekend. I'm THRILLED to be moving.

bluestructure

When you said "We", are you talking about your BF or the cat? It would really help if you had another driver to share the driving. Also, you could leave around 6am so you can get past Orlando and get a good head start on I-95. That might put you in Richmond around 5-6pm well before it gets dark. Just don't drive too fast

nanb

What part of VT ?
I moved up here over 3 decades ago, floowing a BF and never left
Smart of you to wait til June,
Has he told you about the blackflies??

coldwar27

Blue: good point about beating the Orlando traffic. I had to drive there twice in the last month or so, I can't believe how bad it has gotten. We - my bf is flying down and then driving with me and the cat up to Vermont. The plan is that I will drive Florida and Georgia and then he will take over. Since he has his share of speeding tickets, we thought it would be safe for me to get us out of the speed trap hell of Georgia.


Nanb: Randolph, VT. About 20 miles south of Montpelier. And YES! I have heard of the blackflies. Then again, we have alligators roaming the streets. Ok not really....

rkkwan

Are you sure you want to take I-95?

Since it's a two-day drive anyways, you may want to consider taking I-26/77/81/88 instead. A little longer, but you bypass all of Washington, Baltimore, New York.

And leaving Tampa, instead of I-4, you may want to take I-75 to just after Ocala, and then US301 to I-10 to Jacksonville.

You'll probably need to stop every 2-3 hours to let the cat rest. My cat was complaining all the way from RI to Memphis (2.5 days) on our move down to TX.

coldwar27

Thanks rkkwan.

I was thinking about I75 north instead of Ocala. I have driven to Jax both ways and I have less headaches on I75 plus it might be nice to see my alma mater one last time (Go Gators).

Thanks for the advice on I95 - I will consider it. My cat (and I of course) thank you for the tip on stopping.

suze

Depending on the cat, I would definitely use a crate its own safety, maybe letting it out to roam in the car if the windows are up on a long stretch of driving, or maybe not. Will it sit purring asleep in your lap or come flying claws drawn and land on your neck on the freeway? Or insist on sitting under the break petal, another popular feline trick? (Can you tell I've traveled cross-country with a kitty?).

Vermont is an absolutely amazing state, I lived there for a number of years and still have many friends in the Brattleboro area. Congratulations on your move!!

Tandoori_Girl

We've made the drive non-stop from Norfolk to Tampa. Maybe a stop for lunch. It was about 13 hrs. We took 95 to Jax, then 10 to Lake City, then I-4 to Tampa.

Good luck on your move to Vermont.

nanb

Yes, but opur blackflies are as big as alligators (well, it just seems that way)
Randolph is a beautiful area.
I occasionally get that far north, but I live in the area those up north call the "banana belt" of VT .

good luck and enjoy!

coldwar27

Thanks again to everyone with the great advice. In the final days of packing and shipping and cleaning now...

Does anyone have some off the wall/fun/interesting/stop-worthy place to eat or to laugh at along the drive, namely off I 95? I'm thinking something like a cool diner and/or some crazy roadside art. Anything to make the trip more interesting.

Thanks in advance.

coldwar27

yep, I'm topping for myself. I only have three more weeks!

ronkala

per freetrip.com, Tampa to Randolph is 1422 miles, 21 3/4 hours using I-95 all the way up to CT where you would head inland.

Using rkkwan's suggestion of using I-26/77/81/88 it is 1515 miles, 23 1/4 hours. Not much difference and it could cost you more time than that on I-95 in the mixing bowl area in VA south of DC. To get the info I used Tampa to Woodstock, VA and from there to Randolph. This is the the way we come home from FL.

If you go to freetrip.com and check off a hotel price range, it will give you more detailed info for miles and time along the way.

Enjoy the Shenandoah Valley as you drive north on I-81.

gail

Having made the drive on I95 several times Boston-Savannah, you will likely find it is much easier to make good time/mileage on the southern half of the trip than the northern. Once you get north of Washington, DC plan on fewer miles/hour on average - no matter which route you take there always seems to be some traffic jam, accident, or unexplainable delay.

PaulH

Good idea about the kennel for the cat. A friend drove cross country with his prebred (expensive) cat. When they finally arrived, the cat was missing. He thought it must have jumped out at a rest stop, and they never noticed.