Traveling from WI to MA with new TT!! HELP!!

[TracysCampWI]

We upgraded last year from our pop-up to a beautiful 2015 Sunset Trail 28bh. We just LOVE it! Can't believe we waited so many years to upgrade (13 years in a pop up). We had a wonderful summer camping here in Wisconsin last year with our new trailer!

We are getting ready for our first trip to MA (my husband is from MA). Over 1,000 miles away. Looking at taking I-90 almost the entire way. We are leaving on a Friday (kids last day of school) at about 4pm. We hope to make it to Cleveland that night. Maybe staying in on Ohio Turnpike RV Lot for the night (we will be able to plug in for $20, dump station and potable water). Then off early to make it to Middleboro, MA late Saturday night.

Are we giving ourselves enough time?? Other options for the night? I do need to plug in as I have a CPap that I need to sleep.

My husband is installing a camera on the back of the camper this weekend. Any suggestions on which camera to get? Just had the breaks done on the Tundra. Reservations made in MA and NH. Roadside protection on board, new Rand McNally map in hand, GPS up to date. This is not our first drive to the east coast but our first towing anything.

Anything that I am missing??? Any items to pack that I did not think of??? ANy items NOT to pack?

[scbwr]

Enjoy your trip!

[rbpru]

We do enough toll road travel to justify an electronic toll sensor. It simplifies toll paying but is not any cheaper.

We have found that a 250 to 300 mile day is normal; however, the last day going home, we sometime push on because we know there is room at the final destination.

[moresmoke]

Two days is really not that bad. I find day 1 goes great, day 2 the kids are getting restless, and day 3 everyone is miserable. I think the people that say to take your time have not had the issue of limited vacation time, and a particular place they want to spend it. I need to travel far, the point is for the kids to spend time with their grand parents, not to camp along the way. We can go "camping" any weekend, we have limited time to visit family, so you gotta get there.

Giving yourself 1 day and 2 halves you will do fine.

[CampWithTheTrac]

We do have an EZ Pass. This is not our first trip from WI to MA on the turnpike- just the first with our TT:)

[CampWithTheTrac]

I am feeling much better about the trip now that we have determined that we are going to give ourselves more time to get out there:)

[westend]

Hope you have an EZ Pass transponder, it makes things a lot easier on the toll roads.

Sometimes, I drive at night. I know most folks don't because they are vacationing and are wary of a break down after dark. If I leave home in the late afternoon, I can log a lot of miles while passengers sleep and are somewhat rested when we get to our destination. I can hit the bunk and after a couple-three hours am able to participate. The long nights are worth the convenience of making miles without the daytime traffic.

[thirtydaZe]

when we went east from nebraska our first time, oh sure, we planned the trip, but didn't plan it well enough.

it was our first long haul, we "tested the waters" and went just under 4 hours our first day, leaving in the cold and the drizzle, we got to our destination and had a good first night, rested well, got up, and got a late start in the morning.

got to chicago, were in dead stop traffic, and then hit the ohio turn pike way to late in the afternoon. we didn't take into consideration there would be a time change that put us even further behind. at this stage there was no chance of making our destination. to boot, i didn't really realize there wasn't much in the way of getting off the turn pike.

dusk set it, the temp got down right cold, it was raining, and we had to find a spot to stay off the turn pike. it ended up being about the most scary place imaginable for some travel noobs. basically it was an old drive in theater had 2 other campers, and some permanent residence folk. we were parked in un-mowed weeds, essentially and lost.

that next morning we were up early, and we boogied out. fueled up, and kept up pace on the dreaded turn pike.

that night was much better, we stayed at an outstanding KOA, and had a great time.

will never forget that trip.

[RavensFan24]

I ran out of cash driving through that area with our TT. The tolls were brutal. I wasn't expecting $10-$18 tolls every 15 miles. I had to pull over at the last toll and write a check and then walk across traffic to Lane 4 to give the person a check.

Note: the distance between tolls may be exaggerated, but thats what it felt like.

[doneuald]

take I-39 to I80 to avoid Chicago, we went through Chi town last summer , wife was more irritated than I was , if you leave an inch in chicago rush hour they will take a mile and it was bumper to bumper

[shortbus_driver]

You really have two options:

1) Take your time, enjoy the trip. Stop when you want to stop to see what you want to see.

B) Stress about how many miles you can cover in (X) amount of time. All travelers will be stressed, not just the driver.

[TracysCampWI]

Because of all the great information I have received we are going to leave on on a Friday and get into MA on Sunday. We do indeed need to take a bit more time!

[TracysCampWI]

Thank you all for the expert information! We have taken the pop up from Waukesha, WI to Sandusky, OH a few times but this is a much bigger undertaking! I will have my husband read each and every post and continue to work on our plans.

Keep coming with the suggestions!

[rbpru]

Our preparations for an Indiana to Montana trip included the following.
• Check to see the TV spare tire dropping mechanism was not rusted shut.
• Know how to change TV tire and make sure it in not a little donut spare.
• Make sure your TT spare is inflated properly.
• Have all the jack and other tools and wood block necessary to change your TT tire.
• Make sure you know where to set the jack on the frame. Practice at home before you leave.
• Carry a tire gauge and torque wrench
• Carry a spare 5 gallons of gas.
• We also carried a small 120 volt air compressor.
Our trip totaled 6600 miles of sightseeing. We traveled about 250 to 300 miles a day, used secondary roads when possible, set the cruse at 62 mph. It was a great trip.

I changed a TV flat in the campground parking lot and the TT tire in he parking lot of the museum we were visiting a week later. Both tire changes took about 20 minutes apeice, annoying but we were on our way; not stranded waiting for Road Service to show up.

In fact it was probably less time than it would have taken me to find the Road Service phone number and tap in the answers to the questions they ask.

[rexlion]

The problem is, stuff happens! Your timetable doesn't make allowances for stuff that happens, but instead it depends on everything going just right and luck on your side the whole time. Even if life did work out that way, I think you'd be frazzled upon arrival.

If you plan to leave at 4, more likely it'll turn out to be 5 or 5:30. That throws your whole plan off schedule.

A practical plan would assume an average travel speed of around 50 mph, which includes stops for gas and bathroom and food and bathroom and to relieve the sore backside and... you get the picture. So, 1000 miles divided by 50 mph equals 20 hours. How much time have you allotted? It makes no sense to drive faster than 65 (60-62 mph would be better), because trailer tires aren't rated for more speed than that and because it gets a tad unsafe at higher speeds... especially in heavy traffic (of which you'll see plenty) and at night (don't over-drive your headlights! It only takes one deer running across the road in front of you to ruin everything).

DW and I have made the drive from OK to our relatives' homes in MI many, many times. It's just a hair over 1,000 miles. If I can't get out of here by 11:00 am or so on the first day, I know we aren't making it to their place by the second day. It isn't worth pushing the luck, the patience, and the alertness to get there so quickly. After all, it's supposed to be a vacation! Not a torture test.