driving?

[iluvpooh]

hi, we are thinking about driving down to save on air fare. how long does it usally take from mass to fl has anyone from mass done this before? an does anyone know where to stay for 1 night close to hiways half way through the trip if anyone can give me info this would be great thanks

 

[kylara]

I do this trip in reverse every year. I live in FL and drive to MA for the holidays. It takes about 24 hours total for the trip...longer if you hit bad traffic in the Ny/NJ area or the Maryland?DC area. I usually try and time my trips that I can miss the worst of rush hour. I even take a longer route to avoid the Jersey pike.

I am not much help with places to stay since I usually just stop and get a room without any prior reservation....and that is usually at a Days Inn or Comfort Inn since they take dogs.

 

[tinaluis]

You may want to consider a room thru Priceline. We are driving from Chicago and have made reservations for 2 rooms in Smyrna, GA (a little more than half way) for $1/nt. + AmExpress bonus each and two rooms in Nashville for the drive back at a whopping $5/nt. + AmExpress bonus each. If you can figure out a half-way point, you might want to try bidding thru Priceline. You can specify the area, for instance, our hotel is just off of the interstate that we'll be driving on. TravelSheryl has a great website and the link to it is in another post above. I tried to post it but it didn't work for me this time.

Good luck!

 

[phred]

driving is a great option as its less expensive, and my wife hates to fly! i suggest you join AAA. they will map out the trip for you, provide guide books and other helpful assistance. and if you need help on the road they are there as well with towing and/or approved garages. another good idea for planning is the various web sites that give driving directions. enter a query into a search engine for "drving directions" and you'll have quite a few hits. halfway from ma should put you in virginia or possibly north carolina. i drive from nh and plan on getting that far in about 12 hrs, so no problem for you. have fun with the planning.

 

[degiulio]

I've done this drive from Agawam, MA twice in the last 7 years and both trips took approx 21 to 22 hours depending on stops and traffic. On both trips we drove straight through going down and on the way back we got a room. If your looking to split the drive in half I believe the half-way point in somewhere in NC, near Rocky Mount. There are no shortage of hotels/motels right off of route 95 so finding a cheap place to stay won't be a problem. If you have AAA you might inquire with them for specific places to stay. They can also give you a heads up on any construction delays that you may run into on the drive. This year we decided to fly down because it really is a tiring trip, especially the ride back to MA. Depending on airfares you do save some $$ however and you have your car so you don't need a rental. If I were to do this drive again I would try and work a visit to Wash D.C. into the trip. It would break up the drive and a day in D.C. would be fun. Good luck.

 

[hobogary]

Lots of great info and discussion on the I-95 page, www.usastar.com. motel lists, gas prices, milage, places to eat, etc.

Off site 86, FW 86, FW 88,FW 90,ASMu 98, ASMu 98, ASMu& ASSp 01

 

[brittsmamabwv]

We drive from Mass to Orlando twice each year and we have a DD who is now 3. We have a 7 inch tv w/ a VCR attached, we bring snacks and drinks of course and many video tapes. She luvs it, and me and DH look forward to it. We usually make good time and stop somewhere past Virginia. On average a good room will cost us about 80$. One rule my "D" H has is, we can't stop for food until we need gas, thank goodness dh is not potty trained yet. I luve the idea that I can pack as much as I want, Usually overpack, but feel much more secure that way. We usually get into Orlando around 2PM on 2nd day. We always arrive on Sunday and leave on Sat early AM due to hubby not wanting to drive the east coast during the week. We have gotten stuck in alot of traiffic in the past years especially from Washingtn on down. If you have kids, i highly recomment a combo tv/vcr. It will keep them very busy. And cost alot less then airfare. I use mine in my kitchen when its not in the van

When you wish upon a star...DVC will take you far...anything your heart desires....will come your way

 

[singitalto]

I drove from Long Island, Ny to Orlando in Feb. We were HIGHLY impressed with the Holiday Inn we stayed at in Fayetteville,NC. It was really nice and had a indoor pool. We got it on priceline for $5 plus 20 amex bonus(total price with fees$11.95). I have sucessfully gotten this hotel on priceline 6 more times for that price(2X's in April, 2X's in August and Sept and October). I would try it before the american express bonus money ends.
Bid on Fayetteville,NC 2*, $5 + 20 bonus money

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