We are just starting to do longer trips this year and DW and I have discussed this issue at great length. We have decided that our past 1 week or less vacation experiences have taught us we need to "wind-down" after a long drive. For example, a long single day drive of 700 miles or so, that runs out day #1 of vacation. Then we still kinda feel outta sorts the following day. So we don't really get into fully enjoying our time till day #3.
Now, a good number of short trips add in to show us that we don't feel as road-weary if we only go roughly 300 miles at a time. So that is another strategy to plan around. Hop from CG to CG across an area / state we want to visit.
The tail end of the trip is not as much of consideration, since we are going back to work afterwards but we don't want to get home only in time to go to bed for work the next morning. We just want to time arriving back home to have 1/2 day to unpack / recover.
In round numbers, I'd say I'd do maybe up to 3000 miles round trip if I had 2 full weeks AND only if I wanted to stop / camp in multiple places along the way.
Seeing as how I do only get 3 weeks a year, we are splitting it up to do a bunch of 3 day WE's, 1 full week local (3 hrs drive) camping to just relax, 12 / 13 days for our one "long trip" -- and that is just at 2000 miles round trip with camping in 4 or 5 locations with the longest site only being 4 days in one spot.
