NYC-New Orleans between Christmas and New Years 2013...

My wife and I are seriously considering taking a road trip leaving Manhattan on 12-26 and driving to New Orleans. We plan to just spend 3 nights there and drive back. My wife doesn't drive so I plan to stay overnight in the Atlanta area and continue the shorter leg of the trip, arriving in NO on 12-27. We're heading back on 12-30, overnight in ATL and home on 12-31. I've done the NYC-ATL several times without an overnight stay AND during the Christmas season. However I've never driven in that part of the country, beyond ATL and have no clue what to expect. According to the maps, the second leg of the trip should take about 7 hours. If I add a stop or two for fuel/food, I assume it will be closer to 8 hours.

In my head, this seems like a pretty straightforward trip. This fact scares me. :) Are there ANY gotchas I am not considering?

Thanks!
Jesse

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I am amazed to hear that you have driven from New York to Atlanta in a single day, and 'several times'! How many chambers are in your Russian Roulette gun? That's nearly 900 miles, the first portion through some of the worst traffic in America. You do realize that's half again as many miles as professional long-haul drivers are legally allowed to cover due to safety limits, don't you? And then you're plan is to drive another 500 miles the next day? Yes, I'd say there's a gotcha you're not considering. Such a plan is inherently unsafe, not only to you but to your wife and everyone who will be sharing the road with you.

Add to that the fact that Atlanta is not even on the most direct route from New York to New Orleans and your plan clearly needs some major adjustments. If you absolutely must get to New Orleans in two days, then you should take I-78 to Harrisburg, pick up I-81 south and I-40 west to Knoxville, use I-75 south and I-24 west to get to I-59 south out of Chattanooga, take I-20 west between Birmingham and Meridian, and finish up with I-59 south to New Orleans. That at least cuts a few miles off your trip and keeps you out of some major traffic. Your wife will have to remain awake during the entire trip to keep an eye on you and your overnight stay would be around Morristown TN, but that still leaves both driving days a bit over the limit placed on professional drivers.

AZBuck

I would rather take I 80 east to I 81 south to I 59 south.

Less traffic on I 80 then I 78. Not much difference in mileage. 1,300+ miles. There are people that do that in one day. Much better and safer to do it in two days.

I did this trip 2 years ago, but the other way around. Incidentally, GPS doesnt function well in Manhatten... In peak hour....

The route I took was New Orleans - Panama City - Jacksonville - Charleston - Raliegh - Baltimore - Philadelphia - NYC. Each of these places were one night stops with the exception of NYC.

It was easy driving, averaging about 500km per day if I recall. Shared between two it was easy going, but still easy for one driver. 900 miles in a day is big driving, but nothing unheard of down here in Aus, where there is nothing but empty road. I'd prefer not to do it and stop after about 500 miles for the night. Each to their own however, stay safe!

If you've done NYC to Atlanta several times, you might consider a different route as suggested earlier by AZBuck - I-78 to I-81 to I-75 to I-59. This is actually a few miles shorter and would take you through Knoxville, Chattanooga and Birmingham and would, at least in my opinion, be a more scenic route.