Miami to NYC to DC

[whyibs]

Hello,

This is my first time doing a road trip after 15 years in the country. I've always wanted to do one and circumstances have forced me and my girlfriend to have to drive from Miami to NYC. Without going into much detail, we have to give away a dog that can't fly (Cabin or under plane) and there is no other way to transport the pet other then to drive. We decided to make the most of it and make it a "vacation".

Here are the key points for us:

-We have 5-6 days available.
-We both want to spend as much time as possible in DC
-Stopping somewhere romantic (Savannah?) would be great if possible
-Driving one way, flying back.

My current thought process is as follows, please feel free to correct me/suggest changes:

Drive up from Miami to NYC without any additional stops.
Driving about 12 hours a day in 4 hour shifts I estimate it would take get us there mid-way to late evening of day 3.

Spend day 4 in NYC and drop off the pet. Return the rental car.

Take the 6 or 7am Amtrack on Day 5 from NYC to DC. Spend Day 5 in DC.

Spend day 6 in DC and take evening flight (Around 6-7PM) Arriving back home by 10PM or so.

Please let me know if this sounds realistic and any tips you may have. I currently don't plan on booking any hotels other then the DC one just because we may end up driving more hours or less hours and don't want to risk not reaching a hotel in time, or worse.. getting there too early and wasting driving time.

Thanks,

[glc]

Welcome!

Miami to NYC is an easy 3 day drive. You should be able to make it to Savannah in under 8 hours if you don't waste any time. You would have time to spend most of the morning in Savannah, you will need to get as far past Fayetteville as you can to make the 3rd day reasonable. Note that I-95 north of Richmond all the way to NYC can get very congested, especially around DC - and avoid rush hour anywhere near DC and Baltimore at all costs. You will want to take the NJ Turnpike instead of I-95 through Philly.