Mother + Daughter Road Trip -- time and distance?

Hi Jamie --

I would like to drive cross country with my daughter sometime this summer. How much time do you think we should plan to drive to California and back to Maryland. I know this will depend on where and for how long we want to stop but if you could advise how many days you think it would take without stopping going one way I can better plan on how much time to take and where and when to stop.

Thanks for any guidance you might send,

Kathy

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Hi Kathy --

Thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA, and sorry it took me a while to reply to you. I used to live in Sacramento CA, where a sign at the edge of the city says enticingly: "Ocean City MD, 3073 Miles". I've done that drive many times, and I've found the longer I spend, the more I enjoy it.

10 days each way would be my ideal for a pleasure trip, but when I was in a hurry, I've done it solo in 5 days.

If your daughter can help share the driving, you can go even quicker. The fastest possible time, not breaking any speed limits, is 40 hours non-stop.

Here's my high-tech calculation: (40 hours) x (75 mph speed) = (3000 miles).

Hope that helps, and hope you find the time to make the trip fun, since there's so much to see and do along the way.

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
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Road Trip USA