GA to Quebec and back in 5 days

[the_rouses]

is this a crazy feat? my husband and i were thinking of taking a crazy road trip to canada (we live near atlanta) for our anniversary. we were thinking, it's supposed to take 23.5 hours to drive there..... if we did 12 hours of road in a day, we could get there in 2 days, stay 1 day, then drive back. does this sound miserable? do you think we will have time to see anything on the way with that type of schedule? i have never taken a road trip before, so it sounds reasonable to me, but i don't know what i am talking about.

also, anyone know what cities would be good to stop at on the way? and cheap accomodations, etc.... we don't mind kind of roughing it a bit.

we would be going on august 6 - 10, 2009.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

There's simply no way that such a trip would be enjoyable, although I suppose that it's just within the realm of possibility if all you want to do is sit in a car and drive for 5 days. When computer based mapping programs give you an estimate of driving time, that's all it is: driving time. Those programs take no account of the fact that you're driving a real car (that needs to stop for gas) down real roads (with traffic, construction, and other delays, or that you're a human being (who needs to stop for food and bathroom breaks) subject to various laws (such as having to twice wait in line and clear customs). In the real world, the best you can hope for is to arrive in Québec in time to turn around and drive home immediately. We recommend about 550 miles as the upper limit for a steady, but comfortable, day's driving goal.

AZBuck

[the_rouses]

thanks for the info....

we are tossing around the idea of flying to portland, maine and then renting a car and driving into quebec for a day, and roaming about the area during our stay. does anyone have any information about these areas? good (but inexpensive) places to stay, eat, go, etc....?

[glc]

I would fly into Montreal and rent there - take a loop trip for 3 days through Quebec. This would avoid potential border hassles with a rental car.

[PNW Judy]

Portland to Quebec is less than 300 miles and would make a nice day's drive.

Quebec is a fascinating city, rich in history. I have to wonder why you don't just fly directly there and then do short day trips, both around the city and in the countryside surrounding it. I have a feeling that will more than fill your time.

Don't get me wrong, it looks like a great drive, especially the 201 leg through the forest. But it would also be a shame to travel in Maine and not enjoy the coast. You could do that one way, or the other, from Portland to Maine, but then it becomes a good 650+ mile drive which would be far more enjoyable over two days.

Whether or not it would make sense to do this loop drive, kinda depends on what time your flights are and how much Aug. 6 and 10 you really have to do things.

ETA: Oops, I forgot about potential border problems. Thanks, GLC. I think that's a great plan.

[glc]

You could also fly into QC.