Driving (apartment, motel, construction)

[mattawest]

I'm going to be driving from Jacksonville, NC to somewhere near Oxford, MS in a few weeks. It's about a 13.5 hour drive. I've never driven more than 6 hours before, so I have no clue how far I can drive in one day.

I'm helping a friend move, so I'll either be driving a moving van or his truck. Can anyone drive 13 hours in one day or should we break up the trip into two days? Maybe 8 hours the first day and the rest on the second day.

Any tips for long distance driving would be great. I'm assuming I'll make a big lunch stop and make small stops every two hours for gas and stretching.

[LongIslandPerson]

Originally Posted by mattawest

I'm going to be driving from Jacksonville, NC to somewhere near Oxford, MS in a few weeks. It's about a 13.5 hour drive. I've never driven more than 6 hours before, so I have no clue how far I can drive in one day.

I'm helping a friend move, so I'll either be driving a moving van or his truck. Can anyone drive 13 hours in one day or should we break up the trip into two days? Maybe 8 hours the first day and the rest on the second day.

Any tips for long distance driving would be great. I'm assuming I'll make a big lunch stop and make small stops every two hours for gas and stretching.

You could pull it off, you'd be driving for pretty much the entire day-light time and your back would probably be hurting/strained a bit.

Just make sure you get a good night sleep the previous night of the move. IF YOU DO GET TIRED then don't be afraid to check into a motel and sleep, your lives are more important than getting to an apartment a few hours than you normally would have.

[DinsdalePirahna]

I've done straight 13 and even 22 hour drives. If you are able to break it up into two days, you will be much happier.

[captain_hug99]

13 straight isn't too bad, there will be times that you will get punchy and say, "OH MY GOD are we freakin' there yet?" I would do 13 in one day unless you have an odd situation where you leave after 9a.m. or something.

[Ynot]

That's probably 13 and a half hours BEFORE delays for accidents, construction and rain! I drove professionally and you can never count on getting to where you want--when you want to be there! I'd break it up for safety and enjoyment.

Good luck!

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally Posted by mattawest

Any tips for long distance driving would be great.

Redbull, beef jerky and tunes. Enjoy.

[ManOnTheMoon]

Originally Posted by mattawest

I'm going to be driving from Jacksonville, NC to somewhere near Oxford, MS in a few weeks. It's about a 13.5 hour drive. I've never driven more than 6 hours before, so I have no clue how far I can drive in one day.

I'm helping a friend move, so I'll either be driving a moving van or his truck. Can anyone drive 13 hours in one day or should we break up the trip into two days? Maybe 8 hours the first day and the rest on the second day.

Any tips for long distance driving would be great. I'm assuming I'll make a big lunch stop and make small stops every two hours for gas and stretching.

My girlfriend and I drove nonstop from Nebraska to New Mexico. About 21 hours of drive time, not counting an hour break in Denver. We switched frequently to try and break it up, but it's rough. Depending on how spacious the vehicle is, you might be able to go longer inbetween breaks. It's certainly doable, just don't expect to enjoy a lot of the trip.

As far as tips, I would suggest trying to break the trip up, mentally. Give yourself two hours to travel 120 miles or so and make note of the closest town. It sounds childish, but it breaks up the monotony if you have a little countdown going to whatever random town. It takes your mind off of the ridiculous scope of driving for 13 hours. Good luck.