how many miles should you plan to travel per day?

[pastordon]

I am new to rving. Just purchased a 2000 35u with 18,000 miles. It has been setting up for quit a while so I expect I will encounter problems. My question is this: about how many miles should you plan to travel per day? I was thinking about booking reservations as we travel from Virginia to Alaska. Thanks fopr any help

[ThomB]

There are so many answers to this question. We've done 600 mile days just to cover areas where there isn't anything we want to see and we just want to get through it. It's nearly impossible to string multiple days like that together. Many people look at the speed they like lt travel x a number of hours that they want to be on the road. I despise driving the RV at night so we adjust accordingly.



I'm comfortable at about 350-400 if we're just trying to get someplace.

[Ret.LEO]

Depends how much you like driving, physical condition, how rested you are. If it's a boring monotonous drive or not.
For the long runs..........know your limits, frequent breaks to stretch your legs, check your equipment.
Many many years ago I drove "team" semi trucks. We usually put in 5,000 plus miles per week.
If your head nods......it's time for a rest, cold drinks help, something to snack on helps. Light meals. Good conversation.
Take your time, drive at a reasonable safe speed.
Know when to say "when"

[creativepart]

We’ve found that we prefer 300 miles or less per day. We don’t like to rush in the mornings so we shoot to leave a campground by 9:00 or 9:30am. And we don’t like to arrive at our next campground later than 4:00 pm.

But everyone is different. You’ll have to figure it out for yourself.

[Mike Owens]

I agree it depends on current conditions and goals. Coming back from AZ we planned a stop just inside California and after looking for a campsite decided to pound home. 8am until 10pm that day. Not a normal day but felt up for it. I would not like to be pushed to get somewhere for a reservation because you might miss what's around you and get tired early. Then you have to push yourself to make it to the goal. Around noon start looking based on conditions.

[Phil-T]

Last summer - 2018 - was our first in a class A. We quickly found a "preferred" routine. Up and going by 9 or 10AM with ~ 6 hours of driving. We like frequent stops, so this makes for about 8 hours on the road, if traveling. Night before, we look at places to stay the next evening and write down 3 or 4 options with phone numbers. Noon time (lunch), we make the phone calls 1st choice on the list, first. We make the reservation then. In 8,000 miles last summer, we never made a reservation before that noon-time plan. Never were without a place to stay. We never chose campgrounds within the national parks, always within 50 miles or less, and drove our toad for the visits. This scenario worked very well for us.
The main route was planned before leaving home and was considered flexible. We were out for four months, total.
Hope you enjoyit as much was do.

[BobC]

Think about how long (time, not miles, since you'll be driving more slowly) you're comfortable driving on an automobile road trip and figure somewhere between 50% and 75% of that. In my experience, driving an RV is more tiring than a car, physically and mentally. As with a car, it's going to vary with road conditions and the nature of the trip.

If you're making a big push to get home you'll be able to drive longer than you would day after day, etc.

Single driver vs. multiple drivers will also make a big difference.

As far as the Alaska route, your best bet is to check out some of the many Alaska trip planning resources. Here's a start:

https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/alaska-rv-road-trip

[pastordon]

Thank each of you who replied to my post. We will wing our stays as we travel across interstate 40 from VA to Califorinia and up the coast through Canada and into Alaska.I have another question about hand guns for personal protection.How do you get one across Canada without having someone to send it to or some way to get it on the way back through. I am not a "gun person" but thought it might be good to have something, traveling that many miles. I have read Canada's restriction on carrying hand guns and it appears they do not allow you to carry one.

[Ret.LEO]

Can't take certain (most) handguns into Canada.
Handguns can be shipped to Alaska but they have to be shipped by a FFL dealer to a FFL Holder there and then you have to go through the process as if you were buying it, including the wait period.
Even pepper spray is not allowed unless it's labeled bear spray.
Failure to take all the steps can result in stiff fines, possibly even having your vehicle impounded. Here is a good link to read:
https://www.thoughtco.com/laws-for-t...canada-3321846

[akeagle]

Unless we have a specific goal in mind, we tend to drive by time as opposed to miles. There are so many variables that can affect how many miles you can make on any given day - weather, heavy traffic, accidents, road constructions, etc. - that its not always realistic to have a particular distance as your goal.

That said, when you're on your way to Alaska your planning does need to revolve around specific locations. Once you pass Edmonton on the way up, the availability of fuel stops, campgrounds, and hotels/motels diminishes rapidly. During the summer season there are plenty of smaller places to overnight, but if you're early (before May) or late coming back (after September) the majority of the small places close for the season. Just not enough traffic to sustain them all.

As for handguns, the message I got loud and clear is that you cannot enter Canada with one. Period. For any reason. Unless you smear yourself with fish oil and camp on a bear trail, the animals - and humans for that matter - are simply not a threat and no protection is needed anyway. And Canadians love American tourist dollars!

At any rate, get a copy of The Milepost from your local bookstore. Its the "bible" for traveling in Alaska and Canada and contains a wealth of information on the hows, whys, wheres, and more of everything you need to know about traveling efficiently and safely in the North.

I live in Anchorage so if you need any more info just drop me a message!

[armullis59]

One thing I have noticed is driving a coach is not like driving a car. The coach is much bigger and requires more attention to your position in your lane (at 8 feet wide, you don't have much room for error in your lane!). I feel tired after driving the coach for 8 hours. I can't imagine driving more than 8 hours in a day. How far that gets us down the road depends on weather and road conditions, and where we want to stop along the way. 400-500 miles is probably the extent of our normal driving day. Coincidentally, that is a tank of gas per day for the 80 gallon coach!

[Wayne M]

About 250 miles a day give or take 30 or 40 miles is more than enough for me

With all the replies the real answer is, whatever you are comfortable with. Stop and stretch every couple hours or so and if you get tired it is time to stop. After a few days driving you will find your niche.

[ErniePease]

Agree!

[thataway4]

Have been RVing since 1962--done the Alcan highway. Get the "Mile Post" for the current year. Also there are a couple of books on RVing AK. We have driven as much as 750 miles (in a Road Trek) and as few as 20 miles.

There will be some construction on the Alaska/Canada highway systems. I would have reservations for the major stops--such as WhiteHorse, Anchorage, Homer, Fairbanks--don't know if you can get reservations for Denali now--but we boondoggled it for a couple of days--got a week, and then extended a week. Sort of a must do. Now there are several campgrounds outside of the Park--and you could camp there and take the bus or tour each day.

Absolutely NO on the handgun. I am a gun guy--and the Canadian Customs knows I have a CCW--they always ask. We have also done 5 boat trips on the inland passage--I left my .44 mag with a FFL in Alaska--and picked it up each year. Had it shipped back when we stopped going. The only reason we had a handgun, was that we were taking 2 Labrador retrievers ashore 3 to 4 x a day. I have had close encounters with both brown and black bear--no harm came. You can buy "Counter Assault" which is approved for Canada. This is a bear spray. To be used only on bears!

We don't normally make reservations along the way--except in crowded places. But by 3 PM usually know where we are stopping and then start calling to reserve a spot. But it is safest to plan your 300 mile days and then have a reserved place. Stop every 2 hours. At the very least walk around your coach and check all running gear. Don't tow a car to AK. Have sensors on the RV tires. I would probably take a spare air filter with. you--in case you get in construction with lots of dust....We had to change it 2x on our AlCan trip. Allow plenty of time. We had 3 months in AK--plus a month each way traveling.

[puttin]

200-300 miles is perfect for us. We get there in plenty of daylight with time to enjoy the place. It also means you can leave at a civilized hour with lots of time for lunch on the road.

[johnevans3]

In a hurry or long way to go OR exploring and leisure travel?
300-500 miles. Not 500 back to back just too hard on the body unless you’re young.
Seasoned rv’ers who leisure travel or explore go with the 2-2-2 rule. 200 miles, get there by 2:00 and stay 2 days. Works really well for us older guys not in a hurry. Oh, 62-63 mph is fast enough. Too much mass to stop or maneuver. Enjoy your travels. It’s not the destination,,,it’s the journey that’s most important. One more thing, always travel with funeral clothes. You never know when a loved one’s time is up. 🙏

[NMBluept]

When traveling the interstates and major highways in the lower 48 I figure about 6 hours at 65 mph, that works out to about 400 miles. 6 hours is an easy day and allows plenty of time to see sights, stop for lunch and stop for doggie breaks.
When driving the Alaska Highway keep in mind that once you get north of Dawson City the speed decreases, the scenery gets better and overall going gets slower. Do get the Milepost book and start planning your trip. With most motor homes it pretty easy to plan fuel stops in larger towns in order to avoid high prices in the smaller settlements. Be prepared for some sticker shock - BC does not stand for British Columbia rather "Bring Cash". Fuel, groceries, and beer are more expensive in Canada & Alaska but it is all worth it for the adventure you will have.

Go forth and have fun.

[Frederick]

Hi,

We don’t go by miles as not all miles are equivalent. We go by time. Our standard is to limit our drives to 4 hours per day. This requires us to stop in places we might not normally stop which oftentimes results in some nice surprises. If we have to we will drive 5 hours if the stops just don’t work our. We set this parameter on the advice of friends who we experienced RV’ers. This way you get a chance to explore and relax and you’re not driving all the time. The one exception is if we are traveling across Nevada or Kansas we will drive a full day just to get across the wastelands. Other than that we stick to the 4 hours per day and have found it very enjoyable. Good luck on your new adventures.

[1953m38a1]

I've always figured that you really don't make much more than 50 MPH, with traffic,pee breaks, fuel ups etc. If you want to do 300 miles, you're driving 6 hrs. That's about it for me, a reasonable distance and an early in to campsite for night, Cheers

[rk911]

we’ve been RVing since 1986. back then we would drive 10-hrs per day. we were both working and had to maximize what time we had. since retirement we limit our driving to ~4-hrs per day. that’s most comfortable for us.