Driving to Florida from Canada is not an easy thing to tackle for the first-timer. It is, after all, a 22-hour(+) drive. It isn’t for everyone so, here are points to consider before you decide if you should hit the road or if you are better off taking a 4-hour flight instead.
Driving to Florida — Should you or Shouldn’t you?
Table of Contents
1. How long can you physically drive?
I’m lucky because my husband loves to drive. His limit is about 16 hours with just a few breaks for gas/restroom and food. Be honest with yourself – are you tired and bored after 4 hours? How about 2 hours? Do the math. The more times you take rest breaks and switch drivers the longer the trip is going to take.
Here is a link to a driving time calculator that you may find useful www.travelmath.com.
It’s also physically tiring driving in the dark of night especially when your body is not used to waking up at a strange time. It’s all well and good to say that you are going to wake up at 3 am to hit the road but can you physically do it?
2. Are you on a time constraint?
Can you arrive late for your final destination? If you are driving to Florida to get on a cruise ship, you can’t be late. Make sure that you factor in the driving time plus extra time just in case.
3. What’s the weather forecast for your route?
If it’s winter, is there a blizzard approaching? What about a rainstorm? You may need to find an alternate route that avoids the storm, which may make it a much longer drive.
4. Is your car road worthy?
If you have an old beater car that has 200,000 miles on it, will it survive the trip there and back in one piece? Alternatively, is your car brand spanking new and expensive? You may not want to drive that shiny expensive car such a far distance until it’s lost that new car smell. Here’s a helpful checklist to make sure your car is roadworthy before you start on your journey.
5. Know your travelling companions. Will they be a benefit or a burden?
If your road travel partner says that they are capable of driving for 6-hours at a stretch but once the trip starts they get tired after 1 hour; you may be stuck with picking up the slack!
Does your buddy have a loud snore or tell the same tired old joke over and over again? You will be in an enclosed moving box for an extended period of time so make sure that you REALLY like your travelling companion.
Oh, and make sure everyone in the car is aware of the 10 Road Trip Rules!
As they say, “Know your limit and play (or drive) within it!”
Convinced? Check out our article Road Trip to Florida: Driving is the Affordable Way
I remember coming from Georgia 20 years ago and thinking to my self will Florida for me…Well i ended up living in Florida for the past 20 years now haha love it here its super.
Ugh, 22 hours??? I would avoid like the plague. Good luck!
Nice article! I remember driving from New York City to Florida a few summers when I was young with my family. Not quite all the way from Canada, but almost as bad! I don’t think I could do it again!