Traveling Solo versus with the Family

[The Stig]

So yesterday I made the drive from the Gulf Coast area of Mississippi back to Ohio.

Scenario 1: Traveling with Family

Drive 45 minutes, stop for bathroom
Drive 1 hour 10 minutes, stop for diaper change and snack
Drive 32 minutes, stop for bathroom
Drive 57 minutes, stop for lunch. Lunch takes over an hour and costs $30
Drive 28 minutes.....you guessed it, stop for bathroom.
Drive 1 hour 36 minutes stop for diaper and to look for lost toy that fell under seat
Drive 49 minutes, stop because the batteries in the DVD player died
Drive 1 hour 2 minutes. Stop for bathroom.
Drive 15 minutes, stop for dinner. Spend at least one hour and $50.
Drive 28 minutes....you guessed it, stop for bathroom
Just keep repeating the misery until you stop for the night at a hotel. Spend a good hour hauling crap into the room. Spend $100
Get up in the morning, eat breakfast ($30), spend an hour doing it then finally get on the road around 9am.
Keep repeating the above until you get there.

Total travel time is anywhere between 15 hours and 18 hours spread over two days.

Scenario 2: Traveling Solo
Drive 2.5 hours, stop for gas, bathroom and snacks
Drive 5 hours , stop for gas, bathroom
Drive 5 hours, stop for gas, bathroom
Drive 35 minutes, arrive at home

Total travel time, between 11 and 12 hours total. I left MS at 6:00am Central Time and got home at 6:00pm Eastern time.

I have to make this trip 2 more times solo in the next couple weeks so I'll have a good baseline to make sure this wasn't a fluke trip.

Conclusion: Never travel with the wife and kid. Ever.

[RedJohn]

If you need to bug out leave them behind. :D

I think this is one of the reasons why I am still alone. My former jobs never allowed time to care for others. But in the same token, this is why I will die alone and my body will be found half rotten.

[ak474u]

I'm thinking of FedEx'ing my kid next time I go home to see the family... I'm in the same boat you are on the travel time, I've literally gone 1 exit on the highway before having to exit to save the baby from some crisis or another.

[x-cop]

I know they'll slow me down. The kids are little and she's a >5 ft office working woman.

I'm a trained soldier and law enforcement personnel, i have multiple black belts and i work out all the time.

I know i can run flat out for bout half a mile and carry a ruck on foot for hours and hours, i know they can't do what i can do.

I'll take up they're slack. That what i prep for, to save them should TSHTF.

I'll carry em on my back if i have to. Cuz i'm the daddy, it's what daddies do.

[The Stig]

Well....just made the trip from Ohio back to Mississippi in 10 hours 56 minutes. I did it in slightly over 11 last time. I stopped twice.

I have two more trips to make (once back up, then the final trip south).

Looks like using UPS for the next family trip might be the way to go.

[RedJohn]

Man, I feel for you as I positively hate driving.

I remember driving from Fort Lauderdale, FL. to Evansville, IN. Nice sceneries but what a long drive. Highway speed was at 55mph at that time too.

[The Stig]

Man, I feel for you as I positively hate driving.

I remember driving from Fort Lauderdale, FL. to Evansville, IN. Nice sceneries but what a long drive. Highway speed was at 55mph at that time too.

That sounds dreadful. I've driven from Cincinnati to Evansville and just that sucked.

I actually enjoy driving like what I'm doing. Get in the car, GO GO GO GO GO and get where you are going. It's physically tiring but at least I'm accomplishing something. I hate the idea of having to go from Point A to Point Z and having to stop at every other letter along the way.

That said, I have to make this trip 2 more times in the next two weeks. By that point I'm probably going to be whining a different tune.

[RedJohn]

This is a lot of miles.

[TEOTWAWKI13]

Well....just made the trip from Ohio back to Mississippi in 10 hours 56 minutes. I did it in slightly over 11 last time. I stopped twice.

I have two more trips to make (once back up, then the final trip south).

Looks like using UPS for the next family trip might be the way to go.

Well, you were going downhill this time. But good post here. I have 2 kids, 6 and 8, and driving from Orlando to DisneyWorld a few years ago sucked.

[izzyscout21]

I know they'll slow me down. The kids are little and she's a >5 ft office working woman.

I'm a trained soldier and law enforcement personnel, i have multiple black belts and i work out all the time.

I know i can run flat out for bout half a mile and carry a ruck on foot for hours and hours, i know they can't do what i can do.

I'll take up they're slack. That what i prep for, to save them should TSHTF.

I'll carry em on my back if i have to. Cuz i'm the daddy, it's what daddies do.

Amen. I'll keep the kids. Thought about using the wife as trade beads....:o just kidding.... I think....

[The Stig]

Well, tomorrow is the final trip. Will be interesting to see if I can keep the 11hour pace. The wife, kid and cats will be in one car. Me and the dog will be in mine. We're not going to try to stay in a caravan as I know that will kill our time.

I figure worst case is I end up a couple hours ahead of her and would have to loop back if needed.

Anyway, by this time tomorrow I should be posting from our new MS abode.

Funny note: the moving truck guy asked me why I had all the emergency supplies. I said in case there's an emergency! We ended up talking preps for a few minutes.

[bacpacker]

Stay safe Stig. I'll keep you guys in my prayers.
+1 on the moving guy

[RedJohn]

Drive safe. Man, I don't envy you one bit.

[mitunnelrat]

Have a safe trip, and I hope you can enjoy it since you know its the last one! See you tomorrow.

[The Stig]

Surprisingly being in caravan mode only added an hour to my travel time and 1.5 to hers. Made it safe and sound. Got our gear for tonight squared away and the truck arrives tomorrow.

Thus begins our Mississippi lives.

[RedJohn]

Are you going into the shrimp business?

[The Stig]

Shrimp eating business perhaps.

[RedJohn]

Shrimp eating business perhaps.

I love schrimps!!

[bacpacker]

Glad you all made it in safely.