'65 and older how far do u travel in a day

[urnmor]

I know there has been a thread regarding how far one travels in a day however I am particularly interested in how far those 65 and older are willing to travel in a day pulling their AS.

My wife and I will begin to take longer trips this summer and no matter where we go over 150 miles we will hit traffic especially if we travel north to Cape Cod etc.

Thanks

John

[sams]

We are in our 70's & find 250 to 300 is comfortable. We usually pull out around 10:00 AM & are on the road for 5 to 7 hours to the next park. We like to find parks with full hookups. Have not traveled in the North East, but plan to this fall.

[sams]

If you have an iPhone there are a lot of good Apps for RVs.

[Mike Leary]

I'm 66, and on our return trip from Arizona last week, I averaged 300 miles a day, far less than I did in my "prime". The point is, having a "ETA" is not important anymore, if you find a cool place to land, and it's only noon, do it!

[Aage]

We find that where you are travelling is also important in deciding how much time you will spend on the road. For example, going through large urban areas (cities) is much more stressful than open highways far from heavy traffic density. This higher stress reduces my time that I feel "fresh" while driving.

To us, this means careful planning in traversing cities such as Atlanta, for example, and making sure that we don't try to do that part of the trip during rush hour.

We also drive farther on some occasions to be able to avoid those stressful parts of a trip. It's an important part of long trips for us, the planning of exactly where we will go in a day, and how we will get there. This is done the night before so we can gauge when we need to get up to get on the road, and what roads we will take, and so where we will wind up the next evening.

So to answer your question, don't worry so much about how many hours you are going to spend driving without looking at what you will drive through. Open highways with new and interesting vistas over every hill can be invigorating, while edging through smelly and noisy rush hour traffic can take a painful toll on your psyche.

It's just another case of "failing to plan means planning to fail".

Oh, and a Woodalls Guide and a good GPS are invaluable!

[azflycaster]

I have not hit that mark (yet) but when I retired last year it changed my approach to traveling. While I was working, with limited time off and places to be it was common to average around 450 miles per day.

Now we follow the guidelines of one of AirForums member's blogs with the 300 miles or 3pm rule. This has made the journey much more enjoyable for us.

[Kamiak]

I suppose the potential travel distances out west may be somewhat different than travel along the east coast where time, not distance may be the primary determinant of a day’s drive; but I would agree with "sams", i.e., we also prefer hookups (water & electric is fine), and a 5-7 hour day is relatively comfortable, figuring a net average of about 50 mph. Ordinarily, if I’m going to travel more than 300 miles, more than 6 hours, then I need a good reason.

I don’t want to arrive after dark (even home), and I want to arrive early enough to settle in, relax for a period with a refreshment, and then have our usual 5:00 dinner. Still, to an extent, how far I’m willing to travel in a day somewhat depends on where I’m going.

When traveling over familiar and well-traveled roads I will sometimes “push” those limits, especially when there are few stop-over options, and how it will impact the “rhythm” of the next day’s drive. For example, a couple of weeks ago we drove from Williams, AZ to Bakersfield, CA, including a leisurely side-trip along the segment of old Route 66 between Williams and Kingman. We even stopped for about an hour and a half in Seligman, AZ, a veritable “shrine” to Route 66. It was a long drive at my 55mph, nearly 470 miles, violating my time and distance “rules”; but there are few stopover options crossing the Mojave, and I was very familiar with where I was going, where I was staying, and we arrived at our RV park before dark and after refueling at the Bakersfield Costco.

I wouldn’t have pushed that time and distance over unfamiliar roads, meaning 300 miles/6 hours, relax before dinner is a good rule of thumb, at least for us.

[Pat Conway]

350-400 miles per day would probably be the outside amount in the comfort zone we have found. Starting your trip at first light on Sunday morning will help you avoid a lot of traffic and set a positive note to start off your vacation. Knowing how far you are going and that you have a reservation in the campground of your choosing will eliminate stress.

Avoiding big cities by going around them or second best using thoroughfares during non rush hour traffic helps, i.e. blowing through Washington D.C between 10:00 and 2:00 and not being on the road at all on Friday afternoon.

Camping during the week when possible will help you secure a spot. Local family camping will not be as much of an issue as it is on weekends. Holiday weekends i.e. Memorial Day weekend and July 4th weekend you will probably need an advanced reservation particularly in a Federal Campground. Using reserveamerica.com for State and National Parks and recreation.gov for Corps of Engineer campgrounds will help greatly. Getting where you want to go before late afternoon and set up in the campsite is good. Arriving when you are fatigued from a full day of driving is when the accidents happen getting set up in the site and un-hooked.

Staying two nights when possible is great. With your Golden Ages pass you will be able to stay for half price in Federal Campgrounds, so once set up and unhooked why not take time to enjoy the park and rest up before hitting the road again.

If there is a date you must be somewhere along the route, adding a couple days for unforseein repairs or bad weather could be helpful.

Hope this helps, Pat

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by Aage

To us, this means careful planning in traversing cities such as Atlanta, for example, and making sure that we don't try to do that part of the trip during rush hour.

Good point, since we've put over 200,000 miles on Bess, there are some cities out west we will simply bypass, even if it takes more time. The "pucker factor" is not worth it.

[RickDavis]

If in an interesting area we are pretty happy with 200 mile a day moves.
If serious about getting from point A to B on the interstate it could range up to about 700 miles or more.

We prefer to be moving at daylight and not do to much after dark but that is not an age thing as much as I like to be able to glance in the mirrors and see my tires and other pieces that may be falling off the trailer, and also pieces of debris that could be laying in the road ahead'

I may be a bit more comfortable with the long days from spending 10 years delivering new trailers. Age 71.

[Mike Leary]

We stayed at a nice spot one night, pulled out the next morning, thinking of "ETA", went about five miles down the road, looked at each other, and both agreed, "That was a neat spot". We turned around and spent a couple of days.

[tphan]

I like camping (and all the associated recreational activities) more than driving. My ideal is only a few hours between campsites. Your mileage may vary...

[RTurnConn]

I am 72 (73 in September) and actually like to drive. If we are simply trying to get some place distant, we will drive about 400 miles. If that is not required, we shoot for 300 to 350. Anything less than 300 seems like a short ride. We are doing a western trip late this summer; our first "stop" is Colorado, so we are planning a little over 400 miles per day to get us there in reasonable time. As someone said earlier, it is also a function of what kind of roads you are on. The above times, assumes interstate travel; 400 miles on secondary roads is a real struggle.
Ron
87 Avion 34W
2011 Suburban 2500
Virginia

[Kamiak]

Correct or not, I assumed that the original question related how far one might be willing to travel to achieve a stated objective or destination. On the other hand, when out on an extended adventure to multiple destinations, my repositioning travel days are much shorter, anywhere from 10 miles to 250 miles, but more typically 150 miles since I can day-trip around a 75-mile radius fairly easily. At least that works for us, again, out west, avoiding most cities.

[Pahaska]

I'll be 80 in September. My preferred range is 300-325 miles a day. If pressed, I will go 400 if most is freeway or multi-lane.

In this part of the world (Texas), it can be a long way between RV parks. OTOH, roads are generally straighter and leveler than most of the world. That makes a big difference.

Here, I can generally travel just as fast on a Ranch to Market or Farm to Market road as I can on an interstate and with a lot less stress. That makes the estimates that GPS and map programs highly pessimistic and causes me to plot my own routes.

[sams]

Hey John,

Are you going to the Central Texas Rally in San Marcos 6/1-3?

Sam

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by sams

Hey John,

Are you going to the Central Texas Rally in San Marcos 6/1-3?

Sam

No, sadly, I am headed for St Louis, Alumapalooza, and Michigan. I'll be at Jackson Center on 6/1.

[kds]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

I'll be 80 in September. My preferred range is 300-325 miles a day. If pressed, I will go 400 if most is freeway or multi-lane.

In this part of the world (Texas), it can be a long way between RV parks. OTOH, roads are generally straighter and leveler than most of the world. That makes a big difference.

Here, I can generally travel just as fast on a Ranch to Market or Farm to Market road as I can on an interstate and with a lot less stress. That makes the estimates that GPS and map programs highly pessimistic and causes me to plot my own routes.

Well, John, my friend. For someone who is almost 80 ( and that's hard for me to believe) you sure can play one mean banjo. I just hope the next time we have another talent show, I'm in your group again!!!!!

Safe Travels,

Kelly

[Silver Otter]

urnmore: All of the above are good comments. Linda and I would add that staying put for a day or three makes a longer day on the road tolerable. We max out at 500 mile days, but not in a row.

[dstalzer]

I normally drive 300 to 400 miles in a day, but when traveling to a destination far away, I have driven as much as 550 miles in a day.

Dennis