Going from Chihuahua, Mexico to Montreal, Canada, need some help!

[SgtSamy]

Hi guys, I am new to this forum. Thank you for letting me post my question.

Ive finished restoring an old VW Beetle. I am planning to do my first roadtrip with it.

Hi guys,

I am nearly done with my bug. I am planning a road trip from Chihuahua, Mexico to Montreal, Canada.


Now this is the route I will take:

My budget is 1000 to 1500 USD just to get there. This include the gas and the toll. I think the car can do 25 MPG average. I have many friends along the way that can host me, so if I need to stop to sleep , not going to cost me a dime. :)

Also I plan to eat some sandwiches along the way, so nothing fancy, no restaurant. Just the good old homemade food.


My questions are:

1) Since its my first big car road trip, how much miles/hours you think I can drive per day doing 60mph per hour (average) to get there (realistically) I would like to hear from your experiences.

2) Lets say I do not have any mechanical problem, is my budget realistic? How much you guys think I will spend on gas and toll?

Thank you

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Realistically, and safely, we recommend people limit their days on the road to about 600 miles a day. That works out to 10-12 hours of actual on the road time, for someone traveling at full freeway speeds. That also is roughly the same guidelines that professional drivers are required to follow because of safety laws. If you start pushing beyond that, it quickly becomes a situation where the human body can't focus enough to be a safe driver.

Note however, while 600 miles over 10 hours works out to an average of about 60 mph, you would need to be traveling at 70+ for a cruising speed to obtain that once you factor in slowdowns and stops. If your bug is going to have an average cruising speed of around 60, then even 600 miles is really going to be too much, and 500 miles is probably going to be a full 10-12 hour day on the road.

Since this trip is about 2400 miles, I'd plan on taking 5 days for the trip, assuming everything goes well. Finding places to stop for sleep is not an "if" question for a trip of this distance, it's matter of when you'll stop, so I'd start reconnecting with those old friends!

If your car can get 25 mpg, you'd be looking at needing roughly $400 for gas. There are only a couple of tolls along the route, so that will be a minimal cost. As long as this is a one way trip, your budget looks very good.

[glc]

Welcome!

Realistically, you can expect to drive 600 miles a day once you get to the US Interstate highways - somewhat less on secondary roads. I would allow a minimum of 5 days to make this trip. However, I doubt that you will be able to average 60 mph in a Bug.

Tolls are relatively minor - without looking them all up, I'd plan on $20. It will probably be less, but plan on $500 for gas and tolls. For budgeting, you should have no problem eating for $200. If push comes to shove and you need to sleep and don't have a friend near, don't sleep in highway rest stops, that's not safe or legal. Find a large truck stop (Flying J, Pilot, etc.) if you need to take a nap in the car. Tell them at the desk what you will be doing, and reciprocate by giving them some business (buy a tank of gas, get some breakfast, buy a shower if you need one).

Do you have licensing/insurance/documentation all set for crossing the 2 international borders?