Advice for a cross country trip

TNGW1500SE wrote:
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I'm thinking drive 6 hours a day for 3 days in a row and then stay two days to get over it. Allows us to empty tanks and reload.

Do you "wing it" or do you plan every stop and have reservations?

Do you just buckle down and do a 10 hour drive for two days, sleep at walmart and then stop and rest up?

New at this. Have all the time off I want. Not really interested in killing ourselves trying to get there fast. Any advice welcome!

I'm not sure about your timeline. You are going to drive for 3 days in a row, stop at a campground for 2 days, then continue driving? Surely you don't mean you are only going to stay for 2 days at the park. I am assuming you are thinking of resting 2 days before exploring the park? I think a one day rest would be plenty - you will probably be bored 2nd day and want to get going.

10 hours drives can get long, but are very doable. On our two trips up and down the East Coast (Disney World), I planned one 15 hour day and one 10 hour day driving. That gave me time to stop about every 1 1/2 hours, which included filling up every 3 hours (at about 1/3 tank), and otherwise stopped whenever I felt I needed a break.

First trip we stopped at a hotel mid way there, parked the rig in back, and slept in a room. Second trip stopped at a campground on the way there for 1/2 the price, and were able to use our camper's hot shower - and we had sewer hookup, so was able to drain and flush the black tank if needed. Now I prefer a campground.

A full hookup campground is nice when traveling with family. You can use all of your camper's facilities, and flush tanks if needed.

I have not done the "Walmart" or rest stop overnight thing, so can't really comment on that. I would be more comfortable doing that if it was just myself and son (if he is with me), don't think I'd like it if wife and daughter were with me. Just me.

Stop and take a break whenever you feel like it. I would recommend having at least some water on board for emergency bathroom breaks. The added water weight I don't think will make a significant dent on fuel mileage.

I love listening to books on tape, particularly non-fiction -- because that way I don't have to pay attention to the plot line! lol