Hours a day at wheel

[DrTomIverson]

Originally Posted by Bylandorsea

We modify the rule of three: 300 miles day for 3days then stay 2 nights to rest.(some say arrive by 3)

To start a long trip will go long for two days 10 hours + sleeping at rest areas and truck stops etc then short day 300 + miles and a night at a campground.

We may do this again to get back home end of trip.

We will go hard again after a two night or more stay.

We try to have a rest day after any three days of travel or a short day 250 or so.

After a few years of 4-6 hour drives I started inserting rest days. Last year we stayed 2-3 days at each stop, and included some 1-2 hour driving days. My 70 year old legs were much happier and we spent a lot of time out on the lakes fishing. Also nice not having to stop for gas every fricking day.

[rarebear.nm]

It all varies so much for us. To a large extend the journey is our destination. Being retired we're not in any hurry hardly ever. once in a while to get ahead of a big storm. Or just wait it out and sit tight.

The milage/hours per day depends what's to do or see on that day's drive. Some places we go perhaps 250-300 miles, 4-6 hours. Every third day or so we'll layup a rest day. One day was 11 hours and I'll never do that agin. Our shortest day so far has been 20 minutes. In our summer travels we try to get going by 8 to 9 am and stop by3-4pm. This allows for fuel stop, bathroom needs and lunch time. If we see something we like we'll stop.

We do a few trips with a real destination and may even have reservations made so we'll allow some padding in our arrival window. Since most of our travel is in the west this scheme works well for us. In our winter and shoulder season trips hours are shifted somewhat.

I understand that some folks feel like they just have to go fast and get somewhere ASAP and that's fine for them.

[Gheidbrink]

I am 72, we have a class A. I like to drive 4 hours a day. We get up and take our time and leave between 9:00 and 9:30AM stop by 1:00 or 2:00 PM that gives us time to set up and see a little of where we stop. Unless we are in a hurry we try to stay two days where we stop. Like you we are not in a hurry. I like to take break after two hours on road. Have a great trip. You have a great country. We’ve traveled it from end to end.

[Gideon]

I follow the same schedule you have described. Depending upon travel route, I may push it to 300-350.

[chateauno]

I have done it both ways. Pushed hard to get somewhere, got up early to leave again. I don't do that anymore. Set up reservations early and travel about 4 hours. Usually stay at each stop 2 days. No more setting up camp and breaking it down within 12 hours. As someone earlier said, this is retirement. Enjoy the spots you stop at. Safe travels.

[j carter]

My wife and I are 75. We have a 24ft Class C. We have found that 400-450 is a good max. However, we had driven up to 13 hours, trading off drivers for about 2 hours [3 power naps]. It kinda depends on if we are just trying to get somewhere or going for the drive [many fewer hours/miles].
On the trip you are planning, geography, gas stations, facilities, and settlements may make more difference in how far you go than a preconception of time or distance. Do some serious pre planning and mark on paper maps important locations/facilities.
Jim C.

[Gary Walker]

Just a thought, I'm 83 and drive approx. 400 Kms a day , sooooo if you are a young 74, go with the flow and smell the roses on your trip. Maaaybe it will be 4 or 5 mons or ------ who knows what lies ahead. Be safe and enjoy your journey.

[TerryTanner]

Originally Posted by Bellamar

Lots of time on my hands these days so planning our 2022 trip across Canada. We will drive from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland and back, looking at six to eight weeks on the road. Here's my question.

I am a very healrhy 74 years old. I expect to do virtually all the driving of our 25 foot Class C. No firm itenerary, we will be stopping to visit friends along the way. I expect to travel about 14000 kilometers (8700 miles) in total.

At my age what would be a reasonable distance to plan to drive daily? I don't plan on driving straight thru, maybe 3 days max and then a couple of days of rest and relaxation.

We try to go less than 4-5 hours per day including stops. I'm 70 so not in my 20's anymore. And being retired makes for less of a push schedule, except for sticking to self-made pressure, like telling people you'll be at their place by a certain time. We've learned to not promise and let them know it might take longer than we originally thought.

We don't like travelling in the dark. Deer and other wildlife like to be out after dark, same with crazy other drivers. Night seems to be when they like to come out. Also, a couple of times I've gotten trapped in a place and had to wait until morning to see enough to maneuver out. Backing into tight RV spaces in the dark takes longer because you can't see as much. Including overhanging tree branches.

So, we try to get on the road early and get parked by mid-afternoon.

[twogypsies]

OP: You're 74 and driving across Canada - 8700 miles. Obviously, you're retired. You can plan an approximate timeframe but don't make a ton of reservations that perhaps you can't fulfill.

When we drove from Arizona to Alaska we had absolutely no definite plans. We stopped when we were tired or when there looked like an interesting place to explore. Sometimes we only drove 100 miles or so. Our only plan was to take the whole summer to do the trip and not to rush. It turned out great! One thing.... we're not particular where to stay and definitely don't seek out 'resorts' by popular tourist destinations. Staying on public lands is just fine for us. Alternate between a beautiful boondocking spot, public campground and a RV park. There are always spots to stay. Your Class C is no bigger than a car so it should be easy and comfortable to drive. It would be more pleasurable if you weren't the only driver. I feel all couples should take turns driving so the other can relax and enjoy the scenery and also if there's a medical issue. For that trip I wouldn't even think about driving more than 200-300 mi/day, if that. You're not in a rush so don't make it feel like it. Leave by 8-9am and end your day 1-3 pm. You'll still be fresh and may even have time to explore the immediate area where you're staying or go out for a leisurely dinner and plan your next day. You'll also be able to get a RV site easier when you pull in early afternoon rather than later. Call when you're about 100 miles from your destination. Pick out several places for insurance.... either 25 mi before or beyond the town you want to explore. We traveled this way for 16 full-timing years with no issues. Be flexible. You don't 'have' to keep driving to the place you picked out the previous night. If you see an interesting spot then stop. You'll do just fine!!

[MGM in YYC]

I did not read through the entire post as most of it seems repetitive in its advice. So if this has been mentioned before please accept my apologies. My wife and I made essentially the same trip from Calgary to PEI in 2016 when I was newly laid off and that turned into my retirement. I was 63 at the time in a 34' Bounder with a Honda Pilot in tow. It was a steep learning curve with our first motorhome.

I think your mileage estimate may be a little low, we did 12,000 km on the motorhome and 2,000 on the toad just looking around. We did long days and short days depending on what was ahead of us. The short days are fun but you don't get anywhere, so it becomes a trade off. We had deadlines in Ottawa and Nova Scotia. I would hurry up to go where you want to be and then take some time in the nice place. If it's windy take a slow day, if you have a tail wind then make some miles!

What many of our American friends don't realize is that sometimes after driving 300 miles east (not many options in Canada) a lot of time there is nothing there. In fact, there is a whole lot of nothing along the way. Having said that we enjoyed the trip immensely and would have liked to have added another month to our 3 month journey. So my one little bit of advice is that sometimes a card-lock fuel station or a Husky truck stop can be a welcome place to stay after a long day. Also the mainstay of the WalMart parking lot is good too. I swear we had campground signs direct us to a WalMart in New Brunswick where there must have been 20 campers there for the night. French only to boot. NB in parts is more french than Quebec.

Happy trails. We might make our trip again in 2022 if Covid settles down.

[Steve 716]

Several years ago we took a six month drive from Savannah, Georgia to San Diego, then straight up the coast to Alaska. We returned partly across Canada, down to Glacier National Park, then and back to Savannah. You are going to see and experience new things and create forever memories. I could spend many hours telling you what we saw, did, experienced, and the ways Canada is different from the States. Enjoy.

I was in my early 60s, did all of the driving in our 34 foot Bounder, and she handled the drive remarkably well. I would make the drive again, but not in my current Entegra coach. There were way too many rough roads and small weight limited bridges to cross when traveling up the west coast. That said, your class C coach likely will not encounter any of these issues. We tried to limit our travel days to around six hours mainly because there were so many things to discover and all of it was interesting. Longer driving days would have been no problem for us and shouldn’t be a problem for you. I think our longest driving day was eight hours. We stayed at many parks for several days to explore. One campground was powered by a gas driven generator because there was no AC power distribution in the area. They closed every winter and have a long grass landing strip plus housing to accommodate winter workers. We decided to stay there in both directions.

The only problem you will have is at the border. The Canadians seem to prefer that we Americans drive to the border, throw all of our money across, then leave. Make sure you have good IDs, copies of your birth certificates, and passports, even if not required. Also be prepared to have your coach boarded and inspected. They can confiscates anything even mildly non Canadian. They took some of our American purchased meat but left our Canadian branded cat food. Fortunately, it was a brief inspection. Also keep in mind that as soon as you cross the border you go onto the Metric system. My GPS automatically switched when we crossed. You might want to make sure yours can be set to metrics. It is especially important when considering bridge heights.

[Kountry_star]

We go by miles mostly. Totally depends on are you a young 74 or ??? Think our longest in a MH has been 670 to a little as 25. For planning purposes we never exceed 500 miles. Things often don't go as planned!

[SteveNSue]

A few years ago we drove from Michigan to Calgary. Our only recommendation is to get fuel any time you see an open fuel station along the highway. The stations seem to be many miles apart and if you miss one there might not be another for some time. Also, a GPS typically does not have a Canadian map. That program is am extra service. You can use your cell phone but get a roaming plan that includes Canada otherwise the roaming changes will really run up your phone bill. Get the extended services for both phone calling and the data needed to run the internet/GPS.

[bobfrommaine]

We once delivered a Fire Truck from Florida to Maine in one shot of 30 hours with 4 drivers. UUGGHH!
Once did 1080 miles on a motorcycle, stopping only for gas. OUCH!
After 3 years full-timing, 40k miles, seeing 47 states in our RV, we target 300 miles (6hrs) per day, but have done more and often less. Drive one day, camp two nights, repeat!
If I have a really (!) desirable destination and plan to stay for a week or so, I have pushed for as much as 10 hours. For us, RV'ing is in the journey, not the destination.
Still loving it.
Bob '14 Winnebago 37F Adventurer; Jeep toad