Road Trip

[swift]

The farthest I have ever driven is from California to Washington and that was quite a long time ago. We are thinking about driving from Windsor, CA to Williamsburg, VA arriving in VA around July 1st. Well, actually it would be me driving with the 3 kids ages 16, 14, & 9 and my husband flying out to meet us there. According to Mapquest it is about 2,958 miles. It also says it is abut a 43 hour drive so I am thinking it should take us 7 days to get there. This is what I am thinking my costs would be: $250 in fuel each way, $100 a day for 4 of us on food, $40 a night for a motel. We just want a clean bed and shower for the trip when we get there we will have nice accomodations to stay in. So a total cost of $2,380. Does that sound right? I have never rented an RV before but that is also something I am thinking of. For those that drive RV's what would the cost be since you are not paying for a motel, food cost are lower but fuel prices are higher. Then there is the rental fee.

[ricoba]

I'm no expert, but I have done some road trips and I think your cost estimates are too low. I don't know about the fuel, since I don't know your car. Food will probably be closer to $125+ for family of four, since two are teens, and your lodging will probably be closer to $100 per nite (even motel6 places are $80 or more during travel season)

But if your kids are up for seven days in a car (which I think is plenty of time to get there), it would be a cool trip, with some fun things to see along the way.

[swift]

Originally Posted by ricoba

I'm no expert, but I have done some road trips and I think your cost estimates are too low. I don't know about the fuel, since I don't know your car. Food will probably be closer to $125+ for family of four, since two are teens, and your lodging will probably be closer to $100 per nite (even motel6 places are $80 or more during travel season)

But if your kids are up for seven days in a car (which I think is plenty of time to get there), it would be a cool trip, with some fun things to see along the way.

The type of car would be a Prius. As far as food goes I would plan on having a cooler to serve for our lunch and snacks. I don't want to gain 10 lbs in fast food eating before I get there.

[ricoba]

I know I have read "road trip" cost info from the AAA, but I don't remember the stats. If you are an AAA member, you may be able to get reliable cost estimates from them.

[PStreet1]

We've done lots of road trips--two summers ago we drove from Phoenix to Va.--and I agree that the lodging estimate is too low. If you pre-plan all your stops and get all your lodging on Priceline.com, you might be able to get $50.00 and under--but even using those coupon books available at McDonald's and various other outlets, staying under $50.00 is a challenge.

[dive-in]

It would be a great bonding time but unless your family is different than mine, that's a little too much time together in close proximity. A Prius isn't that big.

I would suggest flying into Baltimore (BWI), Washington-Dulles (IAD), or Norfolk (ORF). BWI and IAD are about 3 1/2 hour drives. ORF would be around an hour. All are estimates based upon traffic which can be terrible in those areas.

Southwest flies into BWI and ORF. There are nonstop flights from Oakland to BWI and you could connect on to ORF through several SW cities if you wanted. IAD is a United Airlines hub. You can probably get a NS flight from SFO to IAD as well.

I would guess by the time you total all your costs of driving vs. flying/car rental, it would be close. I would almost bet the flying would be slightly less.

[Gramma5]

Theresa,

I quickly checked on Sidestep.com to see about flights beginning June 29 with return adound the 9th of July from Lax to Iad.
You could fly for around 400+ each person on American and a car rental would still keep it in the ballpark you are wanting. Seven days in a car with 3 teens could be quite a challenge unless your kids are exceptional and do great together! I agree that $40/day for a place to sleep is nearly impossible. If you found one, you probably wouldn't want to stay there for a variey of reasons. I'd plan on more like $70/day (it would take lots of time to find that). An RV would be great and educational but they run about
$2000/week and you still have to buy gas and pay mileage. Not a cheap vacation.

Driving home for seven days, after a fun vacation, will have you arriving home more TIRED than before you left. If I was going to do a driving trip that far with 3 kids, I'd plan on alot more time on the road and arriving someplaces early so the kids could just relax at the pool at the motel.

Hopes I've given you some food for thought.
Have fun planning...Williamsburg and areas around there are beautiful
Sherry

[JudyH]

Plus if you rent an RV, you have to stay in a campground each night, minimum 30 per night. It takes us at least 1 hour to get ready to pull out each morning, 2 hours if we have to dump the holding tanks, take up outdoor carpeting, chairs, awing. I drove cross county twice with two kids, TV, video systems and they still fought and drove me nuts. Also some timeshares won't let you park an RV. Then you have it sitting for a week while you are in the timeshare.

I vote for flying. Rent a car and drive the east coast for another week, and fly home.

[falmouth3]

I'd also suggest trying to find a cheap flight. Knowing how my family traveled, it would be more of an ordeal than a vacation to travel so many miles in a car. And then you still have to do the return drive!

Sue

[swift]

Okay, you've talked me out of it. Manly because of cost not because of the kids. My kids have been practically raised in the car so road trips with them don't scare me. They were great with the trips from California to Washington and from Salt Lake City to Big Sky. I thought a trip across the country would be educational and fun but it doesn't sound practical even if I am frugal.

[RDB]

Play with dates and flight departure times out of Sacramento through Denver into Washington Reagen or Baltimore/Washington International.

You may wish to check One-Way flights for various days, to find the better fares. You will find no seats available on some dates, especially for Round trips.

Remember 2007 is the big year for Jamestown. Williamsburg and Yorktown are cashing in on that also. Don't delay if you wish for seats and lodging.

I played a little while, coming east around 26 June and going back around 8 July. 3 adults plus 1 child runs $1360 total. You can rent a car here and still be ahead.

Your wear and tear of two weeks driving isn't worth it. The children won't have quality time while on the road either.

[musictom]

Don't give up on the idea of a road trip just yet! My wife, two daughters and I took a 3 week road trip about 8 years ago, and we all absolutely LOVED IT!! Here are some of the details of said trip:
1. The girls were 12 & 10 at the time, and got along wonderfully (as it sounds your kids do as well)

2. We took a Suburban, and each kid had their own "bench". Each one basically set up home on their bench -- walkman, books, etc. (this was before iPods and portable DVD players!) Gas was quite a bit cheaper then — I remember paying $0.85 per gallon in Wyoming!!

3. We went from California (San Jose) to NY, down to Washington, D.C., and back through Virginia, Kansas, N.M., AZ, etc. We planned several layover days, so the pace was fairly leisurly.

It was a TON of fun, very educational, and has provided us many, many lasting memories. So if you're not worried about the kids getting on each others' nerves, and you can afford it, I say "get in the car and see the USA from the ground level"!

Tom

[ZCar]

Swift,
Before you change your mind back to driving cross-country:
The Prius is a nice car, but I'm not certain Toyota designed it to do what you were planning. It's mostly a commuter / shorter trip car.
Probably you would drive 450-500 miles a day, average. The fuel milage may not be all that great, since you would be carrying around 700 lbs or so. (Four, plus luggage and a cooler).
On the drivers side door plate, there is probably a "Vehicle Capacity Weight". Even our Mercedes 320 CLK has a maximum capacity weight of 780 lbs. (4
passengers). Prius tires are pretty skimpy too, but that's how milage is helped. All this info should be in Owners Manual.
Also, depending upon the route you take, there may be some pretty hefty mountain freeways to climb, at very high-altitude. You may go up hills rather slowly. (Remember old VW drivers? ... Gain lots of speed downhill to get up the next hill).
While I really enjoy driving cross-country, I wouldn't do it in this case.