Unless you live on an island, and a small one at that, you’ve probably had occasion to drive at least a few hours non-stop. On a proper road trip, perhaps your driving stints go as long as six hours, assuming you’ve got a co-driver to switch off with.
But what about really big solo hours? Not necessarily alone in the car, but a single driving session where you didn’t relinquish the wheel? Perhaps you’ve gone eight or ten hours.
Or even longer?
Mind you, I’m not trying to determine who among us has the biggest fuel tank and/or bladder. Ya gotta stop for gas and the call of nature, and while that may count as a leg-stretching, it’s not a proper break if you just gas up, hit the head, and grab a snack that you only unwrap once you’re back on the interstate. Side note: If you’re picking up a brisket sandwich at Bucc-ee’s, I recommend you just take the extra 15 minutes to eat it in the parking lot or else you’ll be wearing it.
The longest I’ve gone with only quick gas and/or drive-thru stops is about ten hours, in an effort to make up time when the first two legs of a Dallas to Newport, RI road trip took longer than expected. After that much wheel time, I’m just too tired to keep going. I don’t really fall asleep, but my brain does this weird thing where there’s a lag between what I’m seeing and what I’m doing. Maybe it’s a sleeping-with-eyes-open thing. Anyway, that’s when I ask my wife to take over or ask Waze to find a motel.
Your turn: what’s the longest you’ve gone/can go in a non-stop driving session?
Top graphic image: DepositPhotos.com
Between fuel stops the max for me is 4-5 hours – never had a car that could do more than that on a tank at highway speeds. With an EV now that’s about 2-3 hours which is much more comfortable (particularly for passengers with small bladders).
As far as a max without a significant break, my longest was about 13 hours in a day and I made that trip a few times. Even in my 20s that wiped me the heck out. I’m a wee bit older now and hopefully wiser so I’d try to figure something else out before doing that again.
Coming out of college many years ago. I was starting a new position in the company I was at that had me move from central Iowa to Salt Lake City. My boss at the time had moved out there and I asked how long the drive took. He said most people were making it in under 20 hours and would divide it up into two parts, but he usually could do it in his BMW in about 18 hours straight-through.
Challenge accepted. After having a break down on my first trip, I did the second in 15.5 hrs (that was the longest I’ve done), and just about cleared 15 hours even on the third. Nothing fancy, just steady driving mostly 10mph over the limit along with the fastest fuel stops I could muster including a quick trip to the restroom if absolutely necessary. My performance car at the time helping me best my boss’s BMW? A 1989 Cadillac Brougham – the tortoise wins again.
In recent years, the longest I go is from Orlando to Clarksville following the 12-hours of Sebring. It’s a roughly 12-hour drive, which I find to be a fun coincidence. Shout-out to my road-warrior wife and daughter who are both capable of making that trip with one stop in our ’94 Fleetwood (that was a one-time thing, we usually make two stops).
I guess my longest was Portlock Island Canada to Olive Branch, MS; 15-16 hours straight. I’ve done multiple 13 hour trips from Memphis, TN to Wake Forest, NC and did a 13+ hour trip from Murfressboro, TN to Miami FL.
I’m from Nashville. I went to college in Los Angeles. Junior year, 1985, I drove home for Summer break. I only had, if I recall correctly, $42 cash in my pocket for fuel and lodging, which meant I could only afford one night in a hotel. So, it was LA to Tucumcari the first day and Tucumcari to Nashville the second—about 17 hours and 16 hours respectively. I wish I could claim that there was some sort of life-affirming lesson in it, but no. God, I was just incredibly dumb. I wish I could claim to be smarter now, but I’d probably do it again if only I was physically capable.
“1000 Rooms In Tucumcari!”
“Tucumcari Tonight!”
Those were the billboards I saw about 10 years after you went through, but they looked like they’d been up for 10 years.
Longest in a day would be two trips from Louisville to NYC with my now ex boyfriend. Don’t remember the exact times, something like 12-14 hours each way. We always took my car because it was newer and more reliable, but it was a stick and he never learned. The first trip we started home late and stopped in West Virginia for the night. After being surrounded by concrete for a week, it was so refreshing to wake up and see the mountains and trees. Otherwise it was straight shots both times.
I would probably still do that today, even though I’m a decade older than I was the last time I had to drive that far. Or maybe not.
My second-dumbest drive was when I drove straight through from Atlanta, GA to Amherst, MA. That was roughly 18 hours.
The dumbest drive was the return trip, when I shoulda damn well known better and taken two days.
I only did that cannonball once– I might not have learned quickly, but I did learn. These days I usually don’t plan more than ten hours at a stretch– and usually less for a leg of a multi-day drive, for that I’ll plan eight but be willing to go further depending on how I feel when I’m looking for the evening’s lodging that afternoon.
I’m at the point I agree with you. I’ll still do 10hrs or so on a single leg, but cut down to 8-9 on a multi-day trip with no co-pilot.
me too
20ish hours going back to college in Springfield, Missouri from Houston, on the way back from Christmas break in my ’72 Pinto wagon with no heat and Firestone Deluxe Champion bias ply tires that did still have some tread left on them. It was sleeting in Houston, and the roads and weather didn’t get any better until nearly Dallas that afternoon. It started snowing heavily around Denison and didn’t let up for the rest of the trip, though it was easier to drive because fewer cars and less ice. The guy at the toll booth told me that I was the last person heading east on the Turner Turnpike before they shut it down.
I used to drive my old 95 Camry everywhere. I once decided to see if I could go a full tank of gas without stopping at all. It was about 500 miles, and took me and took me over 6 hours of nonstop highway driving.
As far as long stints with quick bathroom, gas, and snack stops, I used to drive Texas to Tampa quite often, which was right at 18 hours.
The longest with stops was from somewhere around Eureka, CA to Long Beach down the PCH. I was supposed to spend the Night in the Queen Mary, but my brother fell asleep before I arrived and wouldn’t answer the phone and the front desk wouldn’t tell me his room. So I got back on the PCH and headed south looking for a camp site since I had my tent with me. Unfortunately, I got just about all the way to San Diego before I gave up, turned around, and slept in my car at a park near the Queen Mary. Altogether, I hit the road around 7am that first morning, and then parked around 9am the next day, so 25 hours straight of driving with only stops for gas and bathrooms. I’m still mad at my brother for that one.
I don’t know if it’s the longest, but a couple of years ago I did about 12 hours from Nebraska to Moab while jet lagged. The first 11 hours were okay, the last one was a grind. I would have stopped and taken a nap but that close to Moab there’s nowhere to stop. I regret not stocking up on caffeine in Grand Junction, but at that point I still felt okay.
Cannot recommend 18 hours (I split it 6 and 12) of driving right after an international flight. IIRC, I got home late from the flight too because I missed my last connection and had to wait for a shuttle bus to take me the rest of the way. Work added a trip to Europe after I had already booked the Moab trip though, so I was kind of stuck. I stopped for a couple of nights in the Black Hills on the way home too. I think it ended up being about a 3000 mile road trip start to finish.
It depends on where you grew up. My North Dakota raised wife just did Wilmington Delaware to home and got as Elgin IL in one long day alone. She is hard core.
If we are talking potty break, then 5 hours in my late 40s. I probably could have pushed it longer in my 20s.
Phoenix, AZ nonstop to Seattle, WA. Only stopped for gas and bathroom breaks. I was in my 20’s
Used to drive from Eastern NC to Miami Florida which is about 13 hours. Luckily they raised the speed limit to 65 about the time I started doing this, when I was younger the trip took ~16 hours with my parents driving and the speed limit was 55, and one time it took around 25 hours when it snowed from NC to the middle of FL in 1989 (my stepfather drove for about 20 hours of that because he wouldn’t let me drive in the snow, but once we passed Jacksonville I took over because the snow stopped sticking to the road.)
Now I’ll do about 10-12 a day on a long trip, and plan stops accordingly.
Loaded question. Longest without stopping for fuel and potty or longest without stopping for the day.
Non stop 5-6 hours
Longest for the day 1200 miles so however long that was. (back in 55 mph days)
A few years ago I did a 5500 mile road trip with most days 10-12 hours.
The older I get the more I stick to 10hr max.
My limit for solo driving is somewhere in the 9-10 hour range. I drove from central Maryland to central Indiana to see the total eclipse in 2024. I was laid off the Thursday before and decided that I wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity. Left home at midnight, arrived in the tiny hamlet of Gaston, IN around 9:30am, ate breakfast at what I believe is the only restaurant in town (shout out, Mill Street Inn), then napped in the car until showtime. Well, I tried to nap. It was working well until the family with the noisy kids parked next to me. After the eclipse, I got dinner at that same restaurant, then drove back to MD. Total elapsed time, around 27 hours, thanks to construction delays on I-70 in the home stretch.
Many years ago I drove from San Diego to KC non stop. It was about 26 hours of driving only stopping for gas and food. Often at the same time. I did this again from LA to KC a few years later. More recently I have driven KC to Detroit in one go and then back after a few days. I also just driven KC to Colorado and back in the same day. I did that just about a week ago and have a drive back to CO this week of 9.5 hours.
I don’t mind long drives.
Longest day on a motorcycle was about 750 miles over 14 hours all non stop in a big loop. I do that once a year. One of these days I will find a reason to do an iron butt ride, but I haven’t had the time when it was not blisteringly (literality) hot out. The motorcycle I find mixed. Its physically harder, and I stick to non interstate when I can. I find it less tiring mentally and I’m less apt to drift when out in the world and not in the AC/Heat of the car.
27 hours between Cooperstown NY & Golden CO. Only once, never again.
Dozens, perhaps a hundred 12-14 hr stints though. Very Doable if i focus on being chill and not get upset when other drivers are behaving badly
I used to regularly do 630 mile round trips in a long weekend to visit friends back home for a BBQ or birthday. Occasionally I’d push it on a normal weekend I was young and dumb. Without gas or bio breaks it’s 10.5 hours. Realistically including traffic or weather its a 12 hour drive.
I put 70,000 miles on my Dakota in 2.5 years this way.
I drove from NYC to LA in two days and 17 hours once. NYC to Chicago the first day, then to Denver the next, etc… I think I probably drove the better part of 18-20 hours straight during this trip (I had to get to Cali for a new job in Hollywood). I was in my 20s at the time, and it was a tiring but doable drive, even in a Mark 1 GTI, which was noisy with no radio and a hole in the exhaust.
The summer after college I did a solo, meandering, road-trip across the US. I made multiples rendezvouses with my then girlfriend, now wife, as she did a group bike trip from Baltimore to San Francisco. I picked her up in San Fran and did a more direct return drive, still driving the whole way as she was exhausted and slept the majority of the trip.
The longest single-day stretch was Norman OK to the Grand Canyon. I remember it being 14 hours but Google Maps is saying it’s 15, I may have exceeded the speed limits at times. I was driving my mom’s 1992 E320 Wagon, the perfect road trip car.
I once drove from Pittsburgh to Little Rock AR in a single 16+hour session. No co-driver, no stops for more than gas, food, or restroom. I was completely torched when I checked into my hotel. I just wanted food, booze and sleep.
A close second may be an essentially non-stop 12 hour run from Hilton Head to Pittsburgh with my (then below driving age) daughter.
In one direction, about six hours. This was a slow ride in the aftermath of a really big snowstorm, so I got pretty good mileage (2.5 I4, 5MT).
A couple years ago I did eight: four out and four back, stopping in the middle to pick up most of a motorcycle. The picking up was a break from driving but was more like actual work, so maybe we can call it half a break. 🙂
I did Cleveland to NYC and back in a day a few years ago to buy a bike. I think it was 9 hours there / 8 hours back. It sucked, but the bike (Honda RC51) was worth it
If a quick gas and potty doesn’t count, I guess 22hrs from Norfolk VA to New Orleans while in the Navy, around 1990 or so. I was much younger.
The most grueling was Drumheller, Alberta to Russell, Manitoba via Saskatoon on a motorcycle (as the crow flies that’s 500 miles; IDK how far or how long I really went, maybe 9 hours.) (Nine hours of Saskatchewan.)
Four wheel-wise had a gig that paid $1000 to drive from Cape Cod to San Diego, pick up a trailer and get back within 9 days. They paid gas but not lodging, so it was 8 nights sleeping in a Dodge 3500 and about 800 miles a day.