Do, but we have friends who drive back and forth between Maine and TX 2x a year. Their rule is they do not drive more than 8hrs a day. I think 500 would probably be more than that, with meals, breaks?

I like your idea of doing a long day followed by a short day...wont be so much of a grind. We find our sweet spot is about six hours—400 miles—- that’s how long it takes to get to our DD, but driving cross country i would probably stretch it to 8 as well. To make it more interesting take the northern route home in April.

Sounds like a great road trip to me!! Have never driven fully cross country but from Seattle to Wisconsin and a giant circle from the same start through all 12 of the western states. Was not on any sort of a deadline or schedule and I'm not sure I'd like the stress of trying to maintain one. If I see something along the way that interests me (or some appealing looking side trip), I will divert from the plan!! I'd suggest planning some flexibility into the schedule :-)

Dont be so rigid on the 500 miles every other day if you dont have to. Enjoy the journey.

Somethings to consider---

How will weather factor into your milestone stops.

Are you morning people, can you hop out of bed at 5AM and drive 5 hours on coffee and a banana(this is my favorite time to drive). Take advantage of when you most want to drive. Plan hotels for easy departures/arrivals to congested areas if a quick getaway is needed. When we visit NYC, our last day we drive to Danbury, CT (after rush hour) so we are out of city traffic.

Is exercise important to you? If so how can you work it into your schedule?

Drink a lot of coffee and water so that you have to stop a lot and stroll around when you do. Cross-country road trips seem to be when people discover they are prone to DVT.

A cooler and a few things to make your own snacks and lunches are nice to keep from eating badly.

It actually sounds like a pretty darn good plan. Have fun!

We drove from Monterey to Philly in Feb/March 2016. We also had a dog with us, so we stayed at the cheaper places and did about 500 a day every day. From where we picked up I-40 in Barstow to Knoxville, then up I-81. Can't say much about it. We were lucky to have no rain and 60 degree days all the way cross country. Smooth trip, not much to see from Texas east, tho the trip on I-81 is very pretty.

Stop often and walk around. Helped to have a dog with us to make that happen!

Waffle House. Yum, pecan waffles. Nothing else came close.

We did this a few years ago -- well, more than a few years ago. Our kids were 12 and 15, so it was eight years ago. Thoughts:

- We started with the idea of renting an RV, but when we got down to the budgeting, we realized hotels were a better option. The RV rental was outrageous, and it would've required so much gas. Plus it wouldn't have been much fun to drive that big thing through cities, and campgrounds aren't always located near the attractions we wanted to see ... we were quite pleased with our option to stay in hotels. My husband carefully planned his business trips for "the right hotels" and racked up reward points for about two years before, and I worked hard at winning the best Priceline hotels ... in the end, the cost was reasonable. We splurged on a suite or connecting rooms or a cabin in the national parks every couple days ... alternating small spaces with enough room to spread out worked well for us and our teens.

- We actually did a drive-and-fly ... and our first stop in Las Vegas was Walmart, where we purchased a big cooler and sandwich makings. We tended to eat breakfast at the hotel (LOVE hotels that include breakfast in the room price), then we'd eat one meal out and one meal from the cooler. I brought with me from home a cutting board and sharp knife for sandwich making. It was a good compromise between healthy - good taste - and economy. At the end of our trip, we abandoned the cooler in our last Las Vegas hotel, and I'm sure someone on the staff took it home.

- We tried not to plan two heavy driving days back-to-back. The kids are troopers, but they have their limits. On days I knew would be heavy driving days, I tried to plan a hotel with a pool or some other physical activity for the evening -- worked well for everyone. I don't care to drive, but my husband loves it -- I didn't drive a single mile of our almost-a-month trip. I think 500 miles a day is too much.

- We tried to plan some activities that appealed to everyone: For example, in Denver we saw a Rockies game and went to the Mint for my husband, attended a rock concert for the kids, visited the coolest bookstore ever for me, and saw several historical sites for all of us. Left to our own devices, my husband and I would've seen more historical sites and would've hiked more ... but we tempered our desires with water parks and shopping sites because happy kids are more important than the number of battlefields you see.

- If national parks are a part of your plan, definitely plan to buy the Parks Pass -- is it called the America the Beautiful Pass? -- at your first park. Do not buy it ahead of time because it's good for one year from the purchase -- not the first use. It was a great deal for us because we used it heavily for that trip, lent it to my best friend (you're allowed to have two names on the back of the pass, and only I signed it ... yet the pass allows your whole family to enter the parks), and then the next year -- only days before it expired -- we used it to visit old forts in Puerto Rico. If you're over 65 (or is it 60?), you can get a better pass that never expires.

- We each had one rolling carry-on suitcase, and I washed clothes every 3-4 days (which turned into a chore)... but if I were to do it again, I'd pack differently: I'd have everyone pack in a mash-able duffle bag, and I'd have a plastic bin for dirty clothes. Every time we stopped at a hotel, we each had our assignment to get in/out quickly: Everyone handled his or her own suitcase ... Dad carried the big cooler, I carried the cardboard box that held our bread, chips, paper products. The kids brought in everyone's car-ride tote bags. After a day or two, in/out was quick and efficient.

- A financial mistake I made: I cashed in credit card points for restaurant gift cards ... only to find that the chain restaurants we have here in the South just weren't available on the road. We used few of them.

- Our single biggest money saver was the cooler /bottled water and other drinks. We never bought a single soda for the road, and we had drinks ready for the hotel in the evenings.

- I spent two years planning our trip, and I had a great big notebook full of maps, printed hotel confirmations, tickets, and more ... In the almost-a-month trip, we never took a wrong turn and never had any trouble with our reservations. In contrast, when I was waiting to check us into the cabins at the Grand Canyon /North Rim, the man ahead of us was VERY UPSET because his reservation was for June 3 ... he was trying to check in on July 3. Bummer, dude. Planning pays.

- Another mistake I made: We packed shorts-outfits, one pair of jeans each, and hiking boots ... but not jackets or sweatshirts. In Yellowstone we experienced a two-day COLD FLASH in July, and I was forced to buy $60 sweatshirts for everyone.

Enjoy your trip! We certainly loved ours, and everyone either said, "We did that with our kids! or We intended to do that, but we never did."

Our DD lived 11 hours away last year. It was all interstate thankfully so the driving wasn't too bad. I second the thought on leaving early but also look at route for the day to try to avoid rush hours. I made adult "lunchables". I would cut up hard cheese, salami, ham, etc. We would eat that on the road and not take time out for lunch. This would then let us get there earlier and have a nice meal for dinner.

DD just got married and moved about 90 minutes away. It was fun visiting S Dakota but much nicer to have them close.

Keep us updated. It sounds fun.

Been there, done this. I have driven from Southern CA to MA, no other adult in the car, 5 cats, 1 dog, 1 12 yr old child. Whew! Thank God, I was young! We did have a break of a couple of days in Springfield, MO (where my parents lived), and a day/night in St Louis. All I can say is that it's a trade-off to just drive and get it over with, and go more slowly and not be ready to die upon arrival. I've done long drives both ways - I still haven't totally figured it out. But if my husband were still living and if we were driving with no pets (which would NEVER happen), I'd probably take a more leisurely approach.

I've never taken a long "driving vacation" in this country. I've done some in England and Scotland - doing lots of sightseeing, following a small interesting-looking country road - but not in the US. I've always been going from Point A to Point B.

I would say build in some serious flexibility. If you're tired, stop. If you find something interesting and want to spend more time, stop. But if you find that you just want to get there, then do just this.

Thanks all for your great comments!

We are definitely bringing a cooler with lunch and snacks. We are not fast food people. No pets with us to force breaks, we'll do that on our own. Our cat is staying in PA with our early 20's children to keep them company. :-)

I tried to keep our schedule flexible, but our stay in the Grand Canyon is fixed. We got the last cabin at one of the NPS lodges and couldn't pass it up.

This isn't really a driving vacation. It's getting us and our stuff to CA with a few scenic stops along the way. We'll be flying home to PA for Christmas and flying back to CA in January.

I love hearing your stories! Keep them coming!

I made a three-day trip this summer to see the eclipse. The dog prevented us from eating in restaurants. I wish I had thought to bring plates, silverware, a good knife and a serving spoon.

I've done the Texas to the west coast numerous times and you'll love the freedom of being able to stop along the way. I often do a check on Waze to see if there is any construction or road issues near major cities.

A word of warning on a stop in Amarillo. It is a cattle town and often has a rich aroma. I'm not sure what sightseeing you might want to do there, but I'd keep that in mind. Just south of town is a beautiful state park, Palo Duro if you are looking for a scenic stopover.

Enjoy your trip!

Audiobooks! Harry Potter is really a stellar listen, each book is about 20 hours. Memoirs are interesting. We lean toward entertainers: Julie Andrews, Carol Burnett, Billy Crystal were delightful. Also AJ Jacobs books (though his voice starts to grate). What If by Randall Munroe for short changes of pace. Disappearing Spoon (when knew the periodic table of elements could be so intriguing?) Charles Dickens and John Steinbeck for more literary selections (Gary Sinise reading Steinbeck is a good match, we especially enjoyed Travels with Charley).

Have crunchy cold food, like sliced carrots and celery, for a refreshing driving snack. Pink Lady apples last a few days sliced without browning if you keep them cold. Altoids perk you up, too.

Enjoy the trip!

We’v done many road trips and never make advance hotel reservations UNLESS we have a specific popular hotel we really want to stay in. No reservations gives flexibility to how many miles to drive each day. Plus, with all the chains, one can always get a room. We quit a day’s driving around 5pm and then got a hotel.

Breaks and a cooler are a must!

We tried no reservations once. There were no hotel rooms all the way across South Dakota--Sturgis bikers rally--and then across Nebraska--state fair. We ended up sleeping in the car at a roadside campground at 3am when we could not safely drive any farther. Thankfully, we were in our twenties with no kids and had borrowed my dad's explorer. Never again will I hit the road without reservations.

If you are stopping in Van Buren, Ar, (albeit a sweet little town) I suggest that you do a little rerouting to stay in Bentonville Ar about 50 miles to the north so you can check out Chrystal Bridges. Well worth a slight detour.

Crystal Bridges

Definitly a bucket list place to visit and you will be so close!

Edited to add, I agree with Amy about Amarillo. We ended up there on a detour from Colorado and it is not a place I would voluntarily visit again. The aroma is pungent.

CRL, that sounds miserable. Maybe a compromise; make reservations the day before. Then at least you'd have known to reroute or stay put! (with the exception of the GC, i know how tough those rooms are)

Crl, sounds like a youthful adventure to me!

Driving 18 hours in one day, driving through the night fighting to stay awake long enough to find a safe place to stop, and sleeping in a car at a campground twenty feet from the interstate is miserable not youthful adventure in my book. Twenty years later and I still remember how unhappy we both were. Reservations all the way. I would make them at places with no cancellation penalties if possible. Then you could always call ahead and rearrange if you want to drive farther or stop short.

If you're over 65 (or is it 60?), you can get a better pass that never expires.

It's 62. But alas, the price went way up this year, from $10 to $80. However, in addition to free entrance it also gives you half price on most nat'l park camping, boat launching, and so on, so if you visit many parks or camp, it may still be worth it. Only one person in the car has to have one for the whole car to be free.

https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/senior-pass-changes.htm

I'm also big on audiobooks, especially the Nero Wolfe mysteries read by Michael Pritchard and the Agatha Christies read by Hugh Fraser.

You can make reservations the day of, too. I could figure out before noon how far we'd go and then call ahead. No need to get too crazy about it. But yes, check your route to see what major events are in your path in the time frame, like the motorcycle rally or the state fair.

Never once made a reservation ahead of time on a road trip, even when staying over in a very busy, populated area (Anaheim/Disneyland) and never had an issue finding a room for the night. You may not be getting deluxe accommodations but you can get clean and comfortable adequate for a short overnight stay at most of the chains.

I second (or third) the suggestion about audiobooks. A great way to pass the miles!! If you are into music, a road trip play list is also a great idea. I like me some travelling music!!

Yes, I never make reservations. It's a bore when you have to drive another 100 miles to find a room, as happened to me once when there was a Springsteen concert in the town where I planned to stop, but then I made the acquaintance of a very charming town that wasn't even on my radar. Just go with the flow if you have the kind of personality that doesn't find that stressful.

These are all great suggestions. Don't know what to do about Amarillo. Never considered the smell... LOL! There isn't a whole lot across Rt. 40 in the TX panhandle and we'd be hitting Amarillo just about 4pm. It was just a stop over.. have dinner and sleep. We'll play that one by ear(or nose!).

My plan was to book hotels in the morning after planning out that days driving. Great tip about checking events along the way! I joined a couple of hotel chains rewards clubs, so we could accumulate points towards our trip back east in the spring. Crl_ ... I agree, that does not sound like a good adventure! We've set our days in the software to start at 9am and end at 4pm. This was to give us a good amount of flexibility of where to stop. The program suggests stopping points based upon those parameters.

I like audio books.. my dh.. not so much. I've pulled a good number of CD's from our extensive collection to bring. We'll have lots of good music to listen to.

My dh turns 62 in March of next year, so we missed the great NPS senior pass deal. It's still a good deal at $80. We'll wait till his birthday to buy one for next years trip. This time we'll only really be visiting the Grand Canyon.

Amarillo is a great town. The whole town does not smell usually. But, there is a feed lot several miles west of the city limits, literally right on the south side of I-40 at mile marker 252. Been through there dozens of times. All you need to do is turn the car's ventilation system on recirculate until you're well past it and you'll be ok. Don't make the mistake, though, of not paying attention and get to it with your car's windows down. You will regret it for many miles afterwards, if you do! Put your ventilation system on recirculate and close the windows as soon as you reach the western city limits of Amarillo.

As far as Santa Fe goes, a great place (iconic, really) to eat lunch is The Shed. Easy to walk to, right off the Plaza. Tomasita's for a great New Mexican dinner, where locals eat. We love it, and the food is wonderful! Geronimo's on Canyon Road for a pricey, wonderful gourmet dinner with drop-dead gorgeous atmosphere. Ask to be seated in their back room, if you go. Or, Harry's Roadhouse for great everything. El Farolito is a really lovely B&B, close enough to walk to The Plaza. We've stayed there ourselves twice and love the place. One place that we've consistently had bad service for dinner is the Santacafe. Very crowded, with barely enough room to walk through. Very noisy with rude, inattentive waiters. Don't waste your time or your money there, IMO!

We did an extended road trip some years ago with another couple. NC to Sturgis, then south through the western states. The boys rode their bikes, the girls drove the car. Since our trip was most of three weeks, we were NOT going to eat out that much! I packed what I called the kitchen suitcase, with a small electric skillet, tableware and a few basics. We also had a crock pot, as we stayed in one place for a few days. We really enjoyed cooking basic meals in, saving the money and calories of eating out.

And I'm sure the other guests enjoyed the day we put hot dogs and sauerkraut in the crock pot! Uh....oops. That was a little fragrant.

Czarinalex-what is the software you mentioned? I'm going to be living bicoastal and have to drive back and forth between the Jersey Shore and LA few times a year because of my dog. The software sounds interesting for planning.

Lynn... thanks for weighing in re Amarillo and Santa Fe. Really looking forward to seeing Santa Fe. First time... I appreciate the restaurant tips!

cleo07 - the website(not an app) is www.furkot.com It's free to signup and use. There isn't any advertising which is nice... they make their money if you book hotels through the site. It can be a little confusing... easy to click on the map and accidently add a detour to your trip. I did that and then couldn't figure out why suddenly our arrival date was 3 days longer. It's not an app, but I will using it in the web browser of my phone and tablet while on the road.