Single driver questions...

[chrisann]

I'm hoping you can answer some questions. I will be driving by myself with our 2 teens from Detroit,MI to Orlando. I found a great deal on a minivan from Alamo for $400 for 9 days roundtrip with unlimited mileage. Does anyone know if that includes roadside assistance or vehicle replacement if the van breaks down? I was thinking of leaving around 9am on a Friday. Roughly, what state would I be in before the sun started to set? I'm thinking by then, I'll be a bit tired and don't want to chance driving at night so I'm trying to figure out what area to look for hotels. And then about how far would that be from Orlando? Any other tips you have would be great, I already know I have to re-route around I-75 at the beginning of our trip because of the construction. Thanks everyone

 

[Disneypeach]

Can't answer your questions but have a piece of advice:
avoid Atlanta's rush hours at all costs. Weekday morning rush starts around 6am getting really bad between 7am and 9am....evening starts around 5 pm thru 7pm unless it's Friday when evening rush starts around 4pm...our traffic is horrible!
Hope y'all have a good trip down.

 

[Kaytie]

You can add roadside assistance for $5.99 a day. I would expect if the vehicle needs to be replaced, Alamo will replace it. Have you confirmed that the rental contract lets you take it that many states away?

How far you'll get before the sun sets depends a lot on when you're going.

 

[ncc1701]

Can't answer about the extra cost, but as far as how far you will travel get directions from Mapquest or Google. That will give you an idea of where you might be when dusk comes. I also agree with a PP to make sure there are no restrictions about on distance/states. We once rented from Budget in San Diego and the car could only go out of state to Arizona and Nevada. Didn't effect our plans but that restriction wasn't noted when we booked

 

[tobikaye]

Also, when is the trip, as sunset changes by time of year? So, if you are going tomorrow, sunset would be around 6:00-6:30 pm, but in June, it would be almost 9:00 pm.

I would guess, not counting stops that your drive time is about 16-18 hours.

 

[Offsides]

My cousin and I are thinking of making the drive down to WDW instead of flying next month, also from Detroit. From everything I have read, seems most people stop just past Atlanta or in Tennessee. We are planning on switching off driving and going straight through but I have been doing a bit of research just in case we need to stop. My brother has made the drive several times and he never stops and said the drive is tolerable so I am hoping I will feel the same way.

When is your trip?

 

[bumbershoot]

That's a long trip to try to make in 2 days. Does the 16 year old not have a license yet? If s/he has a license or permit is it not allowed for them to drive outside the state? A cross-country trip when DH was that age is what solidified his driving skills.

Does anyone know if that includes roadside assistance or vehicle replacement if the van breaks down?

You can add roadside.

Roughly, what state would I be in before the sun started to set?

What time of year are you going? Googling makes the answer to such questions so easy, or looking at the farmer's almanac website.

I'm thinking by then, I'll be a bit tired

You'll be a LOT tired well before that, most likely.

Have you confirmed that the rental contract lets you take it that many states away?

Great question. Look deep at the T&C for your specific rental. It might not allow entry into certain states, like Florida, and of course the only way they would know if is you're in an accident or have a problem. So it would add a problem to the problem.

 

[Starwind]

I'm hoping you can answer some questions. I will be driving by myself with our 2 teens from Detroit,MI to Orlando. I found a great deal on a minivan from Alamo for $400 for 9 days roundtrip with unlimited mileage. Does anyone know if that includes roadside assistance or vehicle replacement if the van breaks down? I was thinking of leaving around 9am on a Friday. Roughly, what state would I be in before the sun started to set? I'm thinking by then, I'll be a bit tired and don't want to chance driving at night so I'm trying to figure out what area to look for hotels. And then about how far would that be from Orlando? Any other tips you have would be great, I already know I have to re-route around I-75 at the beginning of our trip because of the construction. Thanks everyone

A note: Verify that it is actually unlimited mileage for taking it to FL and back. Sometimes the rate will show as "unlimited mileage" but when you read the fine print it is actually only unlimited in a certain number of surrounding states (often ones that border your state and maybe one over from that). This is not something you want to find out the "hard way".

SW

 

[chrisann]

Thanks for all of your responses. We are leaving on a Friday March 10th. My older son is fully licensed but because it's a rental car, he cannot drive it. It states unlimited mileage and I read the fine print to make sure there's no surprises but maybe I'll call to be sure. We're thinking of leaving around 9am. I've heard of the Atlanta traffic but wasn't sure of the timeframes so thank you!
Thanks again! Feel free to add any tips

 

[Starwind]

When I have long drives, I find one thing that helps is to plan rest stops along the way, even if just a break to get out and stretch the legs. I try to pre-decide where meals and getting gas will be too, or at least have a few options.

Google maps and Google street view are both excellent tools for such planning. I can take a look at exits and what is around and whether it seems like an exit I want to stop at. Likewise for taking a look at highway junctions and what they will look like -- eg which lane will I need to be in ?

SW

 

[KrazeeK120]

Also, when is the trip, as sunset changes by time of year? So, if you are going tomorrow, sunset would be around 6:00-6:30 pm, but in June, it would be almost 9:00 pm.

I would guess, not counting stops that your drive time is about 16-18 hours.

Probably closer to 19 or 20 actually, not including stops. I live in Central IL and its 16 hours from here.

 

[tobikaye]

Probably closer to 19 or 20 actually, not including stops. I live in Central IL and its 16 hours from here.

Only if they live way north of Detroit. I live in Southwestern Ohio and it is only about 3-4 hours from where I live to Detroit, straight up I-75, and it is only about 13-14 straight without stops for me to WDW.