Can I drive from Atlanta to Los Angeles? If so how long?

I am moving to Los Angeles from Atlanta. I am shipping all of my stuff, and sending the wife and kids out on a plane. Seeing I am definately shipping one car and that is costing $900, I was thinking about trying to drive it myself. Just me not the wife and kids. I would save the shipping cost and the cost of a plane ticket around $1300.

I have a 2002 civic with very low miles and never had any issues with it. It drives very well.

My question is can this be done, with minimal breaks? If so how long should I plan it to take? What is the max distance you can travel in one day sticking to the speed limits stoping for gas and pee breaks, and how many hotels would I have to book?

Any help from those who have done it would be much apreciated.

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Originally Posted by NevStar

I am moving to Los Angeles from Atlanta. I am shipping all of my stuff,

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Sounds like a perfect reason for a road trip! Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum. We call such trips -- "speed runs" and here are some tips you ought to read and think about.

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Any help from those who have done it

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I am a veteran of several such runs... The shortest possible route is I-40 and would be about 2180 miles. The most a solo driver should attempt to cover in one day is 650 miles (we generally recommend 500) so that would take you three+ full days of driving. You really need to figure four days. Here are some tips for cutting costs.

Have fun!

Mark

I am planning a trip this summer to drive from Atlanta to Los Angeles. If you do not want to do this road trip. I would be willing to drive it for you for free because the cost of one way rentals are way too expensive. The advantage for me is that I have a car to get from point A to B. I could give you references and prove that I have insurance but I don't know if you are interested in something like this. Also I assume that you are moving very soon. I am planning this trip mid July because I am working until then. I purchased a set of antique post office boxes that I will be driving back from Atlanta. I thought I would offer, however unlikely that this might happen. If you do this trip, post on this thread and give me some tips on where to stop and what route worked for you because I will be doing this trip come July.

I would assume that this has been completed a long time ago, being that the thread is 2 years old.

I tried the I-40 route from Raleigh to LA a few years back. While fitting in a drive through the Great Smokey Mountains Nat'l Park and stops at as many Steak 'n Shakes I could find, I got as far as Carlisle, AR the first night (855 miles). The next day I got as far as 40 miles east of Oklahoma City before my car died. I'd hoped to do the entire drive in 3 days. On another trip I drove from Albuquerque to LA (780 miles) in one shot while stopping frequently to give my grandmother a rest. Could I have sandwiched the drive from Clinton to Albuquerque (907 miles) in between the other two in one 3-day trip?

I guess I'll never know.