Chicago to North Carolina...in January!

I recently got accepted to a Graduate Program in North Carolina and I am thinking about deferring just one semester and driving (alone) to North Carolina in January. My family does not think that travelling alone to a different state so far away in the middle of Winter is smart and since I have never been to North Carolina before, I really don't know what to expect. I am anxious to start this new journey so I want to go in January but my family would like me to leave Chicago next Fall (2017) to avoid dangerous driving conditions. How is driving to North Carolina or Virginia in January and are the roads in the South really that dangerous?

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Does your family get to take the entire month of January off from work because sometimes it snows in January in Chicago?

The reality is that January is a winter month and that means you have a chance of seeing winter conditions. However, people drive across the country every day, all year long. Much like you are used to in Chicago, its possible there will be a storm when you plan to be traveling, and if that happens you may have to slow down or even stop for the night and wait for conditions to improve. However, just like the chance of snow doesn't shut down the city of Chicago for months at a time, the chance of snow shouldn't keep you from making this trip.