How far to you typically travel each day?

BogieMeister

In days gone by I rode motorcycles (A GoldWing - aka Couch Rocket) I figured I had been Lucky long enough and switched to a travel trailer. During a road trip on the bike we would typically plan on travelling about 500 miles per day. What is the typical distance you plan to travel when you are trying to get from point A to B. Knowing that you will need to reserve time to set up camp upon arrival. 

MuttonChops

I've too few adventures to know what is best for me.  Am currently planning trips at 200 - 250 miles per day.  When I'm forced to plan for 300+ I also try to get a no driving rest day in very soon after.

Years ago 500 miles was a light day, 800 miles a great day . . . no more Body & Mind can't do it.  & now I've time

Mouseketab

If I'm doing a "traveling" trip, I try for less than 300 miles per day, but I don't do those very often. Most of the time I'm going to a destination, then returning home. Going there, I do leave after work the night before and get a few hours of driving behind me, then do a pull through campsite for an overnight stop. Then finish to my destination the next day. 150 miles is my limit for a regular weekend trip (2 nights). 400-500 miles is about my max for a 3-day weekend. (150-200 miles the first night, then finish the next day), straight home on Sunday. I've never done a trip where my ultimate destination was more than 700 miles.

jkjenn

I don't  have the luxury of extra vacation days when I travel cross country. I put in some long days I try not to go much past 10 hours ina  day, though.

jgram2

We did 2000 miles in 4.5 days getting to a graduation. I can tell you-we will not be doing that again, ever. No. Huh huh, nope. I’m too old for that stuff! 

Sharon_is_SAM

This past spring, DH and I towed Cleveland to Moab, Utah.  We take turns and plan for no more than 400 miles a day.  When you are only going 62 mph, stop for lunch and breaks, that is a solid 8 hours of travel time.  

Mouseketab

I read somewhere that the full-timer retired folks recommend no more than 200 miles a day, and no stops less than 2 nights.

Sharon_is_SAM

A lot of people making tracks do not bother to unhitch or even put down stabilizers.  I think most will minimize what they need to do and avoid a big set up and break down.  We actually stayed in motels along the way.

Marceline

BogieMeister said:

In days gone by I rode motorcycles (A GoldWing - aka Couch Rocket) I figured I had been Lucky long enough and switched to a travel trailer. During a road trip on the bike we would typically plan on travelling about 500 miles per day. What is the typical distance you plan to travel when you are trying to get from point A to B. Knowing that you will need to reserve time to set up camp upon arrival. 

Riding a motorcycle or driving a sportscar can be fun. I don't think that anyone describes towing as fun. Sometimes the scenery is pretty, but it's not fun driving. So you can't really compare what you covered on a bike with what you'll cover while towing.
I try to go by time traveled rather than distance traveled. Driving a couple hundred miles down Highway 1 along the California coast is not the same as traveling a couple hundred miles down I5. 
I really don't want to drive more than 4 hours in a day. Especially if I'm driving again the next day. 
If you want to go by distance I'd say that <200mi will save your sanity. You can do longer if you're not going to have to drive the next day.

dragonsdofly

@BogieMeister, reading the above responses, I guess we're not typical. 500-750 per day is our average towing when doing distance. That being said, I love driving. That's my vacation. We tow at about 62 mph. Travel for us is a pleasure, but because we have kids, it has to more organized and precise than most who do not. I don't sleep much and get up around 4 or 5, make lunches, pack the cooler and get dressed. I get the others up, they dress and I feed them. With 4 of us, set up and break down is very fast. Driving, we take pictures when we enter states, pull off at scenic look-outs and historical markers. We rarely stop for lunch, eating and snacking from the cooler. Wherever we stop for the night, we try to find a local grocery store. Seeing the different items stocked tells us a bit about the different areas of the country we are in, and gives the kids a chance to learn something regional. Our first real trip was 6 weeks, 10,000 miles and I think 21 states. The next year was 7,000 miles and 9 more states. That was in 2 1/2 weeks. I admit to being selfish, and drive almost exclusively.  My DH is always well rested. And I'm probably more literal than most. When we go, we travel.

jkjenn

Like @Sharon_is_SAM pointed out, unless it is summer and AC is needed, I tend to pull into Walmart and essentially go straight to bed. No Jack's, no unhitching. I have also been known to pull over and take a nap, as needed so that I am not driving sleepily if I feel myself getting tired. It was a huge help to have my sister-in-law with me to share driving last summer. 

Photomom

Around 300 miles, and we plan things so we stop in time to make camp before dinner time. We also spend two nights in a location so we have a day to explore the area.

Freshaire

I don't pay much attention to the miles, I just drive as long as I can so that I can get where I am going.   On a recent trip to Nova Scotia, from Virginia, I drove 12 - 15 hours a day for three days.  Did the same heading home.  It wasn't fun, but I did get thru several books on CD and I had maximum time to play at my destination.

ScottG

I think more in terms of time than miles. Including gas, lunch, and pit stops, I've done a few nine hour days covering 350-450 miles on secondary roads. That's long enough and I'll generally only commit to that much driving if I'm gonna' just do it for one day and stay for a week!

That said, that would be way more distance than I would want to cover on a motorcycle in one day. While it is more fun, it's also more tiring. And anyway, on a bike, the journey is as big a draw as the destination. However, @BogieMeister, you sound like a real road warrior so you might have no issue burning some significant miles with your T@B in tow.  :-)

ericnliz

My well-seasoned body will only tolerate about 4-5 hours at a time, or about 250-300 miles. That being said, earlier this year I did an 8 hour trip from Spokane to Junction City, Oregon. Thank goodness I wasn't towing on that trip, as the traffic between Portland & Salem is horrific at best. Getting used to doing all the driving without any relief other than the occasional "rest stop" has been an experience all in itself. Just another reason on the I miss Liz a lot list. 

Newbomb_Turk

A few weeks ago, we did Fort Worth to Bandelier National Monument in 13 hours.  That's 662 miles, which averages about 50mph including stops for meals, gas, and stretching our legs. 

That was a bit of a chore, so for future planning, we looking at 450 miles/day, or about 9 hours per leg.  (Hello, Tucumcari KOA!)

Agree with @Freshaire 's books on CD idea, and would add that Sirius XM Radio Classics and ESPNU get us through the long cell service deserts.

Sharon_is_SAM

@ericnliz, it is a different experience for solo drivers.  I can't imagine driving solo more than 6 hours max.  

N7SHG_Ham

I have a CDL although not currently driving professionally. I figure hours of service (HOS) are a decent guideline which is 11 hours of driving out of a 14 hour window and then required 10 hours off. No mileage limits on professional drivers, just hours. I figure even in a big truck governed at 65 (on cruise) that I can average around 45-50 MPH for a shift typically make 500 miles a day easily enough. Never drive tired no matter what!!! You have to also know that big rigs are designed for that kind of mileage and generally I was less tired doing that than the same miles in a small vehicle. All that said, do what you feel safe doing, but likely you will be under 500 miles a day and above all enjoy the journey, it can be as fun or more fun than the destination!

dragonsdofly

@Sharon_is_SAM, depends on the solo driver. Sans trailer,  I routinely drive from my home to Clearwater, Florida straight through and by myself. It takes only two fuel/potty stops to travel 1,200 miles when departing with a full fuel tank. As I said previously, when I go, I travel. For me, driving is the enjoyment and the vacation. I can easily haul the trailer 700 to 800 miles  day, for several consecutive days, with no problems. 

jgram2

@dragonsdofly Dragons really do fly!

dragonsdofly

@jgram2, yes they (I) do!

Veronica

We find that 300-400 miles a day towing our camper is a good day.  My mom and I went to Alberta Canada from South Carolina 2 yrs ago. So, we would drive as far as we felt comfortable and stop well before sunset.  When we hit the halfway point, we took 2 nights and stopped and did sightseeing then hauled it up to Alberta where we stayed 3 or 4 nights in Banff, 3 or 4 nights in Jasper, and 3 days in Waterton Lakes.  Going home we did the same except we didn't stop 2 nights half way. We just wanted to get home still that point.  

It was quite a trip, but our average daily mileage was 8hrs including stops and roughly 350 miles per day.

My family traveled when I was growing up - going to California and back from SC and stopping along the way with a PaceArrow rv.  We went out to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.  So, roughly this is what we'd average in the class a.

dgrovebees

My wife and I just purchased a T@B400 Boondock and Gas powered Toyota Highlander (5000lb tow capacity). Planning to drive Pittsburgh to Glacier National Park in 5 or 6 days. Is this crazy? I will drive alone most of the days, with occasional break from our 19 and 16 year old drivers.I know there is a range of duration out there--very entertaining and informative to read all the posts! Thanks for sharing!

marleecamps

I have done one long haul trip towing my Tab 400, and that was from Minneapolis area to New England last fall, starting in Connecticut.  1350 total miles one way, which I covered in 3 days.  Solo driver, 60 mph max.  My target is 500 miles per day, although I did 560 on day one to get thru Chicago.  My then 1 yr old pup was a trooper and was rewarded with a nice long walk each eve.  Two gas/pit stops per day.   My goal was to reach my destination as efficiently and safely as possible so that we could start our 5-week adventure thru New England.

Like others, I did not unhitch or put down stabilizers on travel days.  I did hook up the electrical.  I had leftovers ready to heat for dinner and a light quick breakfast in the AM.  Snacks in the Jeep.

Once I got to New England I spent several days in eacl location before moving on.  

This approach worked fine for me for now.  But then my parents tossed us kids in the back of the station wagon with a cooler full of bologne sandwiches and pudding pops and away we went.

bergger

I think that is very reasonable.  At 500 miles a day you can drive it in 4 days.  If you want to take your time and stop to check a few sights out along the way take the whole 6 days.  The longest I've gone in one day with the 400 so far is 600 miles and it was not so bad.  I did 2/3 of the driving and my wife the other 1/3. Get some good podcasts and music and enjoy.  If we are going someplace to spend a week or so, say Glacier, Yellowstone, or the Black Hills, we typically drive as quick as we can to get to where we are going.  One long day or one overnighter.  Lucky for us living out west it's rare we need to spend more than one night on the road to get where we are going. On the way home we usually plan an extra day or two and drive slower usually stopping along the way to see some obscure National Monument or Historic site.  

Denny16

When I was young…. I used to drive from SanFrancisco to San Diego in a single one long day trip.  The last time I did this, I was 49, and this was the last time, starting from San Diego to SF, and getting in late a night, after more than 10 hours on the road.  That is a little more than 500 miles.  Never again!  Now my day limit is 200-300 miles max, towing or not.  Our next planned trip is going to be 225 miles to Lodi Calif,

Our TaB trips we try to keep the day at around 200 miles of driving, with a rest stop midway.  At 70, I am not in any hurry, and take my time to enjoy the trip, driving a 55-60mph max, 45mph average on the coast roads, like Highway 1.  

Cheers 

tabiphile

In hammer mode, 10 to 12 hours of driving is the goal. Mileage is secondary. It is what it is. Stops are only for gas. We generally stay in hotels and book while we are in transit. That provides a bit of flexibility to go longer or shorter depending upon our mood and the weather. Driving in rain and wind sucks it out of you more quickly than nice sunny conditions do. 
Once we get to the target local, we try to move only once a week. 

WayneW

We’re in our late 60’s and travel w a 70 lb lab. We just did a 4200 mile trip and realized 350-400 mile days are too long for us anymore. Back when, it was no big deal to knock off 500 miles. Now 250-300 is more like it. Time to walk the dog, relax with a cold beer, cook, pick the banjo a bit ..,  And time for an extra cup of coffee in the morning if we want. Enjoy the journey!

kottum

We have been retired almost 20 years and have traveled and camped all over the country, settling in Minnesota for the summer and Arizona in winter.  What a great time, and we look forward to much more.

We also look at hours traveled rather than miles, and try for interesting destinations along the way each day.  The biggest change over the years is the increasing amount of people everywhere. On the road, at the campground, at the destination.  A trip from Tucson to Grand Canyon now is virtually bumper-to-bumper the whole way.  Anywhere near the southern/central California coast is awful.  We haven't been north of San Francisco in years so can't speak for that.  Then there is the semi traffic on most interstates.

This increased density of people surely makes travel more difficult and tiring than in past years.  It's much harder to plan for miles, except in the central states.

Doug

DenisP

Recently this spring we travelled cross country 8500 miles over 43 days, (14 National Parks) and used 300 miles as our target travel day. Our previous long trip (9500 miles/36 days) in 2019 our average travel day was closer to 375-400 miles and found this trip was more comfortable. We completed visiting the lower 48 states (and three Canadian Provinces) in our 2018 400 and have continually tweaked our trips based on our previous experiences.

Binghi

250-350 miles per day