Travel one day limit?

[alwalk63]

How many miles/time do you travel comfortably in one day towing your camper? I know there are a lot of variables to this answer but just trying to get an idea planning trips for next year. I am at 75-80% of my towing capacities towing my 212QB with my 2.8 Duramax Canyon including payload.

Listen to your passengers. They may notice you getting more tired than you think you are.

Fighting head winds pulling a trailer may take more out of you than pulling in good weather. Some days you may wish you pulled over a lot sooner.

 

[mlitt55]

3 hours!

30' FW here. We like 2-3 hours driving, (100-150 miles) and then we'll stay 2 or 3 days! You folks tire me out!!! It takes us a month+ to get from Wisc to the Gulf Coast.
I'm retired and we're enjoying the ride and travel. This coming weekend, 1-1/2 hours then stopping for 3 days.
Don't get me wrong here, a very few times we'll do 300+ miles in a day but after that, time to stop. Always, always stopping before dark.

 

[Pauls72]

Normally 500-600, but we have done 850 several times and that is a long day.

 

[tnka trk]

In my 30’s and 40’s it wasn’t uncommon for me to drive 12-16 hours/day. Now that I’m in my 50’s, I try to keep it under 10 hours/day. This is mostly due to limited time available for travel. I suspect once I retire, I will reduce our driving time to 8 hours/day and have more rest days.
The other consideration is your travel preference for this trip. Do you want to get to your final destination ASAP or are you all about the adventure along the way?
I’ve created a spreadsheet for planning our road trips and use it in conjunction with google maps and the Goodsam trip planning tool. That way I can break down our trip to daily hours, avoiding rush hour near cities, getting good camp sites and add in any site seeing along the route. Happy to share if you’re interested.

 

[Bob Pope]

We limit ourselves to 5 to 6 hours of travel time between destinations. We try to arrive at the next overnight stop before 4pm which allows for check in and set up before dark. We try to get started in the morning, after breakfast and pack up, around 8:30am.

 

[LineG]

I like this answer! This is good!
We try to keep it under 300 miles. We also have a 212QC, we both drive, so it helps. It was our second year only,
We want to get there before dark. It goes really well when we leave early, 8:00- 9:00! I like the idea of saying 3:00 pm.
It can also vary with the weather. We have been lucky this year, no bad weather at all! Went to Florida and back from Quebec City.
L

 

[ih-nelson]

Total miles traveled as snow birds,usually.

Ok-if don’t have to be somewhere and want to travel comfortably. And got to stay
Some place anyhow. The answer is 300 to 350 with reservation ahead
That way out of mornings traffic and probably parked at site by 5:00. Possibly getting gas fore the next day. Depends on which side of a big city you want to be on in the motoring drive.

 

[camjam Jay]

Before I retired we use to do 10-12 hrs a day so not to spend a couple of extra days on the road. Now we try to practice the 222 rule. Never travel more than 2 hours without stopping, never travel after 2pm, and never travel more than 2 days in a row without resting a day. It may not always work out that way but a lot of it depends on how we feel. We also have a 36 gallon fuel tank so it is nice to unhook, go find reasonally priced fuel instead of top dollar pricing along the interstate and stopping for some supper so my wife does not have to cook after a long day on the road.

 

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

Michigan to Colorado in two and a half days is getting tougher at 76.
We plan to stretch it out some and surrender a bit to Nebraska winds and Colorado storms.
300 to 400 and even 500 is doable depending on wind, weather, roads, and other factors, like getting through Chicago area. Time driving is really a better goal than distance traveled.
We pull a little 16 foot, 3,500# trailer with a Tahoe - pretty easy. Your rig is part of the equation as well.

 

[Camper2]

Since I passed a blood clot after a long trip I've cut my trips down to 200 miles per day, with a break every hour.

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

When I first started following this forum somebody posted a similar question. The best answer I saw was a guy who said 300 miles or 3 p.m., which ever comes first.

This is about what I travel, even without a camper. I'm 56 y/o and done with mega distance/time. Once 3-4pm comes, it is time to get off the road, eat, relax and settle in.

 

[Woollymonster]

We just did a 5 day trip (4 overnights) that took us 10.5 hours one way. Never again. It was not fun for anyone and it was not safe especially in the winds we were pulling in. I am the only driver.

I am going to start limiting the trips to 6 hours per day of driving. This will give us plenty of time to have lunch/dinner somewhere and, get fuel. We will stop at someplace we can boon dock overnight.

The next day, we will have time to go to grocery store and stock up for the trip. I think this is going to make the trips much more enjoyable.

Our next planned trip is to the Texas Coast. Only a 3 hour drive. Really looking forward to this one.