Road Trip from Madison, WI to Virginia Beach, VA

[wunna]

We are planning on a road trip from Madison, WI to Virginia Beach, VA. What is the best route to take?
Here are the options as far as I have seen:

1. I-90 east, I-294 South, I-80 east, I-76 east, I-70 east, I-270 south, I-495 south, I-95 south, I-295 south, I-64 east and I-264 east
2. I-90 E, I-290 E, I-294 S, I-65 S and I-74 to KY-9 S/Aa Hwy/Licking Pike in Wilder and I-275 W

Any suggestions?

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

What are you looking for when you say you want the "best route?" Fastest? Most Scenic? Fewest Tolls or Traffic?

Also, I'm not really sure about your 2nd route option, as that only gets you as far as Cincinnati.

In any case, the first route you listed wouldn't be my first choice. It's got a ton of tolls, and then forces you to go right through DC.

The route I took, (more or less) when I made this trip last summer started by going down to Indianapolis (You may find it easier to take I-39 to I-74, rather than go through Chicago), and then take I-70 to Dayton, then US-35 into West Virginia, and then I-64 for the trip across Virginia. You do need to plan an overnight stop, and one of the handful of towns along US-35 would be about halfway.

[wunna]

Thanks Midwest Michael,

I should have been clearer: I was referring to fastest + potentially few tolls as an added bonus.

Sorry, for the second route option, I forgot adding I-64 East and then I-264 East from Cincinnati to Virginia beach.

DO you any recommendation for where I can have an overnight stop?

[wunna]

Also, do you recommend becoming AAA member for this trip?
If so, what package do you recommend: Basic or Plus?

[Midwest Michael]

I-64 doesn't go through Cincinnati, so that's why your initial idea is a bit confusing. You'd have to go south to Lexington, or cut across northern Kentucky on 2 lane roads to get to I-64.

In any case, I still think I'd go with the route I previously suggested, and as I mentioned, there are several towns along US-35 in Ohio that have plenty of motel options. Among those towns would include Chillicothe, Jackson, and Galliopolis. US-35 is 4 lanes across Ohio, and is only 2 lanes for a short section in WV (and it appears they are working to make that 4 lanes in the near future too).

Having some kinds of roadside assistance coverage is always a good idea, be it with AAA, your car insurance company, or if it's a new car, it may be included as part of your warranty. If you go with AAA, I'd go with the Plus coverage. The basic coverage only covers 5 miles of towing, their Plus plan gives you up to 100 miles and is only a few dollars more a year.

[Lifemagician]

While at AAA be sure to pick up the maps for all the States you will be covering. Good maps are invaluable while planning and essential when driving.

You might find that your AAA membership will give you a discount at many hotels.

Lifey

[wunna]

So it turns out that we will need to stop in Fort Wayne. Any suggestions for this route via Fort Wayne? I appreciate all your help.

It turns out that I can add the roadside assistance package with my insurance quite cheaply so I am going to take that action instead.

Also, this is our first time doing a road trip. Do you guys any recommended pre-trip checklist - things to do before the trip?

[DonnaR57]

Pre-trip, we always take our vehicle to our mechanic and ask him to do a "trip check" - i.e. belts, hoses, oil change, windshield wiper check. We check our tires ourselves, for proper inflation and to be sure they're not wearing unevenly.

For the home, have someone to check your place periodically. (Pipes break, breakers trip, open the freezer and fridge to make sure they're working.) Leave a couple of lights on timers and ensure that they're not the type that will turn on at the exact same time every night. If you are leaving a vehicle outside the house, have your housesitter check that one too, leave a set of keys and have him/her move it a bit. (This is especially true for longer trips. We didn't do that this past trip and came home to a car with a dead battery in the garage.) Have your mail picked up or the post office hold it for you. Stop any newspaper deliveries, or have your housesitter or a neighbor pick up the ones that you can't stop easily like a phone book delivery.

We keep a trip packing list on our computer that we just print out before we go, and check things off as they go into our suitcases and packed into the vehicle. Then we add to it after the end of the trip, if needed.


Donna

[glc]

From Madison to VA Beach via Fort Wayne, take I-90 into IL. At Schaumburg, take I-290 east to I-355 to I-80. Take I-80 east to I-65, go south to US-30, take that east into Ft. Wayne.

From Ft. Wayne, take US-27 south to I-70 and follow Michael's route from there. Take I-75 or I-675 south to US-35.

[Lifemagician]

Do you guys any recommended pre-trip checklist - things to do before the trip?

Donna has outlined her method of leaving her home. We don't all do it that exact. We're not all that organised.

I have a coup[le of large plastic containers in the garage, which contain everything I need. (First time I just threw things into them that I thought I might need, over the weeks leading up to departure.) I ensure all the gas is turned off, have the fridge on 'holiday mode', have the car checked and most importantly of all make sure I have good maps for the complete length of my trip. Notify my nearby family so they empty my post office box periodically. Lock the door.

For the rest I enjoy my time on the road, and don't worry about another thing. No one ever drives my car, but it is connected to the power with what I call a dripper.

Great to have the roadside assistance with your insurance, but don't forget to get good maps or a road atlas. Don't leave home without it.

Lifey