1st Time Long Haul

[WinterTexan1]

Hi!
When we are travelling, we like to plan our days in 6 - 7 hour segments. I set cruise at 62ish mph., and we will top up fuel maybe 2-3 times a day - is leg stretching time! LOL Also, we watch the fuel prices, they do vary quite a bit ( on diesel prices anyways) which will determine our stretching times!

Happy Trails!!!

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by tgduffy

Great feedback. My wife won't drive so about 6 hours sounds good. A good reminder of stopping frequently and more gas stops. I can't see the post from this reply window, but what is a TPMS (spelling?).
Any other hints, more along the lines of mechanical or is it really just like 4 one day trips in a row and no real issues other than taking our time and a good set of tires.

For my family, once we factor in stops for rest and food and fuel we average at 50mph (it's actually less than that but 50mph makes for easy math).

That means 1,600 miles would work out to be 32 hours of "on the road time" from when we leave one campground and pull into the next (or our destination on the last day). At 6 hours of driving per day, that would equate to about 300 miles covered and we would need 6 days of driving to accomplish it (5 at 600miles + 1 at 200miles).

As mentioned, a TPMS is a "tire pressure monitoring system". You can read up about it a bit on my site.

[MOD Guy]

All good advice. What works for us is leaving home and getting on the road early in the morning. on a long trip, I like to leave 5/5:30 am and get in some miles early. That works for us and where we head/end up for the morning rush time. Later in the day I can assess how I feel and we can stop early or keep on going a little later. I usually scope out some potential campgrounds, depending on the area we might stop (early or later day). The next day is less miles if we made good time and distance on day one. We usually take an extra day and go slower on the return trip.

It might help if you meat your daughter at a campground on the west side of KY. They can drive toward your direction some what. That would make your drive a little less there and back.

Have fun!

[cmac7203]

Originally Posted by lbrjet

I would not recommend 500 miles a day unless you have to. We also like to have a rest day after 3 straight towing days. Towing a trailer (for me anyways) is more stressful than just zipping along in a car. After 6 hours I am pretty worn out. We are also not in any hurry.

Agree with this. I used to drive a tractor trailer over the road and a good day was 600 miles. That wore me out. I don't think I'd want to do that pulling a TT considering how many stops you'll need to make.

[ProfChuck]

We like to limit our travel to about 300 miles per day, max unless we have a known destination that we have traveled to before and know the route. As far as road assistance insurance, we have the Good Sam Roadside assistance and it has worked very well for us because it covers not only the TT & TV, but, all our cars. I've had to use it a number of times from a dead battery, to a flat tire, to a deer crash, to a broken transmission, and they have always been totally prompt and complete in their service with no questions asked. They even check to make sure everything went well during and after the service. We had another company before that (a major insurance company with a road plan) and weren't in very "good hands" when we were stuck on a freeway bridge in the middle of the night on a Sunday. They told us to wait until the next day for help (we were towing a boat and about 25 miles from home - too far to walk on country roads). We never had a reason to use the service before and it was our first experience with "assistance" - which was "0" for them. But, after a few years, we tried Good Sam and have been "happy campers" ever since (and used it more for our cars than our TT & TV). Definitely worth the under $100 a year we pay. And no deductibles!

[MCTroy]

Maybe you can shorten the trip and ask your daughter to meet you? If they are on Kentucky, try meeting in Indiana or anywhere west. Indiana has some great state parks around Brown County.

[timfromma]

Our daily mileage goal on long trips is 700 miles only stopping for fuel, meals and potty breaks. When I simply can't keep my eyes open anymore, overnight sleeping is as close as the nearest Walmart. A limited vacation window means cramming as many miles into a day as possible so we can enjoy our destination for as long as possible.

[Pipeman]

Every couple of years we have towed our 5er out west which is about 2000 miles for us, one way. We leave at 7 AM and finish for the day around 1 or 2 PM. We never made reservations while traveling as we get into a campground early enough to usually get a site. We took 7 days going and coming. Traveled at 65 mph. Distance between places usually between 250 to 350 miles. Make sure all your maintenance is done, torque your wheels to spec, etc. Getting into a campground early, lets us set up, get comfortable, have a drink or two, have supper, hit the hay around 10 PM and get up at 6 AM, get pretty and leave at 7 AM. We are refreshed for the next days journey. I never unhook when staying overnight. I have 3 slides that go out until we go to bed and then 2 slides come in and the bedroom slide comes in in the morning. My wife uses left overs that she freezes before we leave home and they serve as our meals while on the road. I have a 50 gal aux fuel tank plus 36 gals main tank, so we can go a long ways before filling up. We know where we are going to be everyday and know where the fueling stations are and will accept our length, and are easy in and out. When I worked it was 3 days of hurry up and get going to make 2000 miles. Made for some very long days but I was young and in better shape. Good luck and have fun.

[johngoat2002]

I 2x the TPMS. This keeps an extra eye on your tires going down the road even if you don't have the upgraded tires. Tires are my biggest worry over long hauls, but TPMS give me a piece of mind. I'm sure I'll get a finger shook at me, but it allows me to run a little faster than the recommended speed if I keep an eye on the pressure and temperature.

We usually pack a cooler full of cold cuts and drinks. This will save a little money and make it easier to eat on the run if you decide to make the trip at a faster pace.

We also use Good Sams trip planner. If you are wanting to enjoy your trip along the way, it will tell you different attractions, campgrounds, and gas stations off of the interstate to stop at.

[RV_Fan44]

I agree with the folks saying take your time. Enjoy your trip!

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by timfromma

A limited vacation window means cramming as many miles into a day as possible so we can enjoy our destination for as long as possible.

Sometimes though, the Journey can BE the Destination

[DrippingDuo]

All good advice. We travel approx. 7 - 8 hrs including fuel stops every 2-3 hrs to stretch. A lot has to do with your health, if you have back issues you need to stretch etc. Since we put on truck tires we've had no tire issues.

[CHICKDOE]

when I plan a trip I figure an average of 50 miles per hour. this factors in fuel and rest breaks. cruise control set to no more than 65mph. 300 to 400 miles is a good distance goal per day. we have a book called 'the next exit' that lists the services available at each exit on the interstates. we actually refer to it to see what is up ahead and when to plan to take a break. one thing to watch for is 'RV parking' and 'RV access'. large truck stops are pretty safe. if you have a navigation system in the truck use it as it is stressful (at least to me) to be going through an unknown interchange with all the cars zipping around you and cutting in front of you. get to your stop for the night while there is still sunlight. we also plan no more than 2 straight days of towing without a rest day.