Fortunately we have a few more travel comforts than this guy but when planning a trip, you still need to have a realistic plan for how far you can go in a day. Some retirees have the luxury of not being on a schedule and can limit their driving to as few as 200 miles per day. They leave early, arrive early, and have a nice leisurely drive. Others are working schleps who are slaves to schedules and have to push on in order to maximize time at the destination.
When RVing (either in a driveable motorhome or towing a camper), speed is your enemy. First and foremost, your fuel cost increase dramatically the faster that you go. Reaction times are slower and you’re generally dealing with vehicles in the many tons range and most other drivers don’t understand (or care?) the physics in our ability to stop or otherwise emergency maneuver. Finally for towables, most tires are only rated/tested up to 65mph. And truthfully, unless you’re traveling a significant distance- the extra 5-10mph won’t actually save you a tremendous amount of time.
We use our camper at rest stops to maximize our dollars and time (it’s cheaper and usually quicker to grab a ready-made lunch from the fridge than standing in line, waiting for food, etc.).
When planning our trips and drive times, I expect my overall travel to average out to be about 50mph. This includes fuel, potty, stretching, and food stops. Truth be told after keeping track of a few trips, I have found that our family actually travel at around 46mph but that mental math isn’t nearly as easy!
So, if we want to go 300 miles- that will be a 6-hour day in the truck. On the rate occasion that we bust out 600 miles, we’re looking at 12-13 hours.
How far can you go in a day? It all depends on how you feel, how the kids (furry and not) are doing, and what you want to see along the way. But, for straight through driving, you can usually count on about 50mph.
Now where are you going next? Please comment!
That’s about spot on for me also. We most usually do at least 500 miles per day and has never taken less than 10 hrs and sometimes 12. Which would fit right into your “46” MPH theory. I am shooting for a shorter day next season though. Gonna try to stay around 6 – 8 hr days and relax a little more! . Enjoy your posts. Thanks.
Thanks! I’m glad they’re helpful.
And yes, slowing down is super nice- but sometimes, you do what you gotta do. Next weekend, we’re fixing to head out on a 800 mile drive because we’re running to Florida’s warmth!
Is 700 miles pushing it to far in 1 day with a 5th wheel?
I’ve done 900 miles at one shot before- Maryland to Disney World. We left at 10pm and had 2 drivers (even a second car for the non-driver to get some quiet time away from the kids). We got to Orlando at 6:00pm. It was a LOOOOOONG day/drive!
We have since had a couple of 500 mile days. But I’ve found that the longer the miles, the slower our overall pace is. A 600 mike day is 13+ hours.
Thank you very much for your reply! Will cut it back on the miles per day!
First trip for us hauling a 5th Wheel heading north. We’re leaving Florida’s east coast starting the trip on I-95 North. Our destination to be in Western Pennsylvania near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. What are the best routes up and back down? Safe miles traveled per day, and Campground stop overs for the nights. We’re on no time schedule, easy does it for us. Would appreciate any recommendations and tips for Diesel fill-ups on route.