This blog post is coming to you at the start of Spring break for New York (ers) but long over due!

If you are not hopping on a plane keep reading these Road trip tips that will bring you from NYC to the sunny paradise state of Florida.

I have had so many conversations with people regarding their reasons why they have yet to travel to the sunny state of Florida via driving during this pandemic.  The truth is that we have been doing this for so long and it wasn’t until the pandemic that I decided to get in the car with 3 kids and drive down with a repeated plan of action.

I’m here to share and would love if you are reading this to share with someone else (mom, dad, grandparent or traveler) that have yet to tackle the road trip.

Tip #1

Travel time:

Depending on your destination within the sunny state the drive can take anywhere from 18-20 hours.  Now adding a smart stop or two when you are the only driver there is sleep time that is not counted in. The 20 hour drive would be an end destination of Miami, Florida.
– Leaving NYC at 5-6am on a full tank of gas (once again depending on your vehicle) will get you to beginning of Virginia by 1pm. Here you can choose to fuel up right off of I95 and check out local hotels in town.

Tip #2

Where to sleep:

Richmond VA and Fredericksburg off of I95 are great areas to stop and sleep. This area has many popular hotels such as the NEW – Tru by Hilton , Marriot hotel and Clarks Inn and restaurant Family hotel in South Carolina. Also many of the IHG hotels have been remodeled and have the most friendliest staff.

Keep in mind: Spring Break is one of the most highly traveled holiday weeks so (YES) the hotels fill up quickly.

Tip #3

Technology :

This is why I would recommend downloading Hotel Tonight .  Once you are set on a time to stop and rest begin looking at your expected destination and start searching for the recommended  hotels off of I95 .  Another helpful app that can be used besides the cars GPS is google maps.

Tip #4

Eating time should also be bathroom break-time.

Traveling with a travel potty works wonders for the kiddos 2-7 but once you’re 8+ they will probably want to visit the bathroom. Rest stops and gas stations along the route have decent bathrooms.  However Starbuck’s and fast food restaurants have cleaner bathrooms. It can also be useful if you time eating and rest stops on I95 or your travel route separately.  This will give the kiddos in between time for the bathroom break. Also, the rest stop bathrooms are usually staffed during working hours and will be clean.

Tip #5

Entertainment

As the driver I love to make sure that everyone is entertained in order for me to focus on the road. I also have my own entertainment plans set in the front seat. I am currently loving the clubhouse rooms. I have my selected rooms that I want to listen in on and sometimes add a bit of conversation to, in order to not make the ride so lonely (of course with the phone mounted).  Also my music playlist directly from you tube or Sirius fm is always ready. I go from pop music of today all the way through 90’s r&b and dance music.