Forum Discussion

silvercorvette's avatar
silvercorvette
Explorer
Jun 01, 2013

Miles or hours how do you plan your day's drive?

I am a firm believer in hours. With unfavorable traffic conditions a person could spent 8 hours behind the wheel and only travel 200 miles. I personally believe that limiting hours is a safer way to be sure the driver will stay fresh and alert. Professional truckers are restricted to the number of hours they are legally allowed to drive.

Unless I have a good reason I have a specific time in mind when I call it quits for the day which can be anywhere between 4 PM and 7 PM. My goal is to be registered and hooked up at a camp site before it gets dark. Usually I'll start searching for a place to hook up between 3:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Sometimes I'll plan on just pulling into a rest stop at about 6 PM which give me time to walk and feed the dogs make a sandwich or heat up a can of something on the stove and settle in and read a book before going to sleep.

Does anyone else try to calculate their hours rather than miles?
Seeking Advice
  • Steeljag's avatar
    Steeljag
    Explorer
    Jun 01, 2013
    We also like to be parked and set up before dark. To answer the question....300 to 400 miles a day would be good!
  • wildtoad's avatar
    wildtoad
    Explorer II
    Jun 01, 2013
    Normally, I try to be parked and ready to relax my late afternoon. Have no desire to back in, setup in the dark. For planning purposes, I use a max of 250 - 300 miles a day or 5 - 6 hours.
  • Foggy's avatar
    Foggy
    Explorer
    Jun 01, 2013
    Neither. We stop when tired or see something interesting to experience. We try to limit planning to deciding the general direction and possible interesting experiences.
  • Aridon's avatar
    Aridon
    Explorer
    Jun 01, 2013
    Depends on the trip.

    If all we are going to be doing is watching TV until bed then we'll continue on and take plenty of breaks. I see no reason to stop and set up only to sit there and watch the idiot box when I could be driving.

    We take our time, stop often and aren't in a rush. Now if there is a reason to stop and see the sights we'll stop for a few days and do just that.
  • Jim_Shoe's avatar
    Jim_Shoe
    Explorer
    Jun 01, 2013
    I look for RV parks along my route about every 300 miles. I've found over time that setting the Speed Control on 60 lets me average 50 with gas and potty breaks. So if I'm on my way by 9AM I'm close to my daily destination by 3PM. That almost always get me a spot where I planned.
  • 352's avatar
    352
    Explorer
    Jun 01, 2013
    Well, how many hours do you think you have left in you? Sounds like you need to slow down and smell the roses.

    LIFE IS ALL ABOUT MEMORIES AND SOMEONE TO SHARE THEM WITH
  • dahkota's avatar
    dahkota
    Explorer
    Jun 01, 2013
    On a long trip, we don't do hours or miles. We just drive until we can't stand it anymore. Sometimes that's four hours, sometimes sixteen.
  • The_Texan's avatar
    The_Texan
    Explorer
    Jun 01, 2013
    Either, or, it depends. I usually set a destination based on time, but if I miscalculated and get in way ahead of time, I may continue for awhile longer. Then if I run into trouble and fall short of the destination on the scheduled time, I may extend the hours a bit......No set in stone procedures for us.
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    Jun 01, 2013
    Hi,

    To some extent it depends on driving conditions. My longest "day" ever was from Cheyenne, WY to Regina, SK at 1192 kilometers (738 miles). Generally 500 kilometers (300 miles) is more my "speed", as I drive 78 kph (49 mph) to save fuel.

    I'll stop when I see something of interest and I mainly boondock.
  • Jloucks's avatar
    Jloucks
    Explorer
    Jun 01, 2013
    Hours, definitely hours. Miles mean nothing to our mind and body.

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