How far is too far to drive?

[withm]

I do 800 mile drives beween DE and MICH routinely. But I grew up doing this trip, and having made 50-60-70 of these round trips (but who's counting?) I think nothing of the distance and doing it alone.

But at this point in my life I would not do it for such a short time at the destination. My car is not so comfortable and it can take a day to recover from the stiffness of a trip like this. (I try to only stop when I need gas and combine any pitstops, resting, food with gas stop, but sometimes you just have to stop). I think I'd want 5 full days at the destination to warrant 2 full days in the car. But that's just me talking.

Is your car in good shape?
Are you prepared to deal with mechanical problems? Flat tire?
Cash for tolls, food?
Got credit cards in case of repairs or other emergency?
Cellphone?

I've heard rumors, but have not read anything confirming that gas is hard to find in some areas in the "south." If I were planning this trip, I'd follow up on that to be sure I'd be able to find gas. You are too young to remember the gas shortages of the 70s but it was very real, and you don't want to get stranded.

And finally, I heartily recommend books on tape/cd - a good thriller makes a trip like this go much faster. Get a couple from the library so if you don't like the narrator, or the story, you can try something else.

Good luck and have fun!

[badgercat]

Is your car in good shape?
Are you prepared to deal with mechanical problems? Flat tire?
Got credit cards in case of repairs or other emergency?
Cellphone?

These are all very good things to keep in mind for the solo long-distance driver! I'd always been pretty proud of the fact that I knew my way around the basics of my car... and then learned that I wasn't as comfortable changing a flat tire as I thought when I got a flat on a busy interstate this summer. I chickened out, since I had never done it all alone before (and didn't really want to find out whether or not I'd done it right by merging back into 70mph traffic!), and called upon the roadside assistance service I have with my cell phone plan. When I eventually got to my parents' house, though, my dad showed me how to do it again and I practiced it a few times start-to-finish by myself until I was comfortable with it.

ANYWAY. The moral of that story is always be prepared, and stuff. I'm getting rambly in my futile attempts to avoid my homework.

[polly4711]

Thanks to both Badgercat and Withm.


Badgercat- I'm graduating in this december (was supposed to this past may, so i'm your age )

Withm- I've heard the stories a lot. My parents have talked about it, and yes that idea makes me nervous. I drive a 2002 Volvo with only 52k miles on it. It has made the trip 3 times. I haven't it's been a few months since i had my oil changed, but the car mechanics laugh at me when i bring it in due to how good condition my car is. However, i would be nervous still. I think that I could handle it. (and I LOVE books on tape too)

I'll keep you all updated on my decision.

[OakLeaf]

it's been a few months since i had my oil changed.

Then make sure you take care of all scheduled maintenance before you leave. Change the oil, check the air filter and replace if it necessary, rotate the tires if they're due, be sure the tires are topped up, if your car has a tire pressure sensor don't forget to reset it when you top up the tires. Just for the sake of thoroughness, even though they're probably fine on a car so new and you would've noticed any leaks, check the tranny fluid and brake fluid dipsticks and the coolant level. About 1-2 hours' work, and changing the oil in a car without a lift is dirty work, but well worth it.

I'm too old to drive that far straight through, but it's your call.

Next time plan a little farther in advance. Plane tickets aren't so expensive if you don't buy them at the last minute. The timing of plane ticket purchases has changed though. Definitely when I planned this trip to Dallas in early July, the fare was very inexpensive. Used to be six weeks before travel was the "golden window;" now they say to buy the ticket as soon as your plans are locked down, because they start increasing the fare as soon as the plane is more than half full.


To those who've inquired about public transit in the USA - Amtrak routes are VERY limited, it's EXTREMELY expensive because you have to pay hotel rates for a sleeper cabin on top of the transit fare which is usually the same to a little higher higher than plane fare, and it takes about two to three times as long as driving. Never mind changing trains in the middle of the night. I haven't taken Greyhound in decades, and I actually always enjoyed it, but again, travel time is so long that you really couldn't do it and turn around for a weekend.


ETA: I forgot to mention my one HUGE issue and that is fatigue and sleep deprivation. When you're committed to a trip sometimes it's VERY hard to decide you're too tired to continue. Never mind that the fatigue itself is impairing your judgment. Before you take this on, I'd definitely do some soul-searching about (1) your stamina level, (2) your ability to judge your own fatigue level, and (3) your willingness to pull over and sleep if you need it. Do you regularly pull all-nighters in college, without repercussions? If so, it's good you've got the stamina, but don't do it within two weeks of the trip. Studies have shown that driving fatigued is even more dangerous than driving drunk (and IMVHO most drunk driving accidents have fatigue/sleep deprivation as a major contributing factor).