Miles per day/hours on the road

[Jnccpf]

First let me say I am a newbie when comes to the RV. My wife and I are planning a trip from CT to Yellowstone, but due to limited vacation time, we are going to try to get their as quickly as we can. In your experience, when making a trip like this how many miles a day do you an to drive and how long does it take you? My thought was we could make about 600 or so miles a day doing 12 hour days. That would give us time to take a brake, get gas and perhaps stop at a roadside attraction. I am looking for you real life experiences. Thanks!!

Edit!!! We have two children, 13 and 15.

[Supercharged]

PJUSTICE2650 wrote:
Phil Here. Well my friend, My hearth goes out for you in your situation. The trip that you are planning does not seem to me as being a comfortable or safe vacation. OK. I can say this because we are retired and have all the time that God lets us have.

We have found out that in traveling by Motor Home, it takes us the same amount of fuel to go to Yellowstone, The Grand Cannon, The Bad Lands, Mt.Rushmore and every place in between. What what I'm trying to say is you have to stop and Smell the Roses.

I suggest that you sit down with pencil and paper and calculate how much money will it cost you to go to your destination and back home. I'm talking about Fuel,Camp fees,Food,Oil changes and wear and tear on your vehicle. I am calculating 2,500 for Fuel alone, Now you do the math. I think you might be surprised to come out with figure of 4,000 or better for your trip. We spend about 5,000 on a five to six week vacation from Florid to the West coast and back, We get to see the highlights of about eighteen states, I drive no more than 350 mi.per day and usually that for only two day at a time.

Now once again, We are retired and have that opportunity to travel that way. I suggest you explore the idea of Flying out to your destination, Rent a automobile and find nice accommodations at a lodge.

I'm sure there are some nice vacation packages available to you and you family. You will be surprised to see how little difference there is in cost for trips to the same destination.

Please consider making your Motor home trip for another time when you can afford that time, Enjoy your Motor home for not to distant vacations.

2004 22Ft.Minnie Winnie 6.0 Chevy V8 Phil Justice

We just returned from a 5 week trip cover 11 states and never drove over 300 miles in one day, most were 200 or less. We drive a 29 ft. 450 ford HR B+. V-10 great motor and great mpg. very nice to drive day in and day out. But I do agree with Justice about taking your time and seeing it all. Never try to drive 5 or 6 hunderd miles per day no matter the reason.If it is your job, get another job. We took 6 days to go from Phx to Colo Springs, than took 7 more days to go to Ore. No hurry, stay off the freeways and see the country. Burn all the gas you can or somebody else will get it.Need more fuel make more money. I would burn coal if I could.

[sjn7708]

We just did 1150 miles to disney. 8hrs / 500 miles was fine. 12 hrs / 600+ miles was about max even with stops. We did it in 2 days but not sure id like to do more than three 10+ hrs/ day. Several 8 hr days would be reasonable

[Gale_Hawkins]

In a MH one does not have to plan meal stops which helps or bathroom breaks for the kids that age. When we went to YS the kids were turning 14 and did 8000 miles in 31 days so we were able to work in Pacific Ocean and Grand Canyon too.

We left KY at 2pm and got to a WM in NE at 2am and was in Badlands NP by 10pm on second day and toured the park at mid night under full moon and it was SO cool then slept in visitor center parking lot. Did the park again the next morning again before Mount Rushmore and slept in Cody WM parking lot that night. While real life experiences it is a bit much for some.

I started driving a tractor at age 5 so if it has an engine, steering wheel and a seat and is moving I am in hog heaven. 😄

With kids 13/15 they will find things to do alone the way as adhoc stops.

We stayed off the interstates for the most part so we ran up on nice little out of the way parks and things. It would give me a chance to get out from behind the wheel (solo driver) and walk around while the kids ran wild for a few minutes.

Of the 31 days I think we spent 9 in hotels because it was cheaper and/or just make more sense based on were we needed to be the next morning. Birthday weekend in Carlsbad CA we stayed in a hotel three days and two of them we walked to the beach so they could learn to surf and on the second day each stood up and surfed into the beach.

We got into YS after lunch and bought bus tour tickets for the next two days (did a loop a day) and after hitting the major stops on south then north loops they said they were finished with YS and to head south. We had NO scheduled plans period as to where we would go and when the trip would end so they did the routing as we rolled. It was a school field trip and I was just the bus driver.

If I were ever go to YS by RV or car I would have reservations at a lodge or CG. In our case we found out SUV/hotels was our cup of tea in part because it is cheaper renting a SUV than driving the MH we own. Now if with my physical limitations I had to move the luggage myself then the MH might win out. 🙂

Our 31 day wild west MH trip of the life-time cost $8K (not counting MH ownership cost) which gas was $4K of the 8K. I can tell you if it had not been for getting the old MH and working on it for five years we would NOT have taken that trip by car. With an RV you it will help you get out more so I am not anti RV. We use the MH for a backup house and it is nice to go places and park in the drive of family without wrecking their private lives by moving in on them. 🙂

Jnccpf a 24' C is a great size for moving fast as no toad is required we learned in our 32' A on our trip out west. Being as young as you are you can drive as far as you like because on our trip I was 60 and have severe physical limitations getting around but did hike with the kids some like at Kings Canyon because you have to do the trails to see the Redwood trees the best.

My objective was to get to the far starting point quickly so our first stop was the Badlands which was 1200 miles or the same as to Boston a couple weeks ago by SUV.

Update us with photos after the trip. Have fun and do not ever let dream stealers steal your dreams. Monument Valley and four days with family my kids had never seen or knew were alive in NV were my highlights. I have no regrets pushing myself but do be safe.

[super_camper]

super_camper wrote:

Jnccpf wrote:
First let me say I am a newbie when comes to the RV. My wife and I are planning a trip from CT to Yellowstone, but due to limited vacation time, we are going to try to get their as quickly as we can. In your experience, when making a trip like this how many miles a day do you an to drive and how long does it take you? My thought was we could make about 600 or so miles a day doing 12 hour days. That would give us time to take a brake, get gas and perhaps stop at a roadside attraction. I am looking for you real life experiences. Thanks!!

Edit!!! We have two children, 13 and 15.

We have 3 kids and drove to Yellowstone from Ontario a few years ago, our vacation was 3 weeks. We have also driven out west, out east, and to Florida many times. We have about 60,000 miles on our MH now.

I am the only driver and my "sweet spot" for daily distance is 500 miles or about 10 hours. We can usually average 50/miles per hour with an early start, drive 5 hours before lunch and 5 hours after lunch. We occasionally drive 700 miles/day when returning from Florida but could only do this for a single day which is our last day before arriving home.

When we plan our trips I always plan for 500 miles/day and rarely make reservations for the driving days, this allows us to be flexible and drive less or more depending on conditions.

One comment I forgot based on your post, If you plan on 600 miles/day over 12 hours do not expect any time whatsoever for stops at attractions, you will find that meal stops will also have to be brief to maintain this average.

[super_camper]

Jnccpf wrote:
First let me say I am a newbie when comes to the RV. My wife and I are planning a trip from CT to Yellowstone, but due to limited vacation time, we are going to try to get their as quickly as we can. In your experience, when making a trip like this how many miles a day do you an to drive and how long does it take you? My thought was we could make about 600 or so miles a day doing 12 hour days. That would give us time to take a brake, get gas and perhaps stop at a roadside attraction. I am looking for you real life experiences. Thanks!!

Edit!!! We have two children, 13 and 15.

We have 3 kids and drove to Yellowstone from Ontario a few years ago, our vacation was 3 weeks. We have also driven out west, out east, and to Florida many times. We have about 60,000 miles on our MH now.

I am the only driver and my "sweet spot" for daily distance is 500 miles or about 10 hours. We can usually average 50/miles per hour with an early start, drive 5 hours before lunch and 5 hours after lunch. We occasionally drive 700 miles/day when returning from Florida but could only do this for a single day which is our last day before arriving home.

When we plan our trips I always plan for 500 miles/day and rarely make reservations for the driving days, this allows us to be flexible and drive less or more depending on conditions.

[Lumpty]

To add some perspective FWIW, my hobby activity is racing cars and I do participate in amatuer endurance events typically 12 hours long. While you are in the car for up to a 3 hour stint, you may do two of those and are "at it" nd engaged for the full period noon to midnight. Likely with that background:

I have done 18 to 20 hour trips both with the MH and towing an enclosed trailer with the truck. Nothing but coordinated stops taking care of fuel, food, and bio breaks at the same ez-off/ez-on exit, so only off the road for 15 minutes tops every 4-5 hours tops. This usually works out to at least a 60 mph average, assuming traveling with the usual right lane flow of 65-70.

Anything larger than a passenger car does require some amount of increased concentration to drive, but I generally don't find the MH or trailer towing to need a significant increase in my situational awareness compared to when in smaller vehicles. This is probably because I tend to scan 360 degrees continuously while driving in any condition or road anyway.

I think it comes down to whatever one is comfortable with. For some people that is 250-300 miles, or more for ironmen (I guess I'm one) that can do 1250.

[mgirardo]

Everyone's experience will differ. I enjoy long drives in the car or the motorhome. On several occasions, with the motorhome, I've driven from Southeast GA to Southwest NJ, a 780 mile drive in one day. It's about a 12-14 hour drive depending on traffic. My biggest haul is from Southeast GA to the east/central PA area, around Lebanon, PA. That was a 900 mile trip that was a 15 hour trip.

I don't think driving a motorhome is much more taxing than driving a car, at least not our motorhome. It's a 32' Jayco Class C and drives about the same as my wife's Astro Minivan did with worn pitman arms.

I drive the speed limit as long as the flow of traffic allows it. About 1/2 the drive from North to South is at 70 mph, most of that with Cruise Control on. I stop 3 times for gas and try to avoid eating away from the MH.

I'm 39 now; I'm guessing when I am older I will not be able to drive the same amount, but hopefully by then we'll be full timing it and won't have to drive that much.

I think Chuck summed it up nicely:

cjoseph wrote:
Some people can drive long hours, some can't. Know you limitations and stay safe.

-Michael

[cjoseph]

jj167 wrote:
...

...I can drive for a full 15-18 hours before I feel like I have earned sleep. With a few adults, why not just rotate drivers every 4 hours and get from east coast to wy in a couple days. Finding a campground is unnecessary, camp at the truckstop for a few hours, dump and hit the road. Keep your food in the fridge eat on the move, ect... When I drive my car or jeep I squeeze minutes out of the travel time. I am always impressed by how the motor homes can hold their average speed up because they never need to stop. I pass the same RV a dozen times over a days driving even though I am going 10 mph faster. I just see planning on only driving for 10-20% of a day as wasting the RV's biggest strengths.

After driving from Florida to WV or CO for skiing in my car,I don't think my motor home is a prison, its a logistical miracle...

Not 18 hours for me but a heck of a lot more than others report on here. With the TT, I would drive 4 hours in AM, take a long lunch break let the kids play a little, drive 4 more hours before a long dinner break, and then put in a few more after dinner. I could do this two days in a row easy. I had jobs that put me in the driver's seat longer than that.

I once drove 5 hours after being awake 36 hours straight. That was in a combat zone on top of everything.

Some people can drive long hours, some can't. Know you limitations and stay safe.

I am looking forward to the DW subbing for me once we get the MH. She thinks she will be able to drive it. We will see.

Those that say driving their rigs is harder than seat time in a car need to adjust something. Maybe I was just lucky with my set up. It was just like driving a car. I pay just as much attention driving a car as I do pulling the TT. If it was that much of a chore, I would have given it up a long time ago. If our new gasser doesn't handle similarly, I will dump money in it to make it so.

Vacation should be relaxing. If driving becomes a chore, I'll drop the RVing and fly.

[Crabbypatty]

Well making the long haul to Disney from NY I stopped at 10 hours. For me personally driving a TT which is different that driving a 5vr or MH, 10 hours was the end the range, depending on traffick. Sitting in traffick jambs kills my miles on the road. An hour or so, no biggie, but sometimes slogging it out on I95 can be exhausting. The longest I drove and will never do it again is 14 hours to MB from home. I was just toast when we pulled in. Not fun or safe for anyone. By the way this was a newbie trip. Now we limit it to around 8 hours. After all its the journey as well as the destination. If you dont get there saftely then what is the point. To many times I see some idiot flying down the road, swaying all over, passing everyone, TV stuffed with people. I have also seen flipped and burning TT and TVs and its a horrible sight.

[C-172-AV8R]

"I am looking for your real life experiences."
Why ask the question if you don't like the answers...You asked for it take it as it is. We didn't say you couldn't drive more, the truckers sure do....But that is a job and even they have rules for driving times.

[C-172-AV8R]

You are being very optomistic. I plan 50 mph average and it usually works out and about 5 travelling hrs per day.Your total trip seems to be about 4000 miles so about 80 hrs driving or 16 days...You need to plan on a few days layover for the days when your family wants to stay put...Don't drive when you are too tired. The consequences arn't worth it...Have a great trip and remember this is an adventure not a race to the finish line.....Mike

[gotsmart]

jj167 wrote:
...
After driving from Florida to WV or CO for skiing in my car,I don't think my motor home is a prison, its a logistical miracle.
....

Driving an RV is more taxing on one's mind (brain fatigue). You are processing so much more information when you're driving an RV than when you're driving a passenger vehicle:

cross winds
tractor trailers
narrow lanes/bridges
steep grades (up and down)
blind spots
people who don't want to be stuck behind you
people who cut you off, because they're in a hurry and you're not (in their opinion)
people entering on ramps, and cut you off while trying to get in front of you
people who won't give you room to change lanes
...and on and on and on

It can be different if driving the back roads, but on the highways you have to be on high alert the entire time. You may feel tired long before your body gives out. Also, many MH's do not have precise steering. The constant small steering adjustments over 200 to 300 miles can make for sore arms and shouders.

300 miles is roughly about 6 hours. That's why many RVers consider 250 to 300 miles a good day's worth of driving.

[jj167]

Wow, I am surprised by the pessimistic outlook that prevails on making miles. I specifically bought my RV because I don't mind driving, hell stack up enough podcasts and what else would I do with a day? I do think that driving a car would be easier than driving a class a coach, but it also offers advantages. I don't see why stopping is such must? I guess to change drivers but that could be at a rest stop and then no one needs to get out. Basically I can't understand why anyone needs to get out.

I can drive for a full 15-18 hours before I feel like I have earned sleep. With a few adults, why not just rotate drivers every 4 hours and get from east coast to wy in a couple days. Finding a campground is unnecessary, camp at the truckstop for a few hours, dump and hit the road. Keep your food in the fridge eat on the move, ect... When I drive my car or jeep I squeeze minutes out of the travel time. I am always impressed by how the motor homes can hold their average speed up because they never need to stop. I pass the same RV a dozen times over a days driving even though I am going 10 mph faster. I just see planning on only driving for 10-20% of a day as wasting the RV's biggest strengths.

After driving from Florida to WV or CO for skiing in my car,I don't think my motor home is a prison, its a logistical miracle.

Even if you drop the cash on a flight which I will admit will come out in a wash with diesel... You have to leave umpteen hours early for the airport, fly the wrong way to get to a connection and wait, then fly in to your destination, take a shuttle, ect... It's easy for flying to take an entire day, and that day not be nearly as comfortable as sitting in an RV.

I know most will vehemently disagree with me. However I think that for people to tell others making big daily miles with an RV isn't feasible... it's an opinion, not a fact. Don't drive dangerously obviously, stuff needs to be planned. However I would rather take a gaggle of kids in the RV than through several airports.

[oldtrucker63]

I sure did enjoy reading all this, I drive 704 Miles round trip each day hauling coal, On a good day it's 12 1/4 hours and on the other days it takes around 14 hours, Be safe and enjoy your trip.