Road time on travel days?

[rkentb]

How much road time do you like to plan on per travel day? My wife and I are planning our first longish trip and we’re curious about how many hours you guys typically try to drive on travel days.

Thanks for helping a a couple newbies out!

[rmkrum]

I try to plan no more than 400 miles per day if I’m doing detailed planning. If it’s a casual trip, I drive until I get to a ‘reasonable’ spot and stop for the night. YMMV.

Some suggest to drive no more than 250-300 miles per day. It depends on your driving style and endurance. Us certified old pharts need our beauty sleep.

[Night owls]

Our limit is 500 miles per day so I usually factor in between 8-9 hours including rest stops. Not difficult for me at all. Obviously if traffic jams occur it can take a while longer. I also have a plan of where to stop for the night.

[Wayne&Sam]

300-350. We're never in a hurry and we're usually on the road for 8 weeks or so. Heading home, we tend to get anxiousness the end and go more the last couple of days.

[lsbrodsky]

Wow! I try to never drive more than about 300 miles or 6 hours. I find I start doing dumb things when setting up at the end of the day if I spent more time behind the wheel. I cannot conceive of covering 500 miles in the truck/trailer. I have to do that in my very comfortable car to visit my daughter in Atlanta and I am whacked at the end of that drive.

Larry

[Mollysdad]

I start off with a plan. 400 miles.
That goes out the window the first day. Suddenly, I'm in Atlanta and it's rush hour (always).
Then since I drive solo, no one tells me when to stop or take a break.
10 years ago I did 600 miles/day.Then I decided that was too much, but suddenly I find there's no campgrounds, or a large city is in the way, and I just keep going.
Also, keep in mind, I do this to get somewhere. There's nothing I want to stop for between my home and my destination. I relax when I arrive.

I'm trying to plan more, I've downloaded RV Trip Wizard and maybe (?) I'll have a reasonable destination next trip.

Also, the last day going home, I might push it just to get home. Last trip I did 675 miles on the last day.

[mikeinca]

Our max is about 400 miles and typically we try to plan for something less than that. By the time you figure in traffic, stopping for lunch, bathroom breaks for us and the dog, and a possible fuel stop that means you're on the road for 8-9 hours to cover 400 miles. We also like to arrive at our destination early enough to get things set up and decompress a bit before starting dinner and such.

It's certainly possible to push through to cover more distance if you're on a tight schedule but we're rarely in a hurry so we tend to be more relaxed about it.

[majorairhead]

I've done 650 miles in a day several times.

It's 468 miles from my place to Jackson Center, did that in one day several times too.

That being said, most comfortable for me would be 350 miles, maybe 400 at the most on a given day.

[Woosch]

We usually do 300-350 depending on if it's interstate or two lane highway etc. Wife can't drive so I get to do all of it. We used to do 400 when she could drive and she did about 100 miles a day for us.

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

I've done 650 miles in a day several times.

It's 468 miles from my place to Jackson Center, did that in one day several times too.

That being said, most comfortable for me would be 350 miles, maybe 400 at the most on a given day.

That is how we seem to roll as well.
I will do 650 when doing the seasonal migrating from Florida to Illinois. On planned trips my wife and I found it a lot more enjoyable experience keeping it between 3 and 4 hundred miles per day. The last trip I did only 250.
That is a very relaxing day for me.

[Tschupp]

We’ve been full time for 15 months and have changed travel styles significantly. We now prefer 4 hours or less per day. We may do that two or three days in a row to get to a desired location. Stay two weeks or more if the area is demanding more attention. We boon dock a lot. Out of the way spots are fine interspersed with stays at FH campgrounds for laundry etc. I think you find what is your comfort zone in travel. We are all about the travel, not so much about the getting there. I can’t think of any part of my life I have enjoyed so much as this last 15 months of travel.

[dnas]

We try to travel about 400 miles a day, that is our limit before we three; me, hubby and dog start crabbing at each other. We also have a designated rv site we are aiming for, reserved. Nothing like being crabby and riding around looking for a place to sleep. Don't recommend it. Our trip planning includes a notebook with all of our destinations, grand and small, and google map directions to each, in case of Garmin failure. We also carry maps for each state we will be going through (you can get them free at visitor's centers).
Over planning? Yes, but peace of mind too.

[NY24]

We need more information.

1: Will one or two people be driving? With two drivers, figure two ~ three hours of driving before taking a break to switch drivers (stretch, snack or meal, rest room, fuel etc). You can cover a LOT of ground this way. With only one driver, rest breaks are more important and, daily miles driven WILL be less.

2: Do you NEED to arrive at a particular place at a particular time? If so, that will dictate how much ground you need to cover in a given amount of time.

3: EACH time you stop for a break, do a quick walk around doing a visual inspection on your rig. BEFORE starting again, repeat (feces occurs). Don't forget to look inside to make sure that ALL is as it should be. I'm a solo RVer and, now in my 60's, I find I do NOT "spring back" after driving days as quickly as I did years ago. When I arrive at my destination, I definitely need some recovery time. If that describes you, realize that you may need to arrive a day or three early to be ready to be your best.

[Bill M.]

8 hours a day including lunch and breaks. Probably 6 hours driving. Sometimes when in a go mode it goes up. Like to have a reservation waiting when we “go long” for a day.

[Rgentum]

If we're just wanting to "get there" without stopping anywhere in between, except 15 minute rest stops every two hours or so, we'll leave around 7 to 8 AM and stop around 9 to 10 PM, usually driving 500-600 miles daily. Otherwise, it's more like 150-250 miles daily.

[greenflag]

300 miles max or 6 hours including a quick sandwich and restroom break.
I am retired so what is the rush. I have dine 400+ miles when circumstances called for it. This happens infrequently if I plan well.

[PKI]

Our first trip had an 800 mile day and several 600 mile days. It was not the plan, but rather the lack of a plan. We just kept going. With no reservations, we just did not stop. There are a lot of RV parks that don't look inviting. We have found that with a better plan, it all works better. We still don't reserve, but have a list of places that look to be nice parks. There is something about commitment. We/I wanted to try catfish. There is a place just off I40 that is a small RV park next to a catfish place. Neither is fantastic, but being committed we stopped.

The current trip plan is 400 miles a day in the West, but as we close on areas with destinations and attractions, the run drops to 100-200 miles a day.

Morning breakfast and on the road by 9:00am. Stop for the night at 3-4:00pm. That's six hours. Average is about 50 miles an hour, so for normal days, that's 300 miles.

Problems develop when no suitable parks are available at the planned distance. For a newbee, just accept what is available. You'll learn a lot in the process. For the future, you'll find your plan will adjust with your travel style and abilities. That's what folks said in their posts above. It's true. It works if you are retired. It's not bad. The folks who are still working have a schedule to keep. Schedules are the most dangerous driver in a trip. Don't let a schedule put you in a hazardous situation.

Initially, a small generator opens up your options. The Champion is cost effective and dual fuel. We are shifting to larger capacity battery bank and leaving the generator at home. Lots of other options. It's your coach, your RV style and your budget, so you get to decide.

Have a great trip. Hope to see you down the road. Pat

[turk123]

My wife and I are not in a hurry and we are now gone months at a time. We try to keep it to 200 - 350 tops. But then we try to stay for at least 3 days at a destination. If we are just traveling to get to a long distance jaunt, we boondock along the way at Walmart, Cracker Barrel, Cabellas or Harvest host.

We get up earlier on the 350 miles trips and we pack lunches so we don't have to waste an hour and a half looking for suitable parking and a restaurant (I'm 56 feet long!). I do most of the driving, but welcome when my wife gets brave. She is not a fan of diesel semis! I don't blame her with some of the truck drivers out there.

We don't unhook while boondocking at a one night stop, so we can get an early start in the morning. We find campgrounds the night before.

We use truckstops and have their fuel cards so we can fillup with the big boys.

We try to find campgrounds with good reviews, but we have learned to accept some of the worst. After all, it's only your home for one night!

[SilverWind]

I can feel the testosterone coursing through the veins of this thread. My advice would be to avoid setting a standard based on what you hear here. Instead, experiment with various lengths until you find what truly makes you comfortable and happy.

[PCJ]

We're full timers so we go close to the 2, 2 & 2 rule which is always end the day by 2 PM, don't drive more than 200 miles and stay at least 2 days.