# I'm thinking about driving from California to Florida ALL ALONE! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445 "2018-09-16T16:30:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/41 "2018-09-17T13:41:04Z")
Bring a cell phone, just call AAA or whatever if you have any problems, don’t overdo the driving in any particular day, and there’s like a 99.9% that the driving part of the trip goes off without a hitch. The odds are very, very high that the only problems you will encounter would be related to weather, hotel rooms being sub-par, or a couple meals were not as good as you hoped. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/42 "2018-09-17T14:11:19Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I’ve driven cross-country by myself several times. There’s nothing that can happen to you on the road that can’t happen to you in your hometown. > > DO IT! My thoughts exactly. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/43 "2018-09-17T14:57:58Z")
Yeah you can totally do it! ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/44 "2018-09-17T15:12:48Z")
Pro tip: plan your trip using the [Road Food Guide!](https://roadfood.com) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/45 "2018-09-17T15:17:13Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > The main reason I want to drive is because I may stay several months, so I’d rather have my car. I will probably visit family in North Carolina and do some sightseeing along the east coast after I’ve gotten to Florida. OK, that makes sense. Yeah, go for it! As others have said, have a membership in AAA or some other roadside-assistance plan just so you don’t have to change your own tire if it should happen. (It probably won’t, but better safe than sorry.) But there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t do this. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/46 "2018-09-17T17:52:58Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > This is mostly a great idea. **not what you’d expect** lives closer to me (if she hasn’t moved recently!) in Northern California. I would suggest driving only as far as Barstow or maybe to Laughlin if taking I-40 the first day, or Palm Springs if taking I-10. Laughlin. I wouldn’t wish Barstow on my worst enemy, and the river is only another hour away. I-40 is definitely the prettier drive. ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/47 "2018-09-17T18:04:33Z")
I would say your biggest issue is just that you’ll be bored out of your skull. It’s not a particularly dangerous thing to do–we live in a pretty connected world all things considered. My issue is that it’ll be mostly interstate and your only company will be your radio. That leaves long days. Breaking it up with little stops can help, but it still won’t be a joy. My only advice is to rent a car. Renting a car for roadtrips can be very wise. You end up putting the miles on their vehicle and if there’s a breakdown, you call Enterprise, tell them their vehicle is on the side of the road and they need to bring you another one. I rent on almost any roadtrip over 1000 miles. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/48 "2018-09-17T18:13:27Z")
Nothing to add - except remember this rule: **never pass-up the opportunity to use a bathroom/get fuel/grab food**. If any of those things are pinging your radar, stop at the next opportunity to take care of it. Especially out west, where it could be an hour or two between towns. Don’t think “Oh, I can last/get that in a little while…” Enjoy your road trip! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/49 "2018-09-17T18:45:08Z")
Desert highways (regardless of the amount of light) out West is where my Prius really shines (although if it is indeed a dark desert highway it wouldn’t _literally_ shine.) The cars I’ve had before got around 300 miles before they needed gas in the East and the Prius gets at least 400. Out West you need to get fuel early rather than expect a gas station, and the Prius looks even better because the ratio of 250 to 350 is even larger. (Now, going up and down huge mountains is another story. Mountains are so large in the west that the regenerative braking system maxes out and wastes the extra potential energy, and to add insult to injury, once I hit the level, the engine hasn’t been running for several minutes and so the computer will refuse to let me burn off that battery juice and will run on ICE mode for another minute or so to keep itself warmed up.) ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/50 "2018-09-18T11:35:17Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Oh, wait. You were serious? 600 miles is an 8 hour day at freeway speeds, dude. If you are driving 60 you are holding up traffic and even the trucks are riding your ass. I used to drive San Jose to Los Angeles in 4 hours(\*), but now — I’m several years older than OP — wouldn’t plan on 600 miles per day. (Of course freeways in the U.S. are much less nerve-wracking, I’m sure, than the highways where I live. Here my brain would be numbed by the need for constant vigilance before 600 miles.) - - CHP strategy was to swoop down the freeway at 85 or 90 mph, pulling over anyone they had trouble overtaking. The trick was to drive _faster_ than the CHP. Keep a close watch at distant cars _in front_: You do _not_ want to overtake the CHP. Disclaimer: my experience was in the 20th century. By now CHP probably has radars or airplanes to thwart guys like me. ---
**Author:** ![Mumberthax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea5d25/32.png) [@Mumberthax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mumberthax)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/51 "2018-09-18T15:29:53Z")
My thanks to the people on this thread, too. I’m going to be driving from Springfield, VA to Lakeland, FL before the end of the year. Your tips were helpful for me, too. Thanks again, M. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/52 "2018-09-18T16:56:21Z")
And when you’re at some interstate gas stop, with your out-of-state plates, getting gas, and some nice man comes up and says how he needs to get his sick kid to the hospital, and he was in such a hurry to leave he forgot his wallet, and his car doesn’t have any gas in it, and he needs just a little money for gas, and then he can get his mother to pay you back, and oh please won’t you help this nice man god bless? Laugh in his face at such a poor con, and tell him to get new material. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/53 "2018-09-18T18:31:32Z")
On a practical Note. Buy a phone charger that plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter/accessory jack. They’re about $20 and you’ll need it. Especially if you’re using your phone to navigate. A dead phone means no Google Maps and that’s not a good thing on a trip. Keep a roll of toilet paper in the car. For the times when a urgent roadside bush is your only choice. I also recommend buying a Rand McNally Road Atlas. Don’t completely rely on your phone to navigate. There’s a lot of places without cell service in wilderness areas. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/54 "2018-09-18T19:59:52Z")
Be aware of where the major cities are along your route and what time of day you’ll be driving near them. You should try to avoid driving too near a city during its rush hour traffic. During rush hour, you will generally save time by taking a longer expressway that goes around the outskirts of a city rather than taking the shorter expressway that goes through the middle of it. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/55 "2018-09-18T21:46:28Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Be aware of where the major cities are along your route and what time of day you’ll be driving near them. You should try to avoid driving too near a city during its rush hour traffic. During rush hour, you will generally save time by taking a longer expressway that goes around the outskirts of a city rather than taking the shorter expressway that goes through the middle of it. A good one. I can relate - recently arriving on southbound I-5 at Portland, OR and not understanding that the highway signs were telling me the ring-road (I-205?) was going to be 20 min faster to the other side of the metro compared to going thru downtown. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/56 "2018-09-18T23:55:23Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > A good one. I can relate - recently arriving on southbound I-5 at Portland, OR and not understanding that the highway signs were telling me the ring-road (I-205?) was going to be 20 min faster to the other side of the metro compared to going thru downtown. Or Houston, to give another example. 10 might look like a perfect route for somebody traveling west to east. But at certain times of day, it can take you an hour to drive ten miles on that expressway. You’d be better off going north of the city and taking 105. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/57 "2018-09-19T13:27:47Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Or Houston, to give another example. 10 might look like a perfect route for somebody traveling west to east. But at certain times of day, it can take you an hour to drive ten miles on that expressway. You’d be better off going north of the city and taking 105. Made that mistake going through Atlanta… once. Lesson learned. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/58 "2018-09-19T23:51:42Z")
Ok, I’ve decided I’m going to do it. Here’s my first plan: I’m going to spend my last night in Clovis, Ca. Clovis to Kingman, AZ Kingman to Deming NM Deming to Ozona, TX Ozona to Lake Charles LA Lake Charles to Destin, FL Destin to Tampa. What do you guys think about this route? Suggestions welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/59 "2018-09-20T00:59:17Z")
All the legs are definitely doable. On the day from Deming to Ozona it is only 1 hour out of the way to take 62 from El Paso toward Carlsbad to see the Caverns and/or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Guadalupe is worth it to stop at on the way if you’re going to Carlsbad just to look at the splendid wilderness of mountains as it is right by the highway and free to enter and park. (There are trails there too but none that I have found worthwhile unless you are committed to summiting a ridge.) ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445/60 "2018-09-20T01:59:03Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Deming to Ozona, TX The Deming-\>Ozona part is going to be pretty dull. For that part, I would instead recommend Deming-\>Alamorgodo (White Sands)-\>Abilene (lots of windmills). You can add in Carlsbad if you want to see an astounding cave, but you should plan spending at least 1/2 a day there. It’s really big. Then from Abilene, head down towards Austin. Take 84 to 183 to 290 and into Houston. This route will take you through the Texas Hill Country. Then 10 to Lake Charles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-driving-from-california-to-florida-all-alone/821445.md?page=4)