Driving to fla. questions

We are planning to drive to fla. me, my daughter, son in law & granddaughters (2 & 6) if you've ever driven & gone straight thru without stopping to sleep overnight, what time did you leave? Where did you stop to eat? We were thinking of leaving around 10 pm (my son in law will nap,during the day so hell do the first part of the drive overnight. The girls will probably sleep. We'll stop in the morning for breakfast, bathroom, etc then my daughter will drive so my son in law can sleep a little, then he'll take over again. Hoping to get to our destination late afternoon/early evening. Anyone have suggestions?

Driving to fla. questions

Personally, I don't like to drive straight through. It's too exhausting. We always make either NC or GA our stopping point then finish up the next day. Dd was 3 at the time and even though she slept a lot we stopped a lot for bathroom breaks and stretch breaks. Can it be done, of course but safety wise I think a stop in the middle is always best.

Re: Driving to fla. questions

We have done this for 5 years straight. Basically same situation because my mom came too. DH sleeps during the day then we leave that night around 10. He drives till I think sometime in North Carolina where we stop between 7-8 at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Then either me or my mom take over driving then we will stop for gas when we need to and then at one of the stops eat lunch. Usually we just grab something and go.

We always stop at J.R either in the way there or way back ,the pick up somebody cigars or cigarettes and we always stop at south of the border on the way there and back home.

It's really not that bad of a trip.

ETA : we will always switch who drives during the day. We take a Honda Pilot and don't use the third row so I usually get stuck in the back for the overnight drive which kinda blows comfort wise trying to sleep

Message edited 5/23/2017 9:17:20 PM.

Re: Driving to fla. questions

We drove every year for almost 10 years. We always left at 11 pm. Avoid traffic in the tri state area

Re: Driving to fla. questions

Posted by blu6385

We have done this for 5 years straight. Basically same situation because my mom came too. DH sleeps during the day then we leave that night around 10. He drives till I think sometime in North Carolina where we stop between 7-8 at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Then either me or my mom take over driving then we will stop for gas when we need to and then at one of the stops eat lunch. Usually we just grab something and go.

We always stop at J.R either in the way there or way back ,the pick up somebody cigars or cigarettes and we always stop at south of the border on the way there and back home.

It's really not that bad of a trip.

ETA : we will always switch who drives during the day. We take a Honda Pilot and don't use the third row so I usually get stuck in the back for the overnight drive which kinda blows comfort wise trying to sleep

Driving to fla. questions

We've been driving back and forth to and from FL since weve moved here 8 years ago. We like to drive 3am-9pm straight. It gives us a good nights sleep, then we're not beat when we get in. If you leave at 3, your kids might sleep until normal wake up time, fill the time in the car with iPad, books, toys.snacks, etc. We get out and stop along the way for lunch and dinner to stretch and eat. My son naps on his normal schedule and has always been great. He's 3, we've done it 2x a year in summer and at Christmas and never once has he had a problem. One note...time traffic when returning back from FL...go on a weekend or prepare for DC, NJ, and NY traffic. Leaving from NY at 3 will avoid all traffic areas before rush hour.

Message edited 5/24/2017 10:50:21 PM.

Re: Driving to fla. questions

We left at 8pm and got to ft lauderdale at 2pm next day. With 4 kids it was good because they slept most of the time. We stopped for gas/bathroom and to have breakfast. It wasnt so bad and we would def do it again.