Per day mileage?

[KiraR]

For those of you who have been traveling via airstream for a while now....could you advise on how much mileage is 'comfortable' to drive in a day?

I'm planning the first leg of our trip out of necessity for some anchor dates that are critical that I be in a specific place by a specific date.

We will begin in Westport, CT on July 27th and have a stop planned to visit my sister for one night in Cleveland, OH.

I MUST get to Boise, ID by August 20. I'm mapping it all out using roadtrippers.com (BRILLIANT website, BTW)...but having not done this before, I am not sure if driving 200+miles on some days is reasonable or dangerous because it's exhausting?

I'd love some input.

Here's my general 'plan"
July 27-28 Westport, CT to Cleveland OH (500 miles)
July 29 Cleveland to South Bend IN (90 miles)
July 30-31 South Bend to Chicago (148 miles)
August 1 Chicago to Madison WI (210)
August 2 Madison to Rochester MN (237)
August 3 Rochester to Sioux Falls SD (272)
August 4 Sioux Falls to Minuteman Missile Nat'l Park (38 miles)
August 5-7 MMNP to Badlands (67)
August 8-9 Badlands to Mt Rushmore (18)
August 10-11 Mt Rushmore to Custer Nat'l Park (117)
August 12-13 CNP to Devil's Tower (234)
August 14 Devil's Tower to Medicine Wheel (183)
August 15 MW to Old Faithful (19)
August 16-17 OF to Grand Prismatic Spring (270)
August 18-19 GPS to Hailey ID (143)
August 20 Hailey to Boise for a week (319 miles)

[Piggy Bank]

Just my 2 cents.

You might consider having some stretches with 2 longer-drive days, and then after those long days, a few days where you spend 2 nights at the same site.

This would allow some downtime, and also some contingency cushion for unforeseen events.

[markdoane]

I'd get a different navigation app. It's a lot more than 90 miles from Cleveland to South Bend.

[moosetags]

In our somewhat extensive Airstream travel experience, we have found that 300 miles is a good solid travel day. We stop for breaks fairly often. A 200 mile day is leisurely, and occasionally a 400 mile day is doable.

Brian

[Holmeshunter]

Also, it is only 147 miles for Hailey/Boise

[AWCHIEF]

Someone else's experience really would not be relavent to your towing enjoyment and daily limit. You have to take in to account your level of towing experience, physical condition, weather and traffic conditions. Get on the road and just go for it. I am comfortable for about the first 5 hours. After that it starts to become a PITA and back literally. Plus I do not like to drive at night.

[BoldAdventure]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Someone else's experience really would not be relavent to your towing enjoyment and daily limit. You have to take in to account your level of towing experience, physical condition, weather and traffic conditions. Get on the road and just go for it. I am comfortable for about the first 5 hours. After that it starts to become a PITA and back literally. Plus I do not like to drive at night.

Ditto above comments.

I love the road, probably could of been a trucker. Part of the reason I was attracted to this life. The road calls to my soul. I can drive and drive for hours.

We just did this, with kids in tow, drove from VA Highland Haven Airstream Park in VA to Liverpool, New York, in one day. It was grueling and a mistake. While I can drive long road-trips and have in the past; towing + kids; just made it all the more difficult. Our stops keep turning into 30-40 min ordeals. I guess this is my new reality.

That being said, our 4 1/2 hour trip from GA to VA was pleasant. I will not be repeating 14hr drives again anytime soon.

Nothing wrong with over-night sleeping in parking lots. We've done that twice now and think it was a better choice than the driving thru.

Again, you're not us, and you're situation might be different. In 2012 as a couple of "DINKS" (double income no kids) we drove 32 hours straight from Saint Petersburg, FL to Estes Park, CO swapping drivers. And drove home from the Grand Canyon in the same fashion.

Pretty sure that's never happening again until the kids can drive.

[ghaynes755]

Kira something is wrong with your planning app. Sioux Falls, SD to the Minuteman Missle site is something like 287 miles. That's to the silo. The park service office where you get tickets for the launch facility is about 10 miles closer.

[slowmover]

No one, pro or amateur, escapes highway hypnosis. It hits at about six hours. One then becomes dependent on all other drivers to do as they are supposed to do, that the road surface doesn't deteriorate, that signs are in place, that markings are clear, that weather and traffic are minimal, etc; down such a long list of dependencies that it SHOULD be sobering.

Try to avoid the stupidity of extra long days. Minimizing risk is the statistical winner. Plan with that in mind. A break every two hours of drive time for fifteen minutes, and an hour off the road every four.

Three hundred or three o'clock is easy to trip plan. The four hour break can coincide with the daily refuel and a meal. Know the stops in advance, and enjoy the scenery.

[scamp]

It's different for all of us as I can drive for many miles ,I drive without the trailer every year for the last 20 years 900 miles in one day to our cottage on the east coast in my car or truck and in the last two years drive my scooter to our cottage 900 miles in one day I must say on the scooter it's more tiring, I would think pulling a trailer at lower speeds say 55-60 mph for 200 miles in a day should be ok for most people, but you must be the judge !

Don

[mandolindave]

I understand you needing to be somewhere on a certain date. But sometimes that can be stressful and you stand a chance of missing a few great destinations and memorable events.

I also share the concept of going heavy on the first leg of the trip, as it gets you far away from home right away.


Like it has been stated, You decide how long your are comfortable towing.
Some people set limits in hours, some set limits in miles.

I think it's better to be versatile, call it on the fly, and go by weather, traffic, scenery, and your energy level on that particular day. You have a detailed and thought out itinerary. But one more thing to think about is time of day you will be towing. Will there be rush hour traffic, sun in your eyes, hot daytime temps doing a number on the tow vehicle.

Last butt not least ( pun intended ) Sitting for too long is simply not healthy.

[AtomicNo13]

It seems reasonable!
My rule us showered and fed by 7am
On the road by 7:40 lunch at noon, fuel, then docked for the night by 3:30, then do it all over again. Since I fulltime with a family, a real rest is very important to the next days happiness, at least while traveling!

[wvstreamer]

Thing is that each day is different depending on destination so figure the miles you need and that will give you the needed time. I spend a few years in trucking and used 50 miles per hour as my guide. That usually would account for the breaks and it worked well as a quick estimate. You'll find some days go better than others...wind, traffic, construction etc but the most important thing is to not stress out. Some days 600 miles goes very well and others it seems like a struggle for 300. Now when it's an Airstream trip I enjoy the ride almost as much as the destination except when it's time to go home it's not as enjoyable! Stress and Airstream are not supposed to go together. Sounds like you have a great roadtrip ahead...enjoy!
Dave

[KiraR]

You are all so wonderful and I appreciate your input.
I'm so embarrassed! In transferring data from roadtrippers to my spread sheet, some mileage numbers shifted, creating a VERY inaccurate list that I posted. Nice eagle eyes, though. Shows how much people are on their game. I like that!
I fixed all the mileage.

Such great advice here. Thank you.

[Tincampers]

Can't add too much to what has already been said, but I will thank you for the info on the Minuteman Missile National Park. I worked in the Minuteman III 541st Strategic Missile Wing back in the 70s stationed at Malmstrom AFB at Great Falls, MT. It was an experience I have yet to forget. I will visit the museum this summer thanks to you!

[polarlyse]

A lot will be determined by your route and the unexpected things that pop up along the way. I prefer Rt. 80 in my westbound travels. This year it is pretty good I hear. It can get congested in some places so beware and road construction can just ruin your day. Not to mention the highway accidents. A good GPS may give you a heads up in time to find an alternate. We've stopped at Walmarts and even Camping world for overnights with very good experiences at both. I try to keep to a 5 hour day but often will do longer if I need to make time. Keep in mind that just getting out of Westport on the roads west may be the greatest challenge sometimes. My daughter works in Westport at the Saugatuck rowing club so we know the area well.

Good luck and see ya on the road sometime. We'll be heading west later in July

[halftimer]

When we was traveling in our mh we was on the road by ten off by three. Worked good for us

[xrvr]

Slowmover in post number nine is all one needs to know. Read it, great advice. Jim

[grizbear]

I like the 250 to 350 range depending on weather and traffic. Good camping Rand

[J. Morgan]

Somewhere between 250 and 850 miles, depending on how I feel, where I am going, and when I want to be there....