Driving from Laredo TXto Boston MA

[alfonso]

Howdy, everyone. greeting from friendly Mexicans, we , a family of 3, plan to drive from central Mexico to Boston MA, we´ll be starting the USA car trip from Laredo TX to Boston MA this December 2010.
I´d like to receive advices and feedback on our itinerary. Our plan is to make the whole journey in 3 night-stops at budget motels. The stops are as followed: 1. Laredo to Baton Rouge LA about 9 hours, according travelmath, 2. Baton Rouge to Knoxville TN 11 hours , and 3. Knoxville to NYC and 4. NYC to Boston, the shortest one, no problem there at all.

i´d appreciate any better routes ?, and 2 possible driver is enough ?, and at last, any warning on the route we should consider beforehand ?

Thanks in advance!!

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Your plan starts out fine, but gets worse as it goes.

The first day is perfectly good at about 580 miles. It will likely be at least 10 hours when you factor in real world stops like food and fuel - that computer programs never take into account - but very reasonable.

Your second day is a stretch. At 650 miles its getting to the upper limit of what we can recommend for a day on the road, but you can do it if you had to. You're looking at more like 12 hours on the road. Cutting back to Chattanooga might make for a more comfortable and enjoyable trip.

Day 3 is a bit of a problem. Knoxville to NYC is 700 miles, and really more than we'd recommend in a best case scenario. No trip to NYC is ever the "best case scenario" as there are always going to be some sort of delays with traffic. I would not recommend you attempt this.

In fact, when you factor in the traffic, extremely high lodging costs, and since you aren't planning to stop here long enough to see the sights, I'd bypass it completely. I'd take I-81 all the way to Scranton, PA, and then take I-84 to Massachusetts.

Pushing the limits if you have to be in Boston ASAP, I'd go Baton Rouge, Knoxville, Scranton for stops. If you want a less stressful trip, I'd go BR, Knoxville, and Hagerstown Maryland, leaving you closer to a full day for the final trip to Boston.

[AZBuck]

Bienvenido al bordo RoadTrip América foros! Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The drive time estimates you get from software mapping are pure fantasy. Suffice it to say that you really shouldn't plan on trying to drive more than 550 miles in a given day, certainly not 650, and 700? No Way. You will have to replan this section around a more realistic daily driving amount. Having 2 (or more) drivers is simply no help. The extra person won't help you go any faster or help your car go any farther between fill-ups, or cut down on the number of bathroom breaks you'll need, or require less time to order and eat your meals. Quite the opposite, actually. You can still, if you make only minimal stops, make it from Laredo to Boston in 4 days. Overnight stops would be around Lafayette, La; Gadsden, AL; and Harrisonburg, VA.

You should expect delays and a possible vehicle search when crossing the border, and perhaps a Border Patrol checkpoint or two soon thereafter. But once you're a hundred or so miles into the States, you should have no further problems.

AZBuck