14 replies to this topic

[Mamabear]

Ok so we have already established that Papa and I are nutters, and will travel mad distances for short amounts of time ... but...

What would you consider to be reasonable travel times for a day trip?

Papa and I had a wedding to attend yesterday, a 3 hour drive away in the country... it was a 5.30pm wedding. Most of the people we knew were heading down Friday afternoon, staying Friday Night and Saturday night and heading back sometime Sunday afternoon ... but with kids sport commitments we reasoned it was best for us to keep our Saturday morning commitments and watch the boys Water Polo finals, before getting ready and heading off just after lunchtime. AND then come home afterward rather than sleep over, to keep the Sunday Morning Ice Skating lesson.

We got home at 3am - after the 3hr drive home - and I am planning on a Nanna Nap this afternoon, but it was all good.

However I was unprepared for the amount of people who thought we were stark raving bonkers for driving there and back in the same day. It was a marginally tougher drive than there and back to Thredbo from Canberra in the day, but certainly do able.

What would be the biggest day trip you would consider?

[grungy-gonads]

I think that about sounds like the limit!

[muikabochi]

I think the most I have done is about 600km in the one day. It was too much, even with 2/3 of that on easy to drive expressways.

I was totally knackered for afew days after! Got up at 4am drove up to Fukushima, did lots of driving and sightseeing, got back late night. What a day.

I'm thinking of a few not quite as long day trips though for the 'green season'. Take advantage of the 1000 yen ETC expressways and I must admit to not being mad about just staying one night somewhere. One night is too short, you checkin, then checkout. I always feel the need to justify 2 nights to stay somewhere.

[Mamabear]

Yeah...this was about 600km's round trip.
I don't think I would cope with much further in the one day.

[iiyamadude]

Originally Posted By: muikabochi

Take advantage of the 1000 yen ETC expressways and I must admit to not being mad about just staying one night somewhere. One night is too short, you checkin, then checkout. I always feel the need to justify 2 nights to stay somewhere.

Same here. 1 night stay is too much of a rush and I try to avoid that.

I think the longest I have been is 650km day trip. It was on business and I really needed to get back so I didn't have much choice. I was certainly tired after all that driving, including 90 minutes crawling along at an average of 10kmh.

[rach]

I prefer driving a long way myself to being a passenger! I'm not a good passenger.

A few years back my parents went on some coach trip round Europe. I don't think I could cope with that no matter how 'luxurious' the coach was.

[panhead_pete]

800km and two surfs in a day to Margies....

[Metabo Oyaji]

Most of my skiing day trips are 3 hours each way. Won't do 4 without staying over, though.

[pie-eater]

3 would be a limit for me I reckon.

I'm not a good passenger either rach.

[TubbyBeaverinho]

4-5 hrs each way is it for me. Although I have done the night bus which takes 8 hours on the way up there (but only 4 on the way back )

[scouser]

Is that in a day TB? 12 hours.
That is what I call dedication.

[JA]

My sister lives about .5 hours drive away. We (+1 and I) go up there a couple of times a year for a visit. +1's family is 4+ hours away, we visit them also a couple of times a year. Usually stay a night but not often more than that.

A few times when I was on a board of management for a computer group, I drove upwards of 4.5 hours to go to a meeting a couple of weeks ago, had the meeting (2 hrs), and drove back home again.

[snowdude]

Well I have driven from Tokyo to shoudoshima in one day which is around 800klm, but to me that was fun as I love driving. When I was back in the UK it was nothing for me to get up in the morning get on my motorbike and go to scotland and back in a day (1000 miles 1600kl). So mamabear I don't think your trip was at all crazy.

[TubbyBeaverinho]

If I take the night bus Scouser, It leaves Ikebukuro at 11pm , gets to resort about 7am on average, ride until about 3pm, get on bus about 4 or 5pm that gets me back to Tokyo for about 9 or 10pm (then a 40 min train ride back to the Fuj).....sorry it takes about 5hrs on the way back. By the time I get home and crack open a beer I can just about keep my eyes open to finish it and crawl off to bed!

To be fair though I haven't used the night bus this year, been a couple of shink trips and a few more car trips than usual

[Man_In_Japan]

3 hrs one way is my max travel time by car. Train, perhaps 5hrs if I leave early.