It could be a fun trip if you look at it like an adventure. Plan your route so you go through interesting areas. 600 miles day-after-day can get monotonous. Going through interesting areas will make it more enjoyable.
Have some kind of entertainment plan. Most areas of the country will have little or no radio stations. Load up on podcasts and use streaming or satellite radio.
Get the AAA road side service that comes with 100 mile towing. The basic plan only has limited towing (5 miles?). Plan your route to though through major areas and you’ll likely never be more than 100 miles from a big city with good auto services.
Make sure you know how to change your tire. Even if you have AAA, it can take a long time to get help. If you change it yourself, you can be back on the road pretty quickly.
Have an emergency supply of food, water, and blankets just in case.
Post photos on your social media to share your adventure and so that people know you’re okay. But the downside is that sometimes they say not to do that, since sometimes bad people could use that info to rob your vacant house.
600 miles a day would be a chore. That’s 10 hours averaging 60mph.
I’ve certainly done that on trips, but only because I needed to get somewhere on a schedule.
I’d recommend no more than 500 miles a day or less.
Take the time to enjoy the trip. Plan to stop at interesting road side attractions or local museums. Use Yelp to locate nice restaurants instead of eating at the motel restaurant.
You can still cover 500 miles. The short breaks will make the drive less tedious.
It IS a good idea to know how to change your own tire. You can practice at home if you’ve never done it before.
Pro tip: The wrenches on newer cars have very short handles and it can be difficult to get the bolts off. Go to a hardware store and buy a 2’ length of iron pipe to slip over the handle for extra leverage.
I am a fairly petite older woman, I can’t imagine being capable of changing a tire. I can’t even open most jars by myself!
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.
When I drive from Florida out west I don’t stop until West Texas because there’s nothing to see in between, but if you’ve never driven that far in a stretch it’s hard to know if that’s your personal level of endurance. But there isn’t really much to see near the central roadways from Dallas until, well, Orlando.
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.
Family in NC? Then that’s I-40 straight across. Depending on where you are starting from in California, that means stopping at Flagstaff (from the Bay Area) or Albuquerque (from LA) for the night. Then shoot for Oklahoma City the next night (Amarillo really isn’t somewhere you want to be.) Then it’s on to Memphis (if you want to sight-see/eat) or Nashville. Nashville to Charlotte is a very pretty drive, and will fill the day. That’s 4 days of driving time, not more than 8 hours or so a day. Figure 10 hours of travel a day allowing for food and rest stops. Charlotte to Jacksonville is another day and Robert’s your mother’s brother.
I was assuming an average speed factoring in gas fill ups, bathroom breaks and a quick meal during the day. Averaging 60 to 65 on a 10 hour trip is doing pretty good.
The interstates near me are 65mph near cities and 70 out on the open road.
If you have the time, and the money for lodging and meals, I strongly urge you to select a few key sites to visit along the way, and break up the drive with several stops of two to three days each. Your tastes will dictate the kinds of sites you’re interested in seeing (museums, monuments, theme parks, historical sites, etc.), but ***please ***don’t drive 3,000 miles without stopping to see some of the great things this country has to offer. The National Parks are probably the most obvious options. If you pick three or four that aren’t too far off your main route and spend a couple days in each, I guarantee you will not be sorry.
Five years ago my wife and I drove from Maryland to Las Vegas, and this summer we drove from Vegas to Atlanta. (She’s 57 and I’m 62.) Each time we took 10-12 days and did what I’m urging you to do: we went white-water rafting in West Virginia, went up the Arch in St. Louis, visited my brother-in-law in Kansas City, saw the Painted Desert, Meteor Crater, and Grand Canyon (two days) before arriving in Vegas.
This summer, going east, we spent a couple of days in Zion National Park, a couple more in Rocky Mountain National Park, visited Denver, Kansas City again, and had a few days in Nashville before arriving at our new home in Atlanta.
Both were great trips, and although there were a couple of days with 12 hours of driving (which I would try to avoid in the future) the stops between helped refresh us. It would have been a terrible waste to just drive without seeing anything but the highway.
Understood, I’m a 50 YO man and changing a tire just about kills me. Definitely get the car full checked out and spend money on it with your trusted mechanic. Brake pads iffy? Replace them. Tires a couple years old? Replace them. And so on.
If you plan to sightsee after you reach the East Coast, sightsee on the way too! Man I think you’re lucky.
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.
I have driven and hitch hiked (in my younger years) from San Diego to Houston even before Hwy 10 was four lanes.
El Paso is only half way and I use to make it in one day … take lots of munchies stop at rest stops, lock your car don’t talk to anyone, take an ice chest, drink lots of fluids … get a portable CB radio for emergeries, sing to yourself, stay awake and follow all of the other advice in here.
Assuming you’re physically up for it and you car is in good shape, if you’re doing it via interstates, I can’t see much to worry about - it’s quite safe (if incredibly boring - get on I-10 and your GPS might tell you “Exit in 2500 miles…”)
It’s already been said, but my first thought was to make sure your vehicle is given a good once-over by a mechanic you trust. And since you’re not on a hard schedule, pace yourself and enjoy!
About twice my Spain-Sweden drive. I don’t want to be listening to stuff I may actually need to pay attention to, but a thumb drive loaded with music and/or a music program work for me (Spotify, Tidal - just make sure you check how they affect your data plan; mine includes Tidal).
I took it in three days each way. It’s doable and hey, you’re not in a hurry. You can always stop for a couple of nights somewhere interesting.
I do long drives through Canada and the US often. I usually try to get between 12-13 hours @ 65-70 mph but traffic and weather can affect how far I get tremendously on long drives.
Some good advice here, I’d add a couple things.
Familiarize yourself with the route by using Google Maps, etc… before you go so you have a mental image of where you’re going.
Learn the fuel range for your vehicle.
Plan your milestones for breaks, gas, food, and overnight stops accordingly . On the interstate, there will be a Welcome Centre at every state border.
Learn to use your cruise control. This will help with maintaining an average speed, gas mileage, and driver fatigue.
I also recommend satellite radio, podcasts, audiobooks, etc… You’d be surprised how fast the time goes by when you have something to entertain you.
Have your car inspected and oil checked/changed. You may need new windshield wipers.
Fill you window washer fluid and bring an extra jug.
Check your that your spare tire is inflated and easy to get out. You’d be surprised how many people discover their spare is rusted in place and cannot be removed from it’s mount.
Get some long jumper cables.
Load the car with water, towels, glass cleaner, toilet paper, flashlight.
IF you are taking the direct southern I-10 route that silenus mentions, it is long straight and boring. I’ve done this a few times. It goes through the longest point-to-point parts of Texas, and there are many times you don’t see any civilization for long LONG periods. Stop for gas when you find it, even if you only need a half tank. Again, IF you are planning this route, plan on diverting from the route at a few points for a break and staying a night.
Definitely do the audio books. Should be able to get them at your local library (or even online). My wife and I do this and it helps immensely. We leave on a 4000 mile road trip in 6 days.
