Road trip!!

[Joe DeFuria]

OK,

So we're (myeslf, wife, 4 year old son, and 2 year old daughter) are just about all packed up and ready to make the 950 mile road trip from home (Randolph, NJ) to my in-laws (Fremont, WI) for a week-long visit. We leave tomorrow morning.

Will we be able to make the trip "straight through", without stopping for the night somewhere in between?

 

[Paul]

Someone will have to take a piss sooner or later.

What type of car BTW.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Oh...I don't mean not stop at all!! Specifically, I mean not stop and spend the night at a hotel / motel somewhere.

Of course, we'll be stopping along the way for various bodily functions.

The car is a 2002 Pontiac Montana minivan. (50,000 miles on it...and new tires if that's going to factor into your guess!)

 

[Paul]

They are going to drive(heh) you nuts.

Your brining a laptop I bet, can't miss out on all the B3D conflicts.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Do you have a tv/vcr/dvd player in the mini-van and do you and your wife mind alternating driving? (I'm guessing you wimp out somewhere around me.... )

 

[Mize]

I've done such treks many times with two kids. The tricks are:

Drive at night. The sun makes people tired faster and kids pass out easier at night.

Get a DVD player (if you don't have one already) this let's you leave before dinner, watch a movie, eat, put in another movie and then let the kids snooze. Nothing make a trip long like "stop touching me!"

Don't let either adult doze for too long. The driver needs someone to talk to in order to recognize fatigue. People really do doze off an die doing these things.

If you find yourself slapping your face to stay awake, get off the road and sleep.

 

[RussSchultz]

Time it so you arrive at your destination a few hours before bed time.

Gives the kids time to unwind before collapsing, and it doesn't screw up the first few days of your vacation because everybody's schedule's out of whack.

 

[linthat22]

Dad and I have made trips like that all the time when he wanted to drive to a destination while on vacation. You figure, if you drive 60mph the whole time, you'll drive 960 in 16 hours. Now if you drive 70mph, you'll make it in rougly 13.5 hours. Sounds like fun for the scenery if you're old, but sounds like hell if you're a kid with nothing to do.

p.s. - I was a kid at the times we travelled (5-13), so I know all about boredom on the road.

 

[John Reynolds]

Personally, I'd probably stop for the night. I'd feel a little guilty putting that 2-year-old through such a long day (even though, yes, she could sleep in the van).

Have a safe trip.

 

[digitalwanderer]

On a not totally unrelated sidenote I still have nightmares about a family vacation to Florida when I was about 13 when me, my bro, my two sisters, and my Mom and Dad drove straight thru for 20+ hours in a 79' forest green station wagon. :?

 

[Sage]

fly.... you'll still get to see the country, just from way up high in the air. shop online and you can get some really good deals on airfare. i refuse to even make the drive from OKC to San Antonio, flying is so much better.

 

[rainz]

Your 4yo son will turn crazy if you dont stop. And i dont think it's a problem for the 2yo.

RainZ

 

[JCLW]

I drive Halifaxish <-> Torontoish about every other monthto see my significant other, and I just do it in one go. It's about an 1800km (1100mile) trip to my parent's door, and I typically do it in 15 hours with my Crown Vic. I usually spend the night there and then it's another three or four hours to my g/fs, depending on traffic across the top of Toronto.

So yes, I'd say it's doable but the kids'll drive you crazy unless you drug them, or drive during the night. I don't mind driving at night on a divided highway, but I find but oncoming headlights start to get annoying at about 2am.

But then again you don't have any Timmies to keep you going.

 

[jvd]

I drove to pitsburg from jersey which was almost 8 hours. Partied the whole day and night and drove back to jersey with no sleep. All in all i was up for 28 hours or so .

We also drove to florida with just me driving (my friends were not 17 yet) non stop and we were able to do it . I slept the first day haha

 

[nelg]

Well Joe I will let you in on a little secret. You are the fortunate owner of a stealth vehicle. I have one myself (1998). One of its most important features is its windshield with the built in antenna. Due to the metallic mesh inlaid in the glass your van (and mine) are impervious to police radar. I tend to drive like a bat out of hell when not with the kids. And have on numerous occasions gone through speed traps only to have slower vehicles around me stopped and myself ignored.

 

[nelg]

I once drove from Prague to Nice non stop (except for gas and bathroom breaks) stayed for 2 hours and then drove to Vienna to catch a flight home. 36 hours IIRC. Don’t ask why but I was sure bugging out for the last 6 hours.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Just checking in to let you know the results...

Left NJ at 6:15 AM Eastern...and arrived that night at 10:00 PM Central!

The kids did great, and yes, the van has a DVD player...It's pretty amazing how Chitty Chitty Bang Bang can keep a 2 year old entertained...and equally as amazing how those damn songs get stuck in your head!

Stopped once for a diaper change, (no, not mine 8) ), once for an hour break for lunch, and once again for an hour break for dinner.

Wow...I'm stealth!? I knew the GM vans had mesh in-laid into the front windshield because my "ez-pass" toll booth tag has to be mounted externally for that reason...I didn't know about it's stealth properties though....

FYI, I never really considered leaving in the early evening and driving through the night. I can drive all day with no problem...but I'd never make it in the darkness.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Well...

We're home now and the return trip was much the same...except we managed it with the two kids AND an 8 week old kitten.

 

[digitalwanderer]

We NEED kitten pictures, but I'd recomend you start a new thread for that since kitty threads are all around fun.

Glad you're back, glad you're safe, glad it sounds like the trip was a lot of fun and a success all around. I missed ya in the silly thread this weekend, it's good to know that Dr. DeFurious is back again. 8)

 

[Kristof]

We NEED kitten pictures, but I'd recomend you start a new thread for that since kitty threads are all around fun.

I second that motion... kitten pics we want !

K-