Driving long distance.... any advice?

[ngoni615]

I did Durban to Plett a year and a bit ago (before the Vid rolled in) with a few stops for coffee/lunch/etc along the way... 1100kms in about 14 hours or so. Its about as far as I would push a drive in a single stint, and I would not repeat it the following day.

So how many km would you think are reasonable when driving by yourself?considering fatigue and hunger?considering you would also need to drive the next day?

 

[ngoni615]

I do a trip from Jozi to Port Alfred often enough roughly 1100KM. I do that in one days stretch leave early roughly 4am get there around 4-5PM. Make sure you stop often enough I do on average 3 - 4 stops one way usually Kroonstad, Bloem, Aliwal and Queenstown. when you stop fill your car have a good break sitdown some where else other than your car to chow and grab hot foods even if it is a toasty IMHO. Highway Hypnosis is a real thing but enjoy the trip I would love to do the Nambia trip keep this thread updated as you travel.

Sure buddy. a lot of planning needs to be done. The guys in here told me so many things i had not factored into the planning. I wanna enjoy the trip and at the same time i do not wanna rush the driving as well since i will be driving all the way alone. I think i can manage to do 600km a day and resting so meaning it would be wise to make it a 4 day trip so that i get enough sleep and also enjoy the many places i will pass through.

 

[Geoff.D]

Depends on your age.
Assuming you have already taken all the advice given so far,
The furthest I travelled solo in one go due to a family emergency was Messina to Cape town, non stop.
Total madness, 27 hours.
Now if I was to have to do the same trip it would be chopped up into daylight driving, starting at the earliest allowed by curfew for a maximum of 8 hours with a minimum of two stop overs.

 

[geezer]

My longest non-stop trip was during my second year of my 2 years national service. I had a 7 day pass after returning from a three month's border stint and drove down from Phalaborwa to home in Sutherland which is close to 1700km. At the end of my pass I then drove back to Phalaborwa, starting out very early Sunday morning because I had to be back in base at 10PM. This was done with a 1976 VW Beetle, no luxuries in the car whatsoever! No A/C, no cruise control, no power steering. At least I had a car radio with a tape deck. To this day whenever I hear anything from Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut" I immediately think of this trip.

 

[RedViking]

Sometimes when you drive you just get into that zone, when you reach you destination, you have no idea what happened in between.

 

[ngoni615]

Depends on your age.
Assuming you have already taken all the advice given so far,
The furthest I travelled solo in one go due to a family emergency was Messina to Cape town, non stop.
Total madness, 27 hours.

damn man.... were you okay when you arrived? lol messina to capetown is over 2000km man.

 

[RedViking]

Depends on your age.
Assuming you have already taken all the advice given so far,
The furthest I travelled solo in one go due to a family emergency was Messina to Cape town, non stop.
Total madness, 27 hours.
Now if I was to have to do the same trip it would be chopped up into daylight driving, starting at the earliest allowed by curfew for a maximum of 8 hours with two stop overs.

Did you manage to solve the emergency? That's a long trip, specially if you stress all the way to there.

 

[ngoni615]

Sometimes when you drive you just get into that zone, when you reach you destination, you have no idea what happened in between.

I love freeways though....atleast i can let the car stretch its wheels lol.

 

[ngoni615]

My longest non-stop trip was during my second year of my 2 years national service. I had a 7 day pass after returning from a three month's border stint and drove down from Phalaborwa to home in Sutherland which is close to 1700km. At the end of my pass I then drove back to Phalaborwa, starting out very early Sunday morning because I had to be back in base at 10PM. This was done with a 1976 VW Beetle, no luxuries in the car whatsoever! No A/C, no cruise control, no power steering. At least I had a car radio with a tape deck. To this day whenever I hear anything from Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut" I immediately think of this trip.

hahahahah must have been so painful man with no ac and cruise control and power steering. I feel like Cruise control is the best thing that was ever done to a car. It is a very important feature. 1700km is quite a long drive man

 

[Nithan15]

Long distance driving is very relaxing
Make sure your seat is adjusted to the most comfortable position but also allows you best visibility, and the ability to do any avoidance maneuver if you need to.
Check the pressure on the spare tyre as well , this is mostly over looked and you only realize it when you need it, also make sure lock nut is in the car as well if fitted.
I do long distance at around 80-100KM/H or where the engine sounds relaxed and not working too hard this also assist with fuel economy.
things that you will need when driving should be easy to access like drinking water so you dont have your eyes off the road for alongtime.
Check your reservior for the window washer bottle as well if your car doesnt have the warning light to let you know it low.

 

[ToxicBunny]

So how many km would you think are reasonable when driving by yourself?considering fatigue and hunger?considering you would also need to drive the next day?

The answer to that is going to be how long is a piece of string unfortunately. It all depends on the intent of the drive etc etc.

For my trip to Plett, the trip was not important but the destination was since there was a limited time frame for the holiday and family from all over the world being together, so I was happy to do 1100kms in a single stint and just blast it from 3:30am.

If I was intending on doing a roadtrip to somewhere and had time on my hands, then the distance I was driving becomes a bit secondary and the trip itself becomes part of the holiday and gets treated as such, then I plan around the stops I want to make etc etc... I would say in that instance, I would want to cover around 400-500kms a day at least so that there was still ample time for the final destination as a holiday point, but still having enough time to enjoy the trip and the stop over points.

Granted you say you have a Chevy Cruze which is a nice enough vehicle, I'm personally not sure I could do 1100kms in a single stint in a vehicle like that. I did my Plett run in a 320D which is (in my opinion) is made for that sort of thing.

 

[Geoff.D]

Did you manage to solve the emergency? That's a long trip, specially if you stress all the way to there.

Most of the high ways were not there yet. There was no highway north of pta. No highway from JHB to bloem, and nothing south of that.
A bit between jhb and pta and from Paarl to CT. None of the major bypasses existed. Vehicle was a clapped out vw beetle.

 

[minkukel]

I would say max 6 hours driving if you are not used to long distance driving. start at about 7 in the morning, take an 30 minute break around 9, another at round about 12 and then the last 2 hours.

 

[minkukel]

Most of the high ways were not there yet. There was no highway north of pta. No highway from JHB to bloem, and nothing south of that.
A bit between jhb and pta and from Paarl to CT. None of the major bypasses existed. Vehicle was a clapped out vw beetle.

And a Beetle's lights were dimmer than a candle.

 

[Nithan15]

The talk in this thread is making me want to do a roadtrip now

 

[ToxicBunny]

The talk in this thread is making me want to do a roadtrip now

You ain't the only one on that front.

A nice month long trip up to Namibia and down to the Cape and then back up to Durbs would suit me just perfectly right about now.... it would also totally empty my bank account for the next year though.

 

[Nithan15]

You ain't the only one on that front.

A nice month long trip up to Namibia and down to the Cape and then back up to Durbs would suit me just perfectly right about now.... it would also totally empty my bank account for the next year though.

Would probably do a JHB to DBN trip next month, although thats not really a long distance trip it will have to do. The best part is thats a cheap trip esp drving a diesel

 

[geezer]

And a Beetle's lights were dimmer than a candle.

That's why I put spotlights on the Beetle during the time I was at home, before driving back. Driving the 110km from Matjiesfontein to Sutherland in the middle of the night can be a daunting experience, especially with all the small animals jumping from the side in front of the car. Then you need to have proper headlights.

 

[HunterNW]

And a Beetle's lights were dimmer than a candle.

Weren't those globes 6v ? Remember my mother's beatle.. like 2 parrafin lamps infront.

 

[HunterNW]

Sure buddy. a lot of planning needs to be done. The guys in here told me so many things i had not factored into the planning. I wanna enjoy the trip and at the same time i do not wanna rush the driving as well since i will be driving all the way alone. I think i can manage to do 600km a day and resting so meaning it would be wise to make it a 4 day trip so that i get enough sleep and also enjoy the many places i will pass through.

Decide on when/where you want to stop and sleep over, then go to Safari now or Lekkeslaap and see what's available in that area. Decide on Self catering/hotel/B&B etc. I like self catering, then buy at the local butcher, have a braai, plenty of whizza and a good nights rest.