Driving alone from LA to DC
 

Has anyone ever drive alone from LA to DC?
How tough is that? Any idea what is the
safer and cheaper way to move a car
to DC? Thanks

I have done it, although I was with a friend. As far as safety -- I felt fine. I wasn't worried at all. There are really too many variables to answer your question.

Do you plan to hurry and go as fast as you can? Are you going to sleep at rest area's or stay in a hotel each night? If you are staying in a hotel, are you looking at going cheap or will you stay in nicer places? Are you going to go on Interstates the whole way or are you looking at the generally more scenic (and usually slower) back roads?

You really have to factor all those in before you answer safety and difficulty.

I hope you take the chance to drive it. I had fun and you might too.

There is nothing tough about it, assuming you don't mind eating in diners and staying in motels.

There are car transport companies of two kinds:

1. Drive-away services, where someone will drive the car for you. Cheaper, but you're getting miles on the car, and a stranger driving it.

2. Truck transportation services. More expensive, but more peace-of-mind. In my experience, only available between major cities (but LA-DC shouldn't be difficult).

I checked the Yahoo map and it mentioned 2700 miles and 42 hours. I plan to arrive DC within 5 days and will put up at safe/cheap motel each night. I am thinking of going Interstate all the way, any recommended
scenic/safe route?

Here is one recommended route (there are many - even using the interstate)

I-10 (east from LA to Phoenix)

I-17 (north to Flagstaff)

I-40 (east, but you could first head west a little to the Grand Canyon - but it will defintiely take time)

I-40 stay east all the way to Knoxville, Tennessee - obviously a lot of miles

I-81 (north to Front Royal, Virginia)

I-66 (east - it ends just a you enter Washington D.C.)

As I said above, there are a lot of different routes. If you have anything in particular you want to see, either post it here or send me an e-mail. I've done cross country at least 15 times by myself leaving or arriving in San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Portland, Oregon and Seattle with most of the start/finish in the DC area.

[This message has been edited by PSC 1K (edited 11-07-2002).]

I did precisely the same route that PSC1K mentions when I moved from California to DC six years ago. I wanted my car and I wanted to transport stuff (most of what I owned could fit in my car back then!) so it just made the most sense.

I started in Fresno and made it to Flagstaff the first day (I didn't start early).

Second day I stopped at Meteor Crater, Arizona (they charge way too much to get in, but it's still cool to see a 49,000 year old meteor crater) and I stopped at an Indian trading post in New Mexico. There are gobs of those things lining the freeways. I did get a decent $4 wallet that lasted 3 years. I wound up that night in Shamrock, Texas.

Third day I drove through until Heth, Arkansas (just outside of Earle - no, that shouldn't sound familiar). Very bummed too, because I was only a half an hour or so from Memphis.

The next night I stayed somewhere in Virginia, and made it all the way up to DC the following morning.

Each night I found myself I hotel. The key was that I wanted a hotel that had (or was next to) a bar. Why? Each night I would talk to the locals, and I was somebody different each time.

The most fun was when I had just gotten out of jail. I had paid my debt to society -- and was hoping to start a new life.

Fun, fun, fun. It's a long drive, but well worth doing once. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

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More Room Throughout Coach: the Website of Free Miles and Free Markets

I have done that kind of drive alone many times in the past. But if you really are going to take 5 days (it can be done in 2 nights / 3 days easy), it would almost be cheaper to ship the car. It has been a while but I remember it costing like $1100 to ship the car. Note, that most shippers will charge you a lot more if the car is loaded with boxes and stuff.

900 mi/day for three days straight is "easy"?

Ouch. You must like driving a LOT.

I wouldn't say "easy" but it is do-able. I did almost the exact route above in reverse, but I stayed on the 40 all the way to where it hits the 15 in Barstow, CA.

I spent the first night in Little Rock, the second night in Albuquerque, and made it to LA in time for dinner on the third night.

It's a little easier to do it quickly when you are going westbound because you gain an hour every time you cross into a new time zone!

I moved from LA to Northern VA (25 miles from DC) and had the car transported inside the truck with my goods; I think the rate was $800 or so; the company paid so I wasn't sure as to what each line item cost exactly; but they had it there in five days. I used Graebel; they were great.

Not to be a thread hijacker but I drove 32 hours straight from Anchorage to Dawson Creek BC. It is the entire Alaska Highway. I slept in a motel for 10 hours (felt more like 10 minutes) got up and drove 23 straight hours more across the border, into the US, and to my destination in Wyoming. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

Looking back, I don't know how I did it (lots of Mountain Dew, I guess) but I did.

The mover will charged me US1200 to ship the car within a week (I have to pay extra to fly there) and I thought it will be a nice experience to just drive across.

I guess I will make it in 4 days/3 nights, slow and steady. PSC 1K, thanks for your route and thank everybody for the posting.

I once shipped a car (on a truck) for ?$800 from Los Angeles to Detroit.

If you drive, don't think it's sissy to stop even for 3 minutes. Better that then fall asleep and get killed. Sometimes one will feel sleepy after a meal and a very brief stop will help. Other times, it's time to call it a day and check into a motel.

Here's an idea, you buy a plane ticket for me, I come and drive your car to DC and then fly back home http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...um/biggrin.gif I love road trips!

You are sure right about that, Skylink. In retrospect my crazy drive to the lower 48 was rather foolhardy.

Guyin Please consider making a trip journal as you go and sharing your experience in the Trip Report forum. I'd be interested, and I'm sure lots of other FT'ers would be too. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif