Road trip in 10 days! From South Carolina to Arizona!
My first long roadtrip I'm planning that is. Its nerve racking. A little over 2,200 miles. I'm Not sure which route to take though. I'm leaving outta Myrtle Beach, and heading towards Mesa, Az. Theres I-40w, I-20w, and I-10w. All are about the same distance. But lead me into different areas. Any tips are much appreciated. Speak your mind. Thankyou
Welcome to the RTA Forum!
You are right about the distance, and those are some of the main interstate options you can consider. However, what exactly are you hoping for here? There's no one size fits all best route, and without knowing what you are trying to figure out, its pretty hard to give you anything in the way of useful tips.
Thankyou. Well, I was just hoping for someone that had more experience that I have on taking long roadtrips to give me any sort of advice. I've never traveled this far. Not even close. I just wanted to know how many miles I should drive a day. Which interstates are favorited. Thats all.
They are 'just' roads.
It would be possible to drive the route in 4 long days so with 10 days available you should be able to take in some sight seeing, if that's what you want to do [?]
The first thing I would recommend is taking a look at a good map and look to see if there is anything that might interest you and get some dots on the map. You can then build a route around your interests and goals rather than deciding on a route that might take you miles away from said interests. An Interstate is just a long line of the 'Black stuff' that will take you across the country, it's what you want [if anything] away from it, is what's more important.
What are your goals for this trip ? Are you relocating or do you have to return to SC in this time ? You will find Lot's of info throughout the forums and we can answer more specific questions, but no one knows your interests better than you.
Another thing that you might take a look at: the weather along your route. Do that right before you leave. Weather Channel has an "Interstate Forecast" available, which is an excellent resource. If one route has lousy weather in the forecast, you can try another route.
My husband and I are looking into a route for an upcoming summer trip that's a combination of what you suggest....starting in the Phoenix area (where we have family), heading southeast on I-10 to Van Horn, then a little further north on I-20. We've used I-40 from Arizona to Tennessee, last summer....good road.
Donna
Good advice guys. And I hope I didn't confuse any of you. When I said in 10 days...I meant: i'll be leaving in 10 days (9 days now). It'll be the 16th. I am relocating though. Not taking much stuff. Just some important stuff. I would like to get there the 19th because thats my anniversary with my girlfriend (which is the reason why im relocating). I love the Phoenix area though. Interstate 10 looks the best way in my book though. You'd be leaving out of Jacksonville, FL and it goes right through Phoenix where I'm headed. And I dont think I'd get much snow that way also. So thats always a plus.
It is 4 very full days to make this trip going a direct route.
If your goal is to make this trip in 4 days, leaving early on the 16th and arriving late on the 19th, then going via Jacksonville doesn't make any sense. That route adds more than 200 miles to an already very tight timeline.
Its also simply not true to say that you wouldn't see snow by taking I-10, as it is common to see snow along the route in New Mexico and Eastern Arizona - in fact that section of highway has already seen more closures this year than more northern interstate routes like I-90! Also note that I-10 in Texas can see some wicked ice storms which can take days to clear and make travel safe again. That's not to say you will see that kind of weather, it means you need to watch the forecasts as Donna mentioned to see which routes will have the best weather during the time of your trip.
The two most logical routes - because they are shortest and you are in a time crunch - would be to head to Birmingham and then either take I-20 to I-10 via Dallas, or go up to Memphis and take I-40 all the way to Arizona. If you really want to take I-10, or there is a storm that is affecting North Texas, you'd want to go through Atlanta and Mobile, which is 100 miles shorter than going via Jacksonville, but still 100 miles longer than the I-20 or I-40 based routes.
It confused me ! LOL. Yep, I was thinking you were taking a 10 day road trip.And I hope I didn't confuse any of you. When I said in 10 days...I meant: i'll be leaving in 10 days (9 days now).
I agree with Michael regarding your route choices and the fact it is a full 4 day drive. Once you get the up to date weather forecasts you can decide which way you want to go, there doesn't appear to be any difference in it time wise.
Remember it's a marathon and not a sprint so don't push to hard on your first day and make yourself weary for the next few. Try and divide it into roughly 4 equal days and take plenty of short breaks from the car to keep fresh and alert. Day 1 you should make it east of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa AL [I20/10] or Jasper AL [I40] would make good first day 'targets'.
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