How to plan drive from NY to Dallas (moving truck, U-Haul, rental)

[iamanewuser]

Will be moving from NY to Plano, TX in a few weeks, planning to drive the moving truck (U-haul, 20 feet), spouse driving sedan, kids (elementary and middle school ages, in the car)..

I posted in the Dallas subforum but maybe this is more appropriate forum:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...ing-hotel.html

I'm looking for quickest route and general guidelines on where to stay, how to break down the driving, how many days to plan for to be on the road. etc.

I would appreciate the collective wisdom of the moving forum and I'm sure I'd learn a lot. Thank you!

[Parnassia]

For a logistically more complicated long distance trip like this it may be worth joining AAA for whatever their shortest membership period is. Find a local AAA office and tell them where you need to get to and with what. They can help plan, provide a specific route map, give tips for stopovers, a selection of lodging and restaurants, and provide other traveler information geared to what your family might need along the way. Plus, if you run into problems you can call them for traveler's assistance.

Either that or start looking up maps yourself, decide how far you want to realistically drive each day and pick towns/cities to spend the nights. Easier to start off researching which interstates run between your starting area and destination and then divide the route up into driveable daylengths based on a realistic speed for the truck. Then adjust so you end up in larger towns or outskirts of cities that will have lodging and dining options you think will suit the family.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by iamanewuser

Will be moving from NY to Plano, TX in a few weeks...
...how to break down the driving, how many days to plan for to be on the road. etc.

The GoogleMap routes are as good as any other link
1600 miles ÷ 60mph (27hrs) ÷ 8 hrs per day = 3.5 days rolling

Checked out, fed, gassed up and rolling by 8AM ... 2hrs for pee/stretch/food breaks ... Checked into next motel by 6PM
Add extra time for rest or weather (motel with pool) = 4-5 days in transit

Stay on the interstate, stay at any chain motel you like.
Choose motels that are 20+ miles OUTSIDE of the bigger cities.

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by MrRational

The GoogleMap routes are as good as any other link
1600 miles ÷ 60mph (27hrs) ÷ 8 hrs per day = 3.5 days rolling

Checked out, fed, gassed up and rolling by 8AM ... 2hrs for pee/stretch/food breaks ... Checked into next motel by 6PM
Add extra time for rest or weather (motel with pool) = 4-5 days in transit

Stay on the interstate, stay at any chain motel you like.
Choose motels that are 20+ miles OUTSIDE of the bigger cities.

I agree with a lot of this, but probably not the motels 20+ miles away from bigger cities. Maybe more like no more than 5 miles away.

Allowing extra time for weather, traffic, and construction is very important. Also, a big need for mental stimulation along the way (games, audio books, a variety of music). It's also important to check/inspect the vehicle two or three times a day, during stops. Though highly optional, you could also learn about about the areas you're traveling through, to think about the areas instead of just blindly passing through.

1600 miles is a helluva drive. I've done 1100 miles in 2 1/2 days, and that was about the right balance, with kids accompanying. I stand by that sort of approach.

[Gerania]

Have you ever done something like this before?

[fishbrains]

This isn't a particularly complex move. A 20' truck is easy, although U-Haul is the worst of the truck rental companies, I would advice you look at Penske as an alternate. Their equipment is far superior.

MrRational lays out a great plan, although I would go about it slightly differently. Determine how many hours you want to be on the road in a day, multiply by 50 to get how many miles you will accomplish that day. This will give you a distance that includes breaks. Use google maps to plan a route, and see where each day lands you.

I would look for hotels adjacent to highway exits. They inevitably have nice easy drive in, drive out access, and will easily accommodate a small truck like the one you are going to be driving. If you are concerned about this, a google map aerial view will give you enough info.

The only thing to watch out for is running through a big city during rush hour. I-81 is probably your best route, and Nashville is the only city I would worry about.

[Arkay66]

Plan your overnights so you're on the outbound side of town. That way, you'll avoid that town's rush hour traffic.

[easilyjaded]

I’ve moved from upstate NY to Houston, Texas. Left at 4pm on Thursday and arrived in houston at 7pm on Sunday. We didn’t drive along the east coast, rather cut across NY to buffalo and went straight down through Texarkana. Two drivers.