Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are moving from Chicago, IL to San Diego, CA and I will be driving.
We checked an online trip planner and we have a Garmin, so the directions are covered.
The problem is... I am unsure about how many miles I will be driving in one day or how many stops we should make. My wife cannot drive, so I will be the only driver.
We also need to reserve a pet friendly hotel for the night.
Did you guys move cross country?
How did you planned your stops for the night?
Did you reserve the hotel on the go or days before?
Any help is appreciated!!!!!!!
Thanks!
We moved from Seattle to Atlanta 4 yrs ago. My b/f and I each drove our own vehicles and the cat rode with me . We averaged about 10 hrs a day and simply looked for Motel 6 when we were ready to call it a day. They allowed pets with no issue, and they were pretty easy to find and reasonably priced.
Just as a side note, a road trip must for me is a good audio book. It makes the miles go by quicker, keeps my mind engaged, and has been known to inspire me to make it an exit or two past what I intended, just so I could finish a chapter .
Safe travel to you and good luck in sunny California.
Just as a side note, a road trip must for me is a good audio book. It makes the miles go by quicker, keeps my mind engaged, and has been known to inspire me to make it an exit or two past what I intended, just so I could finish a chapter .
I relocated from Phoenix to St Louis and it took me 2 very full days of driving by myself. From Phoenix I went to Amarillo, TX. From there I went to St. Louis. If you add about 4 hours from St. Louis to Chocago, and another 5 on the other side between Phoenix and San Diego, I'm going to suggest you do it in 3 days, unless you have someone else driving with you. Looking at a map, I'd probably say Chicago to Springfield, MO (maybe Tulsa, OK.?). From there to Albuquerque, NM (Flagstaff, AZ. maybe?). Then on to San Diego.
Good luck and don't bite off more than you can chew in one day. If you do it by yourself you're going to be exhausted!
Malad is a VERY nice clean town, and very convenient, and the people are all friendly and hardworking. However, my brother (who lives in Soda Springs) told me that during the 'flu epidemic a few years back, they had to quarantine the whole town; they even closed the exit off the interstate for a week or two. Seems that most of the folks who live there follow the Reorganized Mormon Church doctrine, and are all interrelated. Pocatello is VERY high-priced; I'd get gas before I got there and stay somewhere else. The taxes there are through the roof and are reflected in their prices. ID varies from town to town and region to region, and is completely fascinating throughout. Most of the local people are friendly and decent though.
We moved from WA state to TX with two cats (and drove). We didn't make any reservations in advance. We didn't want to be restricted, in case we felt like driving more, or less. We never had trouble finding a hotel, and we left the cats in the car overnight with food and water. If it was too hot, we took them into the hotel room. No problems at all.
I travel with my Blue Heeler dog several times a year. I like that the Garmin will gve you the names of local businesses so you can call for a reservation when you know that is as far as you want to drive that day. There are a few chains that accept dogs with no problems or extra expense. Others want an extra ten or twenty dollars. I have never had a problem finding a room for a night.
When you stop for the night be sure and take your Garmin out of the car. I have been told that more cars are broken into because they could see the GPS system.
Audio books are fun for long trips. My husband and I enjoy listening together. Usually, only one of us is reading something so it is hard to discuss.
We did Mo Val to Chicago in Dec....1st night Flagstaff, AZ 2nd Amarillo, TX and the 3rd St Robert, MO then into Chicago the next afternoon. We generally ate breakfast someplace in the morning then grabbed lunch wherever we stopped for gas mid-day. We stayed at Motel 6's. They are pet friendly, about 50 bucks a night and we traveled with 2 Labs and 2 Chis. We basically drove from dawn til dark. There are no lights on the Interstate and I didn't want to take a chance getting tired with many miles to drive. The dogs got out at every gas stop if they wanted to .... but because they weren't really eating or drinking much they would just be happy to walk around and then just hop back in truck(s) and go back to sleep. Hubby drove the moving truck I drove my SUV(I had the Labs who traveled MUCH better than the little dogs)
It was a great trip and I would do it again! Next time taking a week or so to stop and see all the stuff we missed!
Have a great trip!!
we moved from CA to TN almost 3 years ago - 2 people, 2 cars and one dog. We took the easy way out and paid the $50 membership to AAA. They did all the work for us: planned the route, made motel reservations, and figured mileage for the day, etc. The only thing that went wrong is when I forgot my pillow in New Mexico.
I've moved cross-country a couple of times now, always in a rental truck, and always accompanied by cats. I've found that the Super8 motel chain tends to be mostly pet-friendly and fairly decent. Since I drive alone (except for the kitties), I make sure to bring plenty of CDs to listen to -- otherwise, all you're likely to hear is country music, frenetic preachers, and sports-related talk radio. (Of course, if you LIKE those, then you're set ... )
I tried to average 500-600 miles/day, which works out to 9-10 hours. It's easier if you're westbound, because you gain three hours due to the changing time zones. Unfortunately, you LOSE those three hours when you go east.
Anyway, as others have mentioned, the trick is to take frequent stops. (And if you're feeling tired, pull over and take a quick nap -- it'll do wonders for you.)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. We averaged about 10 hrs a day and simply looked for Motel 6 when we were ready to call it a day. They allowed pets with no issue, and they were pretty easy to find and reasonably priced. 
. 
)
