Summer trip 2014 from Dallas to Orlando

Hi everybody :)

My GF and I have been planning on taking a trip to Orlando from our hometown Dallas, and I could need some advice on which routes would be best to take, as well as what hotels would be best to book? Since it is our first trip that would be this far from home and we don't have much experience, we're kind of insecure, and any help is welcome. We've been comparing hotel/hotel prices at http://www.roadtripamerica.com/ and other sites, do you guys have any personal experience on which hotel to take? Do some of the hotels allow pets? Also the hotels shouldn't be too expensive per night.

Thanks! :D

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Welcome to the RTA Forum!

There really are way, way, way too many hotels in any city - much less a tourist mecca like Orlando - for anyone here to tell you what place you should stay. We can't possibly guess what amenities you'd be looking for, and prices are going to change dramatically depending upon the exact details of your trip. The hotel search engine features should really help you figure out what places have the best combination of price and services to match what you are looking for.

Yes, some hotels will take pets - usually with some kind of deposit - and you should be able to see all of that information when reading the description of the places you are considering. In fact, on the RTA hotel search, you can use the filters to only hotels where pets are allowed.

There are a few routes you could take that would all be fairly similar in travel time. The shortest would be to take I-20 to Jackson and then use US-49/US-89 to get to Mobile, and then take I-10 to Florida. You could also look at using I-49 at Shreveport to cut down to I-10.

Either way, know that Dallas to Orlando is two hard days on the road, and you need to plan to stop somewhere along the way. Mobile might be a good option that is close to halfway.

Two summers ago, my husband and I stopped to see friends northwest of Ft Worth, and headed for Orlando next. We took I-20 to US-49 to I-10, then I-75 to the FL Turnpike into Orlando. Michael speaks wisely when he said this is two long, hard days of driving. We used Wiggins, MS, as the halfway point for an overnight. US-49 has a few stoplights, particularly in the Hattiesburg area, but it's otherwise a divided highway with smooth sailing. Back then, too, MS had great fuel prices, so we fueled up before we left the state! We stayed at the Best Western in Wiggins, which was reasonable. The pool was beautiful, but we didn't get to use it -- it was too stormy!

Where to stay in Orlando....well, why are you going there? Disney? Universal? General? If general, you can find some reasonable places that can reach any place in the city. If you are going to Disney, you may be able to work a deal (like we did) to stay "on property". Friends of ours have said the same about the Universal properties.


Donna