How far to travel with only 2 weeks vacation time/year

Without towing I have done 817 in 12 hours and turned around the next day to drive home, not fun but had to be done. In our popup days we towed about 500 miles but have not done that with the trailer. We plan on a 460 mile trip this year to DC this year but will stop half way and probably spend 2 nights and do the same thing on the way home. This will give us 4 days in DC and give us a chance to enjoy 3 campgrounds. In a couple years we might to Myrtle a Beach which is 900 miles one way, might make this a 2 week trip.

When I was 16, my parents and I did 7,000 miles in three weeks.

We left from Indiana and hit South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, up to British Columbia, and then back down through Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc.

We had a pop-up and I was able to drive, giving us three drivers. We had a Chevy van with both rear bench seats removed, making a nice bed on the floor (this was apparently when parents didn't care about everyone being belted in), so we were able to take turns sleeping while driving and drive through the night.

Believe it or not, we saw a lot of stuff on that trip. A lot of the driving time was across the boring parts of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, etc., so we managed to hit all of the major points of interest.

I know that sounds terrible to a lot of you, but it is one of the best memories I have of the time I spent travelling with my parents. We had a lot of fun on that trip (and others like it) and that experience is what made me want to expose my own son to fun family trips.

Go for it. Don't let all the nay sayers load you up with their negative ramblings about how how they like to travel.

One time many years ago I worked all day, took a final exam that night, and then proceeded to drive straight thru from Maryland to Sioux Falls non stop. That was the first leg of a 10,000 mile month-long trip around the country. And here come the flames.

Cover what distance you feel comfortable with and go see some of this country now - not years from now when a couple hundred miles a day might be your limit.

I wonder what sights you may miss traveling 650 miles in one day. For us, in this great country, there are a lot of things to see at least every couple hundred miles or so.

korbe wrote:
I wonder what sights you may miss traveling 650 miles in one day. For us, in this great country, there are a lot of things to see at least every couple hundred miles or so.

That is true, but it's not a big concern if you plan to travel to the same place more than once.

I visited Yellowstone three times before I graduated high school.

That's one of the great things about living in the Midwest. We can go east or west and see a lot of the great sights of this country without spending weeks on the road.

It also depends on the family and their priorities. Hell, I have probably seen more of northern California in my lifetime (four trips to NoCal of various lengths) than most adults who live in southern California, and I live in Indiana.

I'll drive 800 miles at a stretch

I work nights. 12 hour shifts, so I'm used to it. I get home from work, sleep 8 hours, load of the trailer and go.

I'll drive all night and plan it to hit the campground around check in time. Sleep 4 hours and it's vacation time.

Minimizes the felt time traveling for the kids and wife. They sleep the whole way usually. But we're a relatively young family still.

Shorter distances (under 4 hours) we just go when we want.

I have a friend with a motor home who burned one tank of gas last year. And he's gone most of the Summer.

We're fortunate to have 4 state parks, a city campground, TVA campgrounds and private campgrounds within an hour. We don't really need to travel to camp with the Tennessee River running through town.

Given 2 week's vacation, surely there's somewhere you'd like to stay in Michigan--even if it was on the Upper Peninsula.

If I could only travel 250 miles a day, I would never leave the state. I would love to only travel this many miles a day but for us working folks with limited vacation time, we have to travel longer days. I have personally driven 500 miles one way a couple of times. I don't think it is more fatiguing than driving a car with no trailer. In fact, I find myself a bit more relaxed as I am traveling with my TT since I just get in the right lane and do 62mph. I let people pass me and just relax.

From my house to the state line (I live in Florida) is about 245 miles.

How much of a vacation is driving 650 miles in a day? If you spend most of your time behind the wheel of whatever you drive, then you miss out on a lot of good down time with the family. Think places, not distance travelled.

When we were younger and vacation driving, a two week trip would be limited to about 800 miles, one way.