Road trip from South Jersey to Phoenix AZ

Well, just a hello first to all who read this.....

Now, on to business

On or about the end of June, my wife and I (along with daughter and son-in-law) will be making our first journey across America.. As you can see from the title, we are picking a very ambitious first time journey. However, there is a purpose and that is to settle our "kids" in their (really ours but that's another story) new home.

Not to bore anyone, but we have looked at all moving options and due to our circumstances, Budget Rent a Truck is the winner and my back is the loser.

SO.. how can you help in this adventure...well since it is our first trip of this kind ( I usually see the country from 30,000 plus feet) what tips would you give us to make it an enjoyable five (or six) days... Please be advised that I don't have time for any sightseeing, we do have a real deadline to get them there so they can be ready for new home, new jobs, new life, etc..

Thank you all for reading and especially a thanks for anyone who can reply...

Don J

This is all per MS Streets & Trips.

I-76 to where it merges with I-70 in PA
then I-70 to St. Louis
then I-44 to Oklahoma City
then I-40 to Flagstaff
then I-17 to Phoenix.

It is a distance of 2413 miles; 41 hours driving.

Figuring average speeds of 55-60 mph (I think in a u-haul type vehicle, that would be reasonable, and figuring that you'll be driving from 8am-6pm every day, and stopping for about 45 minutes every 4 hours or so on average, the program calculates that it will take you about 4 days, 8 hours to make the trip.

Unless you drive a lot faster (not recommended, especially in that type of vehicle), make less stops (not recommended either because you need to gas, eat, stretch your legs, etc. to stay alert), or add more driving hours to your day (this is do-able based on your own stamina), you sure won't have any time for sightseeing.

But don't over-estimate your stamina either. Driving can be tiring. I have done 18 hours driving in one day but that's really not recommended. Believe me, I slept half the next day. I have done several 12-14 hour days in a row but this really wears you out and I would only do it if time required it. And I'm used to driving. It doesn't sound like you are. Add to that, you'll be driving an unfamiliar rig that is probably bigger and harder to maneuver than what you're used to. This will tire you out as well.

I wish you could squeeze more time out for this trip to have more time to enjoy some sights alone the way.

Hopefully someone else can give you some hints that will be helpful. I've never driven most of this route before. The only part I've driven is the I-40 routes through NM and AZ. There's lots to see there as it parallels most of old Route 66.

Judy's given you some very good general advice and a pretty good route. It's much to your advantage to stick with the major interstate highways. The one thing I'd add is that you should probably plan on one or two stops each day that have nothing to do with sitting, eating, refueling or anything directly associated with the trip. These stops should just be refreshment for your body and soul. Not necessarily sight seeing per se, but stops in small towns or parks near the highway where you can just turn off your truck driving, navigating mind and simply take a half hour walk in some new surroundings, enjoy each other's company, and get a little exercise. I've found that such breaks really help my stamina, and I feel like I've experienced and learned something (at least) about the land I've traveled through when time for sight seeing is limited.

AZBuck

Judy, thanks for looking this all up.. your route is exactly what I got from using mapquest and then getting trip tixs from AAA..(boy, what a great service they provide, just joined and already feeling like I got my monies worth)

My rough early calculations agree with your assessment, and I am definitely not going to push it,,,, 55/60 mph seems fine and 5 days of driving (avg of 500 miles per day is plenty for me) I was hoping for no more than 9+ hours per day,,, but AZBuck's idea about taking a few "extra" breaks makes a lot of sense also...I guess the only way to tell is to get going and see how it feels..

Thanks again.... anyone else have any comments..all are welcomed to chime in... I need all the help I can get <g>

Don J

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Originally Posted by donj

On or about the end of June, my wife and I (along with daughter and son-in-law) will be making our first journey across America.. As you can see from the title, we are picking a very ambitious first time journey. However, there is a purpose and that is to settle our "kids" in their (really ours but that's another story) new home.

Not to bore anyone, but we have looked at all moving options and due to our circumstances, Budget Rent a Truck is the winner and my back is the loser.

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Are you planning to have 4 people in the truck, or is your wife driving a car separate?

Budget Trucks only have 2 bucket seats, and a multi-car roadtrip has its own set of obstacles, not that they can't be overcome.

Yes, do try to do some walking whenever you can. The potential for things like blood clots in your legs and other health issues are always something to think about. A good 15-20 minute walk at least once, preferably twice a day will go a long way to make you feel better while traveling. I also do things like running in place a bit when I'm gassing up (Heck, I don't know anybody there so who cares if they think I'm nuts). If I'm stopping for fastfood, I'll go into the restaurant inside of the drive-through even if I'm gonna get it to-go. Just those little extra stops of moving around can do you a world of good. They add up.

That's one reason why I tend to eat out of my cooler more than restaurants anyway. A quick stop at a park or rest stop can easily be combined with a quick walk. And this actually takes less time than stopping at a restaurant and just sitting there waiting for service.

And I've done a ton of caravanning places with people. Sometimes as much as 20 cars on the road together. FRS radios are cheap and an easy way to communicate. They help relieve any potential problems with losing each other a good 99% of the time, in my experience. But we usually share cellphone numbers as well just in case we get out of radio contact. They're supposed to be able to communicate with each other up to about 2 miles distance from each other but this can be lessened by hills and other obstacles.



Another reason why you want to do this is to rest your eyes. Maybe lay a blanket on the ground and stretch out for a quick 10-minute eye rest. Or even sitting there and reading for a bit is good. Anything to rest the "long distance" part of your vision for awhile.

Thanks Judy ,, a few more good points about the advantages to stopping along the way to rest the body and soul... As to having an FRS... we had thought about that and looks like a good idea, and we will have cell phones also..

Midwesterner... I knew this already,, we are going with other vehicles, but thanks for the note

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Originally Posted by donj

As to having an FRS... we had thought about that and looks like a good idea, and we will have cell phones also..

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The problems with FRS are lack of range, the legal requirements and the lack of both weather net and local access. FRS radios look cool and if looking cool is more important than functionality... On the other hand CB radios are old technology, rarely look cool and nearly always work where neither FRS nor cell phones can get it done. For more information on the differences, click here or use the search tool on this forum -- the advantages of hand-held CBs are discussed frequently on this board. I never hit the road without one.

Mark

Like I said, I have caravanned with up to 20 cars for fairly long distances and FRS radios have always worked just fine. Rarely has anyone needed to use cellphone for being out of distance. FRS radios are cheap. You can pick 'em up for about $20 these days.

GMRS radios are similar to FRS but have a bigger range. I think up to 5 miles. But you also need a license to use them.

Having said this, I really agree that a CB would be the way to go but it is a bigger investment and, unless you plan on roadtripping a lot, it may not be worth it to you? If it is, go for it. If not, for this one trip, cheap FRS radios should be fine. I am planning on investing in a CB myself and wish I had one several times in the past.

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Originally Posted by Judy

GMRS radios are similar to FRS but have a bigger range. I think up to 5 miles. But you also need a license to use them.

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I mis-posted earlier -- yes FRS are inexpensive and GMRS do require licenses -- the problem I failed to mention on the forum (but did in the article) is the most retailers sell some of the GMRS radios in the same display case as FRS and never tell customers that the using the radios without a license is illegal.

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Having said this, I really agree that a CB would be the way to go but it is a bigger investment and, unless you plan on roadtripping a lot, it may not be worth it to you? If it is, go for it. If not, for this one trip, cheap FRS radios should be fine. I am planning on investing in a CB myself and wish I had one several times in the past.

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Hand-held CBs are not all the expensive and can be used for years -- FRS handsets tend to have a shorter lifespan.

Mark