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So.. we're driving from South of Atlanta to Seattle in a month or two. I'm trying to hammer out a good path.. my friend suggested driving straight across to Houston, TX and straight up to Wyoming to avoid the mountains as much as possible, but we kind of want to see Yellowstone. After that it would be up and over to WA.
HERE'S THE KICKER:
2 adults, 2 toddlers - in a Honda Civic - with whatever we can fit inside it.
We can't resist how much cheaper it is than plane tickets and a ReloCube (like $1500-$2000 cheaper.)
We weren't planning on moving anything big anyway. The big loss is our mattress, and that's only 400. So I believe we can replace much of our furniture and kitchen appliances (or at least have xtra backup $$$$ in case of emergency on the road) with that.
You should have seen us on our last vacation- you would have been impressed! And I packed WAY too much. The only space waster is going to be diapers. the kids are so small, we can totally pack the floorboards in the back as well. We managed to pack beach gear for 4 people, two full size suitcases, blocks, diapers, toys, a cupboard's worth of food, two toddler size duffels, plus lap toys, hats, blankets, pillows, and a 1 1/2 inch queen sized memory foam topper cut in half for the kids to sleep on that and the stuff I didn't list.
My goal is to put heavy and breakable things (iron, food processor, glassware) in the trunk with our suitcase and ship the rest (books and clothes).
That depends on where one points themselves when one starts their trip.
From Atlanta... the most direct path to it would lead you to Chicago.
I'd suggest going more west by north vs due north and connecting near Billings MT
Do you have a PAPER road atlas? LINK If not, then stop by WalMart this afternoon and spend the $5 (maybe $8 now).
Last edited by MrRational; 07-13-2013 at 09:51 AM..
Yes, go north quickly. I did that trip last summer from NC to WA. I headed for Nashville, then I-24 to I-57 just past Mt Vernon, IL. Then I went NW on I-64 through St Louis, then I-70 to Kansas City. From there I went north on I-29 all the way to I-90. It comes out about the same if you take I-80 to Yellowstone instead. Nebraska and South Dakota are both horribly boring to drive through, so just pick one. (I chose SD because I had never been there, but if I were doing it again I would just choose the route that had the best hotel option.)
After Yellowstone, head NW and go up to I-90.
I didn't really notice that I was going up, up, up, but when I started down on the Seattle side of the mountains it seemed like I just went down, down, down, for a very long time. I wouldn't want to drive a full little car going the other direction.
I did this exact drive in 2001, what someone else suggested, up to Chicago, and west through Iowa, then South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. I did it in 5 days and 4 nights with my stops being Chicago (with family), western Iowa (storms slowed me down), Gillette, and Butte. But from a cost perspective, this was the cheapest most direct route in terms of car rental, gas, lodging, and food.
However, I did this alone, I can't imagine doing it with children when places like South Dakota come to mind, just one long stretch of highway for as far as the eye can see. A more southern route might be more scenic and have more places to stop for things to do if you are not on a tight budget and have extra time.
As far as going through the mountains, there is no way you can avoid mountains in any of the western states, Seattle in particular is on the other side of several ranges. Any reason why it would be an issue for you? There will be no snow in late summer for most of the U.S. ranges. Stick to well-traveled roads and you won't have any problems.
In my opinion though, relocations are really not a good time for sight-seeing, I didn't stop to see anything, if it wasn't visible from the highway then I didn't see it. I stayed close to my hotel/vehicle considering I had everything I owned with me, I was vulnerable, and didn't want to take a chance on complications. I felt I could always go back and visit things later. Just my two cents.
Google maps said ATL - Nashville TN - St. Louis MO - Kansas City MO- Sioux Falls SD - Gillette MT - Missoula WY - Seattle is only 39 hours! The way I was looking at it before was 59! That's crazy! Thanks for the input.
That route skips Chicago in favor of a more diagonal route; it saves two hours, but I wonder does it save any agony? Do you all think it would be less agonizing to just take the two extra hours and continue up to Chicago and then turn west, or does it matter?
Google maps said ATL - Nashville TN - St. Louis MO - Kansas City MO- Sioux Falls SD - Gillette MT - Missoula WY - Seattle is only 39 hours! The way I was looking at it before was 59! That's crazy! Thanks for the input.
That route skips Chicago in favor of a more diagonal route; it saves two hours, but I wonder does it save any agony? Do you all think it would be less agonizing to just take the two extra hours and continue up to Chicago and then turn west, or does it matter?
Going to Chicago wouldn't save you the boredom; it would just add time and traffic. Taking the southern route wouldn't prevent the bad part, either. I've done that one, too, and there's no way around it: 40% of your trip will not be beautiful. The other 60% ranges from "pretty" to "awesome."
A note on the time: Googlemaps doesn't know about the nice, high speed limits in many states. Look at the same route on Bing, and it will look a lot faster. Mapquest and yahoo are in the middle. Maybe because of the children you'll be closer to Google's time, but that isn't an accurate driving time.
This route with kids, start really early in the morning, skip breakfast, let them doze in the car seats, stop when they wake up, and are cranky, I suggest just stopping at a park, rest stop, having juice, sandwiches from the cooler, expecting kids to sit in the car, then sit in a restaurant for food, is set up for failure. Let them eat, and run around for a good half hour or so. Or more. Then, back in the car. Stop early, around four, and let them swim in the pool, they have a lot of energy to get out. Now, you can have a nice sit down dinner, give them baths, they will settle down. Try to stay on a routine. Either way, the drive is long and boring.
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that and the stuff I didn't list. 
