Trip Planning Help! Please help me? :)

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TruePaige

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2006
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Hey everyone, I just have one big question!

How can I go from Virginia to Maine and avoid the big cities?

I've been traveling with people before and avoided New York City and Boston if possible. The big thing is I don't want to pay the tolls which are huge, but the traffic is also horrible.

The GPS never knows how to avoid it.

All I remember about the great route I took once was that it involved more Pennsylvania driving I believe.

Thanks guys for any help you have. I usually like to fly, but I don't want to drive this horrible route for a third time that involves holiday city traffic. I don't have the cash for holiday flights (~1100), and just don't want to have a horrible Christmas drive as the wife and I are driving non-stop.
 
Anubis

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
where in VA you live? i ask because depending on that you either cant avoid some cities unless you drive well around them

this is prob the best bet you avoid DC NYC Boston and most of CT

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou....663973,-75.410156&spn=11.64361,17.402344&z=6

81 is a good road, north of harrisburg you can literally drive 100 MPH cause theres no one there, there wont be ant tolls untill you hit the Mass pike (90) and you arnt on that for very long and then there are Tolls getting through NH and Maine that you cant avoid
 
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TruePaige

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2006
9,874
2
0
Anubis said:
just look at my link
thats the best way from where you are
Click to expand...

Looks pretty nice Anubis! Thank you!

Lots of little non-highway driving though, eh?

Just a couple questions if you don't mind.

1) How did you make that route on Google Maps? I'd like to just change my starting location but it removes the "via xxx" presets.

2) Any way to avoid the cities but still have a little more highway? If not that is fine, this is still a WAY more pleasant route!

I appreciate that! It's nearly exactly what I was looking for. :)
 
Anubis

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
TruePaige said:
Looks pretty nice Anubis! Thank you!

Lots of little non-highway driving though, eh?

Just a couple questions if you don't mind.

1) How did you make that route on Google Maps? I'd like to just change my starting location but it removes the "via xxx" presets.

2) Any way to avoid the cities but still have a little more highway? If not that is fine, this is still a WAY more pleasant route!

I appreciate that! It's nearly exactly what I was looking for. :)
Click to expand...

look at it again its all highway

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...,-74.56201&sspn=5.789993,8.701172&ie=UTF8&z=7
 
Anubis

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
TruePaige said:
I <3 you Anubis. I really do.

Thank you. Thank you VERY much!
Click to expand...

Ive done the drive (in the summer not winter) and its hours faster then going up 95. Its an easy drive just make sure you get gas before you get north of Harrisburg PA as its not very populated on that stretch
 
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TruePaige

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2006
9,874
2
0
Anubis said:
Ive done the drive (in the summer not winter) and its hours faster then going up 95. Its an easy drive just make sure you get gas before you get north of Harrisburg PA as its not very populated on that stretch
Click to expand...

Oh man, it looks so much nicer!

On Labor day when I had to go through New Jersey and NYC (Plus Boston..) it was just...horrible! I was dreading the Christmas drive until I thought to post here. Lucky a good traveler like yourself had worn a better route. :D

I'm stoked, because by the time I have to go through Mass. it's normally the middle of the night and the last thing I need is to go through Boston, stopping to pay tolls, etc...:)

To GA: Yeah, it's definitely not a good price, but it is hard to avoid. Don't have the time off to beat the worst of the pricing, and the rate hike seems to last even through the end of November so I don't know who would.

I sent the wife home to see some family in April for $150 last year...insane to see the same seat cost 5x as much. 0.0
 
arrfep

arrfep

Platinum Member
Sep 7, 2006
2,314
16
81
Grab a Rand McNally road atlas, and hit the road. I think people always think it's harder than it really is to navigate from point-to-point using just a road atlas. I've made my way across the entire country with no route in mind, just looking at the atlast ever fifty miles or so. The trip's more fun that way.
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
64,003
12,316
136
arrfep said:
Grab a Rand McNally road atlas, and hit the road. I think people always think it's harder than it really is to navigate from point-to-point using just a road atlas. I've made my way across the entire country with no route in mind, just looking at the atlast ever fifty miles or so. The trip's more fun that way.
Click to expand...

It seems like techy folks have become so dependent on their GPS systems that they can't find their way to work without them nowadays...:p

I've been all over this country with road atlases and fold-up road maps...never had a bit of trouble getting to my destination.

Our 05 Expedition has a built-in GPS...and I don't think I've ever used it. :rolleyes:
 
Capt Caveman

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
651
126
TruePaige said:
Oh man, it looks so much nicer!

On Labor day when I had to go through New Jersey and NYC (Plus Boston..) it was just...horrible! I was dreading the Christmas drive until I thought to post here. Lucky a good traveler like yourself had worn a better route. :D

I'm stoked, because by the time I have to go through Mass. it's normally the middle of the night and the last thing I need is to go through Boston, stopping to pay tolls, etc...:)

To GA: Yeah, it's definitely not a good price, but it is hard to avoid. Don't have the time off to beat the worst of the pricing, and the rate hike seems to last even through the end of November so I don't know who would.

I sent the wife home to see some family in April for $150 last year...insane to see the same seat cost 5x as much. 0.0
Click to expand...

If you're going up to Maine from VA, you should never have to go thru Boston.

And Anubis did provide you with the best route, though note. Based on the time of day you come back, the Rt 84 Toll on the Mass Pike can be a nightmare. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, it had a 40 mile backup.
 
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TruePaige

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2006
9,874
2
0
Capt Caveman said:
If you're going up to Maine from VA, you should never have to go thru Boston.

And Anubis did provide you with the best route, though note. Based on the time of day you come back, the Rt 84 Toll on the Mass Pike can be a nightmare. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, it had a 40 mile backup.
Click to expand...

I kid you not, Capt. Caveman, my GPS runs me through Boston, Hartford, New York City, and skirts me right at the edge of DC.

Stupid..grr..:p

P.S. Don't bash me because I use a GPS guys, the thing saved my butt when I took a job that required extensive travel throughout the entirety of Maine and I had never been outside Bangor. ;)

I mostly use it on roadtrips just as a guide to make sure I don't make a dumb move and to find lodging / gas on the road.

Anyhow, thread is resolved already. :)
 
Ika

Ika

Lifer
Mar 22, 2006
14,264
3
81
Doesn't your GPS have an option for No-Toll routes? Our cheapo TomTom does...
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,912
8,178
126
Leave at midnight. You should be past New York before morning rush hour.
 
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