Planning on Moving to TX from MA

[ktran89]

Hello everyone!

I am planning on moving to TX from MA. According to the route I have mapped, I will be mostly traveling along I-81 South. I have yet to decide when might be the best time to travel, but I am limited to two travel dates (my travel companion is flying up from TX during her school breaks to join me): 1) Thanksgiving weekend 2) Christmas weekend

From experiences... how busy are the roads during those times of year? I already expect them to be busy due to holiday... but would it turn my 30-hr trip to a three day trip? During which dates would be better to drive down?

And are there any good places to stop and visit on our way down?

Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

According to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, those two holidays produce the heaviest travel of any time during the year. Thanksgiving is a bit more predictable, since it always falls an a Thursday. The peak driving day is Thanksgiving itself with nearly 30 million driving trips, but the entire subsequent weekend is not far behind with over 20 million trips on each of the three days. Over the Christmas/New Year's holiday, which is more spread out, traffic generally is steady at just under 20 million trips per day.

So, at first blush it would seem that Christmas would be the better option, but then you have to factor in the possibility that bad weather would destroy your best laid plans. The main thing to keep in mind during any heavy travel period is that all those millions of driving trips are nor evenly spread out along all roads. Many of them are in or between nearby major metropolitan areas. Fortunately for you, I-81 avoids the major cities of the east coast. If you use I-84 to Scranton PA you will miss New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington. Then, depending on where you're headed in Texas, you might want to consider I-75/I-59/I-20 through Birmingham AL and Jackson MS rather than I-40/I-30 through Nashville, Memphis, and Little Rock. Another possibility would be to use the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville to Natchez MS. While not Interstate quality, this two-lane, controlled access parkway is a scenic and relaxing alternative to the more heavily traveled roads.

And by the way, if you plan to make this 1800 mile trip safely, you will take three days to do it with a good night's sleep between each of three separate 600 mile travel days.


AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

I can't help with the holiday traffic question and although you don't say where you are actually starting and finishing your trip, if Google maps is telling you it's a 30 hour drive, you should know that it is already a 3 day trip ! Mapping programs do not allow for 'real world' driving which includes traffic and construction delays, human needs like needing to eat, rest and go to the bathroom, nor allows time to fill with gas.

Travelling 500-600 miles per day is 9-10 hours of driving with time for these limited stops. An hour in the morning to get ready and have breakfast and an hour or 2 in the evening to unwind and eat and you already have a 12-13 hour day. Newton MA to Dallas TX is 1750 miles and should not be attempted in less than 3 days, if you come across bad weather you will a little extra 'wiggle' room, but not much.

[glc]

That's a 3 day trip anyway. Plan on spending 2 nights on the road.

Where in MA, and where in TX?