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

[michigansandzil]

I have seen this many times in numerous threads and I find it very interesting how people's opinions differ. So I thought I'd do a quick poll and see what everyone thinks.

We plan to go 1800 miles one way with 650+miles in one day when necessary. So, about 3600 miles round trip.


How far will you travel if you only have 2 weeks of vacation time/year?

[PghBob]

A couple times a year, we will drive two days to our vacation and two days back. Western PA to mid-Florida, 1010 miles each way. We drive the first day to just south of Charlotte NC, the balance the next day. I will do this type of driving only for trips at least 2 weeks long, nothing shorter. After two long day driving, I need a break.

[rk911]

Lantley wrote:
Once upon a time I took the 650 miles a day approach however I eventually realized it's not an endurance test. I try to limit my travel to 250-350 miles a day max. Find a CG along the way stop for the night and have fun.
I also try not to travel more that 2 days in a row before reaching a destination CG.
The object is to camp and relax not to drive. After a 650 mile day I'm generally to tired/wound up to enjoy the day.
650 miles is easily a 13 hour driving day. No thanks. Being behind the wheel that long is not:fun,enjoyable or relaxing.
I now pick closer destinations and plan accordingly.
I believe you are headed to DC this summer which is great, but plan 300-400 mile days to and from DC. Maximize your CG time not your drive time.
I once took your road warrior approach before I realized the goal was to relax and have fun. Now I travel in smaller steps and spend more time smelling the roses vs. sitting behind the wheel

Lantley and I must be related cuz that's how we travel these days. 4-hrs of driving, 5 in a pinch, and then we're down for the day. we retired in 2005 but for a couple of years after that we were still doing the 10-12 hour driving days. then one spring we were EB on I-40 somewhere in new mexico and the wind was just horrendous. it was so bad that we pulled off at a Flying J around 11am to rest. we saw a CG down the road from the J and decided to call it a day. best decision we ever made and it was then that I saw the light. since then, with very rare exceptions, we've done the 4-hr drive thing and we're lovin' it!

and at the other extreme...the absolute longest drive we did was 36-hours from sacramento, ca to des moines, ia. this was our pre-MH days. never want to do that again. our shortest day (in terms of miles)? we were crossing the southern tip of florida on US 41, left the CG around 9a one morning. saw a sign for an everglades tour and pulled in. ended up spending most of the day there and at other nearby tourist traps. ended up going back to the same CG that evening.

[Steeljag]

Do what you need to do for your vacation time limits. Just remember to drive at a safe speed for the safety of your family, and safety of other families on the roadways.

[paulcardoza]

Personally, If I'm using up 2 weeks of vacation, I don't want to be driving more than 2 days out and two days back, at most. That leaves 10 days of real vacation out of 14 days. Anything less seems like a waste of precious vacation days to me. I'd say 800-1,000 miles each way, would be my guideline.

[Dog_Folks]

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

[wildtoad]

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.

[MetalGator]

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.

[Bamaman11]

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.

[pira114]

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.

[IndyCamp]

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.

[korbe]

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.

[More_To_See]

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.

[IndyCamp]

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.

[GaryWT]

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.

[tll]

Our summer long vacation is 15 days this year. Since we are traveling from northern WI, it takes a little while to get where we actually want to vacation, usually west. This year we are going to Denver, Moab, Grand Canyon, and Durango. Total of 3100 miles. Our longest day is 560 miles, shortest is 325 miles. Travel days are 8. Day one and two are usually the longest. We cheat by leaving the night before the official vacation begins and get a few hours in, that makes the real day 1 shorter so we can relax a bit that afternoon, before starting long day 2. We also plan the end of long day 1 at a place with a pool so my daughter has some fun down time, this year it is at a small water park. Last day on the way home is hammer down, longer day to get home no matter what, everyone is eager to sleep in their own bed. PS, we have reservations for every night already, no need for surprises after a long day of travel.