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We are moving cross country with a 26' rental truck in late April. I know what to look for in hotels. Is it wise to book them in advance before moving or see how far we make it each day and book them when we are close?
I helped a few friends in the military move cross country. Best to get it saved in advance. There were times when we had to drive cause we couldn't find a hotel room so we had to go down the road a ways,
But we've also found it better to wait until you get tired to stop and get a room. And that's also advice from a military family who moved from Ft. Campbell, Ky. to Ft. Lewis, Washington. You make reservations and when you get there, you realize you could have driven another 100+ miles before getting tired. It all depends on the person and how many you have riding with you, even in another car.
Before booking, pan the trip is a reasonable and responsible manner. This means being realistic about driving conditions and human needs. By doing this, you can develop a reasonable probability of how far you can and WANT to travel before resting up. To often people see that extra miles they could have traveled and feel that they cheated themselves by stopping too soon based on that advance booking.
Another reason for advance booking is you have the luxury of custom tailored stops. Sure you can pass up the discounted 4 star motels with adequate parking and security for the truck and go until tired, but you may not have options when you are tired, or the location is questionable.
However, by planning, you can make the trip an experience versus a chore. So, you stopped too soon, that just means you can get up early for breakfast and start earlier than had you gone to been 2 hours later. When you think about it, you still will be traveling the same distance. In the end, so you go another 2 hours one night versus stopping two hours earlier at that nicely appointed motel, that just means you get to bed 2 hours earlier and get up two hours earlier feeling more relaxed than if you are just pushing to the finish. I like relaxed fresh drivers on the road with me than the tired, pushed it a little too much drivers who always seem to have a bad attitude.
We took the advise of a friend of the family who'd moved a lot. His was to get rooms in name motels but outside of town. You still get the discount for not being in the middle of everything and a decent room. They usually serve more truckers and people in larger vehicles so the parking lot is larger. We stayed in a mid priced motel and got breakfast free too.
Second thing is lock everything always. And part where its visible and there is light. If your planning to steal, a dark place and one out of the way is a better choice than under a bright light. If you have small valuables, bring them inside, don't leave them in the truck. If its visible from the front is best.
Third, don't over do it. Yes, maybe you can drive fifteen hours, but its better to not. Make sure you stop for food, places you can pull in and see out are good. Get out and walk around. Get enough sleep. If your tired, find a place to stop for the night even if it wasn't in your plan. If you have pets do not leave them, dog or cat, loose in the car. And even in a carrier keep a leash or harness on them. Yes, cat harness's work. Never leave them when it hot since your car/truck will heat up fast. At a motel leave them in the carrier if your out.
Check your route before hand. Sound silly?? I work overnight in a resort hotel. Many of the guests who check in in the middle of the night are following GPS which takes them over the CapeMay/Lewes Ferry. The ferry does not run 24 hours.
We drove across country a few years back and hubby was driving a 26' uhaul truck with a trailer in back with our car. At the first stop that we booked ahead, we would map our route for the following day and then book a room for the next night where we had enough space to park the truck. We did that every night and it worked out great. The night before we arrived at our destination, we lined up some movers to be at our new house and help unload the truck.
We took the advise of a friend of the family who'd moved a lot. His was to get rooms in name motels but outside of town. You still get the discount for not being in the middle of everything and a decent room. They usually serve more truckers and people in larger vehicles so the parking lot is larger. We stayed in a mid priced motel and got breakfast free too.
Second thing is lock everything always. And part where its visible and there is light. If your planning to steal, a dark place and one out of the way is a better choice than under a bright light. If you have small valuables, bring them inside, don't leave them in the truck. If its visible from the front is best.
Third, don't over do it. Yes, maybe you can drive fifteen hours, but its better to not. Make sure you stop for food, places you can pull in and see out are good. Get out and walk around. Get enough sleep. If your tired, find a place to stop for the night even if it wasn't in your plan. If you have pets do not leave them, dog or cat, loose in the car. And even in a carrier keep a leash or harness on them. Yes, cat harness's work. Never leave them when it hot since your car/truck will heat up fast. At a motel leave them in the carrier if your out.
Good luck and I wish you all the best.
Couldn't agree with this more right here.
Especially if the hotel/motel is located right off of the exit, there's a good chance it'll have a parking lot large enough to park a semi truck and trailer, lengthwise along the parking lines.
We drive daycabs with no sleepers and occasionally use them to go do out-of-town milk deliveries.
I've had 3 cross country moves and driven back and forth several times. For me all i want is a clean bed in an inexpensive room. I've found that motel 6, super 8 and other interstate style hotels usually have an opening and somewhere to keep the truck.
I'm never pre-booked a hotel room for these reasons:
What if you get stuck in traffic because of a nasty accident and are stuck on the interstate for a few hours? will you find a new hotel or push yourself while you are too tired to be safe? If you do find that other room, will you still have to pay for the reserved room?
What if you made way better time than you expected? Will you stop while you are still comfortable and able to drive, or will you want to get a few more miles behind you?
I've always had a plan of where I wanted to spend a night, but never a reservation. In my opinion travel plans need to have a great deal of flexibility when you move. You're tired and sore from loading the truck, you're driving a big vehicle that takes more concentration, it's bloody loud inside and isn't nearly as comfortable as your daily ride. It wears you out. quicker
I've done cross-country moves twice and only had 1 time where I had trouble finding a hotel room by just walking in. That was because there was some festival going on that I didn't know about. We went about 15-20 miles down the road and had no trouble finding a room.
So, I'd say do some research and see what's going on in places when you'll be going through. If some event is going on and you know you want to rest in the city, then book in advance. If nothing is going on, you would probably be ok just walking in.
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