Driving from L.A. to North Jersey this winter...advice

[JustNelis]

Hello everyone,

I'll be making a cross country trip in 2 different cars in about a week (my girlfriend will be following behind me in her car) moving from LA to North Jersey. I've been trying to do as much research as I can regarding what route to take according to the weather. I'm still a bit weary about what road to take fearing that I will hit some really bad roads, I've never taken these routes before, only the southern parts of the states from Miami to LA. Anybody have any suggestions which road is best to take this time of year? any suggestions or tips will help us a great deal, thanks all.


Happy Holidays,
Nelis

[glc]

The best route is usually the shortest, but you should defer your decision till the last minute and check on detailed weather conditions and forecasts. There is a possibility of bad weather and road issues no matter which route you take.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

GLC's basic advice of keeping the route short is right on. Fortunately for you, there are three possible routes which differ from each other by less than 120 miles. You should have a good look at those and familiarize yourselves with them so that you are ready to take whichever one has the best weather forecast at the time of your departure.

Another thing you should agree on are a few basic signals to use between the two cars. Stuff like, one flash of the headlights means "Let's stop" and the like. One trick to driving in tandem is that it's up to the following car to initiate a pass in traffic. The lead car can signal his/her intent to pull into the passing lane, but the trail car should make the lane change first and then let the lead car in. This just helps keep you together.

AZBuck

[glc]

I'd consider buying a pair of FRS walkie-talkies for coordinating between vehicles. Depending on terrain, I've seen ranges from 1/2 mile to 3 miles +.