I think it is a bit a progression and a wisdom that comes with age and experience.
At some point I think we were all road warriors. Drive as long and as far as possible. This approach may still be beneficial when heading to a major destination. I.E. Disney, Mount Rushmore,Washington DC, NYC,Grand Canyon etc.
Nevertheless driving 12-13 hour days is not fun what ever advantage you get of additional time at your destination must be weighed against lost time behind he wheel.
Why spend 10 hours to reach South Carolina beaches when MD and DE beaches are 3 hours away. I agree Myrtle is the best beach destination on the east coast however drive time is a real factor. I do not want to spend my vacation time on I-95. I can make do with OC,MD or DE beaches and save a day behind the wheel. I apply this logic to lots of destinations.
A major attraction may warrant more driving but there are still limits.
If you have 14 days for vacation. driving 1800 miles will consume 4 days. That's almost 1/3 of the time driving.
I am not retired, I have taking the road warrior approach many times and simply discovered I don't need to work that hard to reach my destination. I do not need to get into warrior mode. I can have more overall enjoyment throughout the entire journey if I spend less time behind the wheel and more time at my campsite, at the pool or touring the town.
If traveling 1800 miles from MI to DC. I would do 450 mile a day max and hopefully make 2 days to get there and 2 days back. I would work in any convenient attractions along the way and make the most of it.
