How much ground can you cover per day on a 1 man road trip?

In My Humble Opinion
41

Fly? Not if getting there and back on time is critical. I haven’t flown much and may fly even less after my last experience. I flew into Chicago and then waited 5 hours before my plane finally came in. My return flight from Denver they loaded up the plane taxied out to the runway and sat there for hours waiting for the rain to quit. By the time I finally got to Chicago, the last flight home had left. I got to spend the night in Chicago. It was just a rain, not a thunder storm.

If it rains when you are on the road, you may need to slow down a little. If it takes another half hour, you get there a half hour later, not the next day. I am not sure where I would draw the line, but it is going to be long trip before I trust the airlines again.

42

Kansas just bumped the speed limit up to 75 on I-70 so if that’s faster than I-80 through Nebraska you can take I-35 south at Des Moines and pick up I-70 in Kansas City. I-70 in eastern Colorado is also 75 mph.

When I drive long trips by myself, I make sure and take CDs that will NOT put me to sleep. I love Dire Straits, for instance, but not on a road trip. Loud, rocking stuff that I can sing along to helps keep me awake.

43

I finished this in 2001. I’ve done 1500 miles in a day and it is brutal. The tips that they give are good, but you also have to do what is good for you. I like combining gas stops and food at once, others say to keep them separate stops. My best advice is to not play around at gas stops, they eat up time fast. If you really want to do the distance, the first two or three stops, get your gas, pee and leave. You should be gone in 10 minutes. Otherwise you’ll be there 30 minutes or more, and trust me that can happen.

As for naps or sleeping, when you need it stop, I’ve known a few people, people who knew better, who didn’t and paid a price for it. Better to be late or pay the extra money for a room then to have an accident.

I’ve also found that while I can sleep on the side of the road I like having a hotel room, even if it is only for 4-5 hours. It gives me a chance to sleep well and to take a shower and recharge myself.

44

We did a cross-country trip, many years back when we were in our mid-20s. Bear in mind, the speed limit back then was 55 and we weren’t speed demons. We were also relatively well rested going into each hard-driving stretch.

The longest driving days we did were on the order of 14 hours, and this was with switching off every few hours. The second day of 14 hours westbound, we were frighteningly tired by the end of the day (in fact we use it as an example to the kids: see how stupid mom and dad were? do NOT do this!).

On the return trip, where we had 5 long driving days in a row, we took it a bit easier and never did more than 12 hours in a day (except maybe the last; we were within a couple hours of home).

Some folks may have a lot more driving stamina than that. I still think 12-14 hours a day is more than enough. ESPECIALLY if you’re doing it solo. On a recent jaunt to Florida, I happened to be feeling extremely well rested on the trip back - and pooped out after 9 or 10 hours of driving.

Bottom line: I’d allow 3 days for each direction. That’s 700 miles a day. If you’re going 80 on parts of it, it’ll average out to 70ish with stops factored in.

If you happen to be feeling great and feel safe pushing it further, that’s fine - but if you allow the time to take 3 days, you won’t feel obligated to push on when you’re really too tired to go any further.

45

Last April I had to drive from Minneapolis to Cleveland. I did it in two stints, Minn. to Chicago, and then Chicago to Cleveland.

The rental car had no cruise control…I never realized how damn useful it is on long stretches of highway.

46

Years ago I drove from southern Oregon to Kalispell MT in 14 hours. That was 760 miles. I was driving an old VW bus, and had to slow for traffic and construction in Portland, Pasco and Spokane. However I stopped only for gas. I had brought a cooler of Pepsi and bottled water and had a couple of sandwiches stashed between the seats. YMMV obviously, but last year I took the same trip, in a brand new Nissan z, and encountered no construction. However, my wife was with me and was a fan of real pee stops and cooked lunch. We made the 760 mile trip in 14hrs and 45 minutes. So, that’s a good baseline for me. Approx 55mph when everything is factored in.

47

I have driven from the west coast to Omaha alone 3 times - it’s not quite 2,000 miles. I did it in three days each time, and each time it was utterly exhausting. If you have never driven more than 40 minutes, I really don’t know what to tell you except… it’s really exhausting.
If you are looking to make the best average speed possible, pack all the food and drink you will need, plus music, audio books, etc. and stop only for gas and bathroom. Stopping for food kills your average speed. I stay in hotels rather than try to sleep in the car. I am good for 9 or 10 hours behind the wheel and after that I am so rummy that driving is a real danger. One thing that helps is cruise control. Set it whenever you can for the maximum safe speed, then you don’t have to think about adjusting your speed and eyeing the speedometer constantly. You can concentrate on staying alert, which will be your big challenge. And as other posters have pointed out, Nebraska is one of the most longest, boringest drives you will ever take.
Good luck.

48

He asked how much I’d driven recently, which was what the 40 minutes/normal driving was about. I’ve driven about 9-10 hours straight before without any real fatigue, but then again the psychological factor of knowing you’re only 3/2/1 hours from home probably makes it easier.

49

2100 miles in two days is a hell of a trip. If you can even leave a single night earlier, get in a good 6 hours of driving right off the bat, then you’ll be in better shape the next couple days. If you’re really staring 30 hours of driving in the face, consider what that means: getting on the road (not out of bed, but in the driver’s seat) at 7 a.m. and not getting out of the car until 10 p.m. And that’s assuming that you don’t stop to pee, eat, or stretch. I lean toward the “road warrior” type myself, but that’s not a drive I’d attempt solo. With a buddy, I might try it. Consider taking a third day, or partial day, to minimize your stress level.

50

IMO…

Unless you are a diehard night owl, do not drive past dark. Or at least not close to or past your normal evening bedtime. Get up as early as you can possibly stand and hit the road and drive till dark then stop. IME driving very early in the morning is just unpleasant and irrittating but not likely to have you falling asleep at the wheel, while driving after dark after a lonnng day of driving IS likely to have you nodding off at the wheel (which is dangerous as fuck).

51

Tons of great advice in the thread, but just wanted to come in and give the opposite view to billfish’s post. I prefer driving at night on the Interstates to the daytime. Traffic is less and consists primarily of trucks. They usually drive very consistently and are easy to account for. Daytime travel, OTOH, gives you vacationers and much more road congestion. Then again, I probably am a diehard night owl, FWIW.

A +1 to the get a motel room rather than try to rest in the car. I feel much more refreshed sleeping in a bed for a few hours and showering, than I do if I have to crash for a few hours in a truck stop parking lot. Does the car have sat. radio? Otherwise you may find long portions of the trip with nothing to listen to. Of course, I guess that’s what ipods, etc… are for. And I confess to being enough of a geek to enjoy scanning through the AM, trying to find the most far-flung station. Listening to traffic reports from KCBS as I was crossing the AZ/NM border on 40 was a treat.

Ice chest with drinks/food may cut down on the time. Browsing chowhound, etc… might give you tips on great places to eat along the way, if you don’t feel like doing the ice chest thing. I mean, when are you ever going to be in NE again? The point is that gas station/fast food sucks, and if you can avoid it, you should.

52

Another vote for don’t kill yourself. I’d aim for 8-10 hours per day, at 55 MPH average (that’s a good average speed to use when you count a few rest stops) you should go around 500 miles per day. If it’s evening and you feel like driving more then you can do it, but you’re not forced to.

Take some time to see the country, allow yourself some off-Interstate driving time to see the real USA. If you like music take an iPod full of music on shuffle, passes the time really well.

Stay at a Super 8 or Motel 6 if they look ok, they are usually decent.
Oh, and how will you live that long without computer games? :wink:

53

I was going to post pretty much exactly what Ctrl Z said. I always figure on 500 mi/day for road trips - this allows for fuel/rest stops, nifty flea markets, unplanned congestion delays, and at a pace such that I can always sustain it.

I’ve driven all the way across the US (CT to WA) this way.

54

I’ve made several 8- 10- and 12 hour road trips solo. The first time when I was 22 and moving from Ohio to Florida (16 hours split over two days)… I thought might kill me. I got to Jacksonville and called my mom. Conversation went like this:

DZ: Hi Mom! I’m in Florida!

Momzilla: That’s great! You made it!

DZ: No, I made it to Florida. I still have 300 miles to go. I’ve been in the car for a day and a half. If you ever want to see me again, send a plane ticket because I am never doing this by myself again.

Momzilla: LOL

Because I don’t do it all the time and have never been afforded the luxury of being able to drive a good driving car (like a Beemer), I find my upward driving limit is really around 6-8 hours. I can go 8-10, but I’m pretty worthless after about 8 – and therefore, not very safe. My rule of thumb is if I have to drive more than 6 hours, I look into flights. In your case, however, I’d recommend taking an extra day… maybe even two.

Aside from bringing a small cooler and taking little walks on pee breaks, I also recommend making one or two one-hour stops. Go inside a restaurant and sit down to eat. Take a 20-minute walk. Pick up some extra whatevers at a drug store or something. Walk through a mall for a minute (I actually called my mom from inside a mall I’d spotted from I-95).

And now, another little anecdote to think about.

Many moons ago, I had a group of friends who were, for some reason I can’t remember now, driving from Ohio to Montana (or maybe it was the other way around, doesn’t matter). There were four of them on this road trip and they had it in their heads that they had to be at their destination by a certain date, so they drove straight through, taking turns, on something like a marathon 35-hour road trip. (Or maybe longer. Seems like “four days” is in my head for some reason.)

About a year later, one of the guys on the road trip was stricken with some horrible dreaded young-person cancer and died. On his deathbed, he was talking to one of the women on that trip and said, “Remember that trip we took across the country? That was so much fun! We were in such a horrible hurry to make time, we practically killed ourselves getting there. Only now I can’t remember why we were in such a hurry? What was our rush?” My friend said she really couldn’t remember as none of them had jobs at the time and they really had all the time in the world they could have used to enjoy this trip. And now our friend is gone and there will be no more road trips for him.

So, I ask the OP… what’s the rush? Why not take a little extra time to see some sights and meet some people and enjoy the trip?

55

I assume an average of 55 mph, which accounts for stops for food, gas, and the toilet (I drive about 70 MPH). I’m also usually good for about a 14 hour day, give or take an hour or two. This works out to budgeting 770 miles on a given day when I plan a trip.

Of course, I’ve exceeded that in practice driving solo, and it’s extremely optimistic when my wife is along.

56

I’ve made several similar east to west trips you’re going to make, from MI/IL/OH area. Give yourself a minimum of 2 1/2 - 3 days for the trip. If you don’t regularly stay up all night, do not travel at night. Get a good nights sleep before you leave so you are well rested. drive about 2 hours stop for 15 minutes, stop for a minimum of 40 minutes for a very light lunch and another 15 minute break in the afternoon. Don’t drive more than 10 hours if you’re not accustomed to long driving hours. Sleepiness isn’t the only hazard of driving, highway hyponsis kills too thats why you need a break every couple of hours. expect to feel like hell at the end of the day. plan your trip, where you will stop for the night eat etc. when you get to nebraska, drop down to kansas and take 70 west. I’ve used both routes to go west and for some reason nebraska has HORRIBLE head winds if traveling west that kansas doesn’t seem to have. That wind will affect your time and fuel usage and how tired you are. Also, what does in a few monthes mean? spring or winter or fall driving, this matters for how you plan your route and drive it

57

one hint that nobody has mentioned yet ----
Wear sunglasses. Good sunglasses. With polarized lens.
Eye strain happens.
It’s less obvious than back strain, or numb-butt syndrome, but it definitely affects your stamina and alertness. You will feel much, much better at the end of the day if you wear high-quality sunglasses.

58

That’s odd. I just drove from Pennsylvania to Toledo on the turnpike yesterday and it seemed like 80 was roughly the average speed of everyone on the road (that isn’t a truck). Or more specifically, I had my cruise control on ~78 and plenty of people were still passing me.

I was coming from New York, so it ended up being about 600 miles in roughly 10 hours, with stops. That was definitely fine but I certainly wouldn’t want to go past 750 or so in a day. I did one 15 hour day with my dad a few years ago and did not enjoy it. Unless you really need to get there fast, I would suggest taking it easy and using an extra day.

59

Whidbey Island, WA to Redding, CA is only about 750 miles… but when you do it on a 250cc Yamaha dirt bike non-stop (in November) it makes you wonder why getting to San Francisco was such a priority. Must have been the chance to see Blue Cheer at the Fillmore. And stuff.

60

Alright, I’ll probably end up scheduling it for 3 days then since that seems to be the grand consensus. I suppose if I’m feeling unusually good I can just drive until I feel like my attention is starting to slip - doesn’t really matter where I find a motel 6 to stay the night.