Road Trip over New Year

[cheekane]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the United States. I'm an international student studying in Charleston SC now. This coming winter, my family is coming to visit, but they actually booked flights from New York (JFK). Their flight is early morning on the 31st December, so we were planning on driving straight up from Charleston (without stopping for any sightseeing) on the 30th. I will be driving back with my girlfriend from New York all the way to Florida (spending New Year on the road), and this time we plan to make some stops along the way. Have anyone ever done this kind of trip before? I'd like to know how long it would take to drive from Charleston to New York, and what do you guys suggest for the trip back south?

I have not bought a car yet, cos I've only been here a few weeks, so is there any recommended cars I should look at to make this trip?

Any help is appreciated, Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

With reasonable stops for food and fuel, and allowing a little time for traffic around Washington and getting through New York to JFK. I think you're looking at a minimum of 14 hours to get from Charleston. So if you leave early on the 30th from Charleston and have two drivers, you can just get into the airport area that night and get some sleep before your family arrives.

On the way back you have a few choices. You could, if you want to have the chance to see some snow, come down the Appalachian Mountains, basically following I-81 to Knoxville and then I-75 to Florida. But I suspect that the best parts of that trip such as the Blue Ridge Parkway will be closed, and it is a bit out of the way. If you haven't seen enough of America's historic large cities, you could retrace your steps down I-95 but make time for stops in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Richmond. Finally, although it would be too cold to do any swimming, you could take a slow drive down the coast taking in the Delmarva Peninsula, the Outer Banks, the Grand Strand and the islands off the south coast of Georgia.

AZBuck

[cheekane]

Hi, thanks for the help. As I haven't got a car yet, can I get some advice on what kind of car I should be get? Also, what kind of map can I get for this trip? I come from somewhere that has no interstates and so on, its a very small place without any other states and counties. I'm rather afraid of getting lost. Thanks again!

[AZBuck]

The not-so-easy question is what kind of car to get. That will largely depend on your tastes and needs, but from your descriptions, I would think that an used, intermediate sized sedan would suit you best. That should give you enough room for when you are driving your family around New York, but not be too much of a burden or gas hog when it's just you and your girlfriend on the longer drive. If you get a three year old (or so) used car, you will save yourself quite a bit of money but should still be able to get a fairly good car. Just be sure to have it thoroughly checked out by a mechanic you trust.

The maps question is quite a bit easier. You'll find reviews of several map products here. But for a multi-state trip such as you're planning it would be hard to beat the Rand McNally Atlas. Its maps are clearly drawn and buying a single atlas has the advantages that everything is in one place and all the maps will use the same symbols for road types, etc. which should make things a bit less confusing.

AZBuck