Apps that help schedule driving breaks

[slappy magoo]

Hey there hi there ho there...
I know I'm describing this poorly. But is there a feature in any of the Android based driving apps where, after you type in your destination and choosing your route, you can then specify something like "I want to take 'x' breaks along the way" and then the app divides the distance by breaks and specifies where you'd be at each intended stop?
Current plan to save some cash is to leave at night, drive straight thru, using points for an add'l night on property vs driving during the day and stopping midway. Done it plenty of times before but a - we're getting up there and b - I'm on meds that, quite frankly, make me pee way more than I used to. We're about 1050 miles away. So I figure we can drive 10%of the way every 90 minutes, then a 15 min break, at least during the overnight, to keep head alert and bladder empty. But I'd like an app that says "in 105 miles you'll be here, at 210 you'll be here" etc, and from there I can look for appropriate places to stop overnight.
Thanks in advance

 

[LeighM]

Hey there hi there ho there...
I know I'm describing this poorly. But is there a feature in any of the Android based driving apps where, after you type in your destination and choosing your route, you can then specify something like "I want to take 'x' breaks along the way" and then the app divides the distance by breaks and specifies where you'd be at each intended stop?
Current plan to save some cash is to leave at night, drive straight thru, using points for an add'l night on property vs driving during the day and stopping midway. Done it plenty of times before but a - we're getting up there and b - I'm on meds that, quite frankly, make me pee way more than I used to. We're about 1050 miles away. So I figure we can drive 10%of the way every 90 minutes, then a 15 min break, at least during the overnight, to keep head alert and bladder empty. But I'd like an app that says "in 105 miles you'll be here, at 210 you'll be here" etc, and from there I can look for appropriate places to stop overnight.
Thanks in advance

I'm not aware of that feature on my Android phone. But, my overactive bladder, requires that I stop at every single rest stop between our departure in Virginia and arrival in Orlando LOL. When we drove, we left early morning, stopped for a sit down lunch near NC/SC border (SC had the worst rest stops FYI), and stopped for the night in Brunswick, GA. We would sleep in bc it was usually only a 3 hour drive from there to WDW. Still stopping at every rest stop much to my husband's annoyance

 

[celluloid]

I am not aware of any but there are probably some decent road trip apps. What is your route if you don't mind me asking?

Also, I feel like I have not seen you posted on here in ages, I hope you are well.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Fellow Jersey shore person here…huge rest stop on 95 in Delaware, 2 good ones in Maryland on 95 also. After you get into Virginia, I’m not sure what is on the highway, we always got off and ate in Fredericksburg, VA, big Wawa and awesome BBQ restaurant called Allmans right on Rt. 1, 15 minutes off 95. Just take into account that 95 can be a parking lot between Baltimore thru DC if you must factor rest stops in. Plenty of exits and places(gas & food) if you need them. Once you get into NC and south, there are state run rest stops on 95, but as was said, SC was a little shifty…NC locations were good. The last time we made that trip (10 years ago), we did it in about 18 hours door to door not rushing, but averaging about 75-80 mph.
Don’t laugh or knock it, but Depends CAN be your friend just in case…either way, enjoy the trip and good luck!!

 

[slappy magoo]

I am not aware of any but there are probably some decent road trip apps. What is your route if you don't mind me asking?

Also, I feel like I have not seen you posted on here in ages, I hope you are well.

Thanks cell. I have been low key to the point of no key for awhile. Haven't been going to WDW for a few years, got sidetracked with everything else. Things...could be better, I ranted about it elsewhere. But hoping to take the family's minds off of things for at least a short while with this trip. Our trip is nothing outrageous, we're close to the NJ Turnpike so it's mostly a straight shot down 95 with the usual reroute away from driving through DC, then hit i-4. But as I wrote, we're doing a lot of driving at night. My wife would prefer we just drive as much as possible. So would I, but worried about not just our aging bladders but the need to stretch and wake up along the way...the need to ingest some caffeine...which will result in the need for more stops, it's a vicious circle.

Here's the odd story...last time we drove straight down was in 2016. My best friend had recently passed. I spoke at his memorial. He had been a circus clown, had performed with Ringling and Big Apple and toured the US and Japan. He had also been a standup, had eclectic tastes, was a bit of a ball buster. So when I write "I spoke at his memorial" what I really did was host an open mic night/roast in his honor with over a dozen speakers...monologues...jugglers. But there were a lot of laughs to go with the tears, everyone was pleased and when it was over I was relieved an exhilarated enough that I asked my wife to forgo our original plans of starting the drive the next morning, stop midway etc. I told her I'm not going to be able to sleep so let's just drive. And so we did. Got the kids in the car at 12:30, I drove all night without needing to break because I was still so happy things went off without a hitch. It's just under 1050 miles door to door without traffic, so it takes about 15 solid hours driving plus stops. I was able to do it in under 17. It was literally the least amount of traffic I've ever seen in all our times making that drive. So now we're chasing that dragon, and TBH I think I'll need more breaks this time.

I just started doing the math on my own, hit-or miss along the way and came up with the following stops based on the reviews they got on gasbuddy and whether or not those reviews are based on clean restrooms and good lighting...except for Buc-ees, because...it's buc-ees. Assuming a 15 minute break for bathroom or gas or stretch legs or some combo of the 3 for all but 2 of the stops


Stop 1: Maryland House Travel Plaza 1h39m (103m)

Stop 2: Wawa 9 S Gateway Drive Fredericksburg VA 2h4m (121m) 4.7 rating gasbuddy. I'd anticipate refueling here, it'll probably be between 12:30-1am, late but not crazy late, and that should prevent us from needing to refuel again until the first Buc-Ees.

Stop 3: Sheetz 1500 Julian Rallsbrook Hwy 2h10m (143mi) 4.4 rating gasbuddy

Stop 4: Pilot Fuel Center 3948 Hodges Chapel Rd Dunn NC 1h 26m (99mi) 4.2 rating gasbuddy

Stop 5: Buc-Ees Florence SC 1h 31m (104mi) (this will probably be around breakfast time, so anticipate a 30min break to get food_

Stop 6: Love’s Travel 8436 Ford Ave Richmond Hill GA 2h 44m (194mi) 4.5 rating gasbuddy

Stop 7: Buc-ees 200 World Commerce Pkway St Augustine 2h10m (149mi) (this will probably be around lunch time, so again, a 30min break for food)

Final stop Animal Kingdom Kidani Village 2h 3m (135mi)

Barring slowdowns or more stops, I figure it's a 17.5-18h trip.

 

[celluloid]

This is really dumb, but have you ever thought about Amtrak? I did it once and didn't love.it but I had a thing against flying for awhile and did it

With cost and all the stops it's probably not too feasible.

I do know it does not seem clithe but they make on the go things now pretty easy for long road trips. My dad was on meds and he went from being a guy who could drive states to having to stop a lot more often.


Reading through your plan sounds just as good as any all could give you.

Sometimes we would put a figure on about how many.trip.miles.we.coios.get for.hakf a tank of the vehicle and use that as our gauge for stops.

Whatever works out, and I know it will, I am glad.you are getting to go!

 

[slappy magoo]

Fellow Jersey shore person here…huge rest stop on 95 in Delaware, 2 good ones in Maryland on 95 also. After you get into Virginia, I’m not sure what is on the highway, we always got off and ate in Fredericksburg, VA, big Wawa and awesome BBQ restaurant called Allmans right on Rt. 1, 15 minutes off 95. Just take into account that 95 can be a parking lot between Baltimore thru DC if you must factor rest stops in. Plenty of exits and places(gas & food) if you need them. Once you get into NC and south, there are state run rest stops on 95, but as was said, SC was a little shifty…NC locations were good. The last time we made that trip (10 years ago), we did it in about 18 hours door to door not rushing, but averaging about 75-80 mph.
Don’t laugh or knock it, but Depends CAN be your friend just in case…either way, enjoy the trip and good luck!!

Thanks. Don't know if you noticed the co-ink-a- but I posted that the Wawa in Fredericksburg is now one of my intended stops. I had no idea how big it was, but gasbuddy says it's clean and well-lit, so for the time of night we'll be there, that's what we need. Based on my current plans, we'd likely hit the 495 Beltway around midnight, and hoping that will be late enough to bypass most bad traffic barring accidents. My wife will likely want to leave earlier than I want, but part of my wanting to leave a little earlier is based on how much I know she loves kidani. We're only there for 1 night before moving to GF, so I want her to get as much savannah time as we can.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

It’s a nice, clean Wawa…when I used to drive to Raleigh with my Suburban, that was the half way Point so that’s where we’d always fill up…don’t forget Allman’s BBQ…best I ever had…only 10 minutes away from Wawa

 

[slappy magoo]

This is really dumb, but have you ever thought about Amtrak? I did it once and didn't love.it but I had a thing against flying for awhile and did it

With cost and all the stops it's probably not too feasible.

Thanks celluloid. We've done the AutoTrain 2x, once round trip when Slapperina was a baby, and once 5 years ago, just southbound. First trip we had our own private room with a bathroom. They still allowed smoking on the train back then and our car was by the lounge so it stunk all night. Plus the baby was so off her routine I literally had to hold her all night, forgoing most sleep myself, to keep her calm, both directions. 2nd trip, now with 2 kids, we used a lot of points to get a room with private bath for wife and kids, and I was nearby in a roomette. But this was when Slapperina was dealing with undiagnosed T1D. She felt sick all day and night, didn't know why, drank tons of water, and then needed the bathroom constantly. So again, no sleep was had for everyone else, but I didn't know about any of it till the next morning. So my wife's pretty anti-AutoTrain now, and it has gotten WAY more expensive, and I need to keep costs down so that puts the kibosh on that. Coach seating is about the same price as driving, but my wife would still want a room, so we'd need 2. If I ever traveled solo, I'd be ok with a coach seat.

 

[celluloid]

Thanks celluloid. We've done the AutoTrain 2x, once round trip when Slapperina was a baby, and once 5 years ago, just southbound. First trip we had our own private room with a bathroom. They still allowed smoking on the train back then and our car was by the lounge so it stunk all night. Plus the baby was so off her routine I literally had to hold her all night, forgoing most sleep myself, to keep her calm, both directions. 2nd trip, now with 2 kids, we used a lot of points to get a room with private bath for wife and kids, and I was nearby in a roomette. But this was when Slapperina was dealing with undiagnosed T1D. She felt sick all day and night, didn't know why, drank tons of water, and then needed the bathroom constantly. So again, no sleep was had for everyone else, but I didn't know about any of it till the next morning. So my wife's pretty anti-AutoTrain now, and it has gotten WAY more expensive, and I need to keep costs down so that puts the kibosh on that. Coach seating is about the same price as driving, but my wife would still want a room, so we'd need 2. If I ever traveled solo, I'd be ok with a coach seat.i

I get it. I was just thinking of all options. Sounds like you got the best idea so far.


I would always be down for a huddle house or south of the border for such a drive too, but I know stopping too long is not really a goal either.

 

[slappy magoo]

I would always be down for a huddle house or south of the border for such a drive too, but I know stopping too long is not really a goal either.

My wife is not very mysterious, but the first time we ever drove down (our second trip, the first trip we flew down but drove back in a rental car due to a hurricane closing the airport and parks), we decided to stop at SOtB. We allowed ourselves plenty of time to stop and lounge along the way, have sit down meals, maybe even hit an outlet mall or two. So when we got to SOtB we made a pit stop, then when we saw each other again I asked if she wanted to get some lunch and look around. She was white in a sheet, and just said in a quiet but forceful voice "we need to leave...right...now." To this day she won't articulate what she saw in the bathroom to make her freak out like that but she assures me she will never, ever, even on a dare, go back.

 

[celluloid]

My wife is not very mysterious, but the first time we ever drove down (our second trip, the first trip we flew down but drove back in a rental car due to a hurricane closing the airport and parks), we decided to stop at SOtB. We allowed ourselves plenty of time to stop and lounge along the way, have sit down meals, maybe even hit an outlet mall or two. So when we got to SOtB we made a pit stop, then when we saw each other again I asked if she wanted to get some lunch and look around. She was white in a sheet, and just said in a quiet but forceful voice "we need to leave...right...now." To this day she won't articulate what she saw in the bathroom to make her freak out like that but she assures me she will never, ever, even on a dare, go back.

Creepy. The place is supposedly haunted but sadly this feel this was a bad bad experience
The place has definitely has ebb and flow.

 

[LeighM]

Fellow Jersey shore person here…huge rest stop on 95 in Delaware, 2 good ones in Maryland on 95 also. After you get into Virginia, I’m not sure what is on the highway, we always got off and ate in Fredericksburg, VA, big Wawa and awesome BBQ restaurant called Allmans right on Rt. 1, 15 minutes off 95. Just take into account that 95 can be a parking lot between Baltimore thru DC if you must factor rest stops in. Plenty of exits and places(gas & food) if you need them. Once you get into NC and south, there are state run rest stops on 95, but as was said, SC was a little shifty…NC locations were good. The last time we made that trip (10 years ago), we did it in about 18 hours door to door not rushing, but averaging about 75-80 mph.
Don’t laugh or knock it, but Depends CAN be your friend just in case…either way, enjoy the trip and good luck!!

I'm from VA. Lately, traffic on 95 between Fredericksburg and Richmond has been horrible. All the interstates actually. I think traffic is up this time of year because colleges are starting back up and families are getting freshman set up in their dorms for orientations. At least that's all I can figure out LOL. But there are also state run bathrooms in VA on the interstates. Some have been closed for repairs and they have port-a-potties set up. Not sure if I can post it but here is the link to the rest stops in Virginia - https://www.virginiadot.org/travel/map-rest-area.asp. If it doesn't show up, just Google VDOT rest areas. It might help you plan. And I always pick up a map at every state welcome center so that I can plan ahead in case of emergencies. There have been places I haven't gotten cell service and those old school paper maps came in very handy LOL.

 

[TiggerDad]

Not sure if it’s on Android, but I use the iExit app. It doesn’t plan out stops like you are looking for, but it’s great for impromptu stops. It will tell you what amenities are at each exit, including rest areas. One of my pet peeves is the roadside signs that say X restaurant is at the next exit, but when you get off, it’s a couple miles away and you waste a lot of time in traffic. Or the subsequent exit has better restaurants but the sign only tells you about this one.

 

[slappy magoo]

This is really dumb, but have you ever thought about Amtrak? I did it once and didn't love.it but I had a thing against flying for awhile and did it

With cost and all the stops it's probably not too feasible.

Thanks celluloid. We've done the AutoTrain 2x, once round trip when Slapperina was a baby, and once 5 years ago, just southbound. First trip we had our own private room with a bathroom. They still allowed smoking on the train back then and our car was by the lounge so it stunk all night. Plus the baby was so off her routine I literally had to hold her all night, forgoing most sleep myself, to keep her calm, both directions. 2nd trip, now with 2 kids, we used a lot of points to get a room with private bath for wife and kids, and I was nearby in a roomette. But this was when Slapperina was dealing with undiagnosed T1D. She felt sick all day and night, didn't know why, drank tons of water, and then needed the bathroom constantly. So again, no sleep was had for everyone else, but I didn't know about any of it till the next morning. So my wife's pretty anti-AutoTrain now, and it has gotten WAY more expensive, and I need to keep costs down so that puts the kibosh on that. Coach seating is about the same price as driving, but my wife would still want a room, so we'd need 2. If I ever traveled solo, I'd be ok with a coach seat.

So, with the intense heat this summer, I didn't expect hell to have partially frozen over, but here we are...

First back story - last trip we took 5 years ago, my wife first applied for an Amtrak mastercard. The introductory offer included so many bonus points, it paid for us to take Auto Train down with a bedroom with toilet/shower AND a roomette - we only had to pay for the car. And it was a great deal, we only had to remember to CANCEL THE CARD WHEN WE WERE DONE USING IT.

Flash forward to yesterday. I was on Facebook - BECAUSE I AM OLD - and an ad popped up for Amtrak's flash sale for the AutoTrain, but only northbound. I checked it out, and as per my expectations, if we traveled coach, the four of us plus the car, would only be $350, about as much as we'd pay to drive that many miles plus an overnight stay. But again, I didn't think my wife would go for it.

AS IF ON CUE, Slappette called me on the way home from getting Disney and back to school supplies, and expressed concern for the drive back, not there, just back. I pointed out what I just saw on line, and that's when she hit we with 2 pieces of news
1: She never canceled the card. She kept the balance low-to-nothing, but she kept forgetting to cancel it.
2: She used it for groceries "a little bit" during lockdown. Again, she kept paying it off, so we weren't paying crazy interest, but still, she used it.

So she came home and looked up her account, and she used a little bit more than a little bit. We had enough points to cover the cost for 4 of us in 2 roomettes and the car. So even she agreed it made sense to do it.

Now I'm not tricking myself into thinking this trip is "free," we essentially pre-paid it by keeping the card active and I'm sure we had some interest carry over a few times. Nonetheless, for a trip where I was desperately looking for any kind of break, now most of the trip home is no longer out of pocket. Our rooms include dinner as well as continental breakfast. And we should still be home the same time as we would have been had we driven.

I'll take it.