<p>tiramisu - we could start a contest to see how many on this thread post on the drive vs. fly vs. train issue. I've spoken my piece on that and you've seen the pros and cons of each mode.</p>
<p>If you DO decide to drive, recommend strongly you use interesteddad's route. We travel this quite regularly, as my family is in DC area. It is the way to go. When it gets closer, if you're going to drive, we can help you with mapquest specifics and good times of day. I even know where to stop for lunch(!) (Rein's Deli in Hartford area).</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you will not be in shouting/winking/waving distance of Bill and Hillary. Sorry. :p</p>
<p>I'm not sure how I managed to get from Philadelphia to the New York Thruway (bypassing NYC) other than I figured if I kept heading north I'd wind up in New York somehow. In other words, avoid New Jersey.</p>
<p>As of now, I think I'll be flying in to Manchester, NH. I don't know how that'll play out because Southwest isn't letting me book that far in advance but that sounds the most reasonable.</p>
<p>I think that driving, though still tough, would be the best option. I think we could drive from Boston to Baltimore using interesteddad's route starting way early in the morning (3am on the west coast! Yes! ;)) so that we prepare for delays or arrive early and get some Baltimore visiting done. I think that having a car would be helpful during this part of the trip...we could easily (maybe not) drive from Baltimore to DC and then just park it in long-term storage somewhere. Getting a feel for using the Metro is important to me so I think we'll just use that the entire time we're in DC. Then we could drive to UMW before returning to BWI (I have a weird obsession with airports and BWI is my favorite, hah).</p>
<p>Re: Mary Washington, are there times of the day when I-95 isn't so busy? Three years ago, I went on a school trip to Washington DC and Williamsbury, VA and we stopped in Fredricksburg for dinner (Fudrucker's to be exact). At the time we were travelling, around 4pm, there was rather light traffic. Have things changed or was that an unusual scenario?</p>
<p>Be sure to check on the rental car surcharges for dropping off in a different state. Those surcharges may be more expensive than two plane tickets from Manchester to Baltimore. They can really stick it to you in certain cases.</p>
<p>The problem with ID's route is that you hit a different set of backups and many more toll booth delays. I've done both many a time, and came to loath the various stops and delays. Traffic on 287 is no picnic. It is also 20 miles longer.</p>
<p>The problem with the IP's idea of an early start from Boston is that they'll be going through Hartford and Waterbury during rush hour. Also, there is ongoing construction on I 84 between Hartford and Waterbury. This has caused huge backups the past few summers.</p>
<p>Road construction is the real wild card to summer travel, and can result in huge delays on this corridor, with its heavy traffic loads. If you still want to drive, good luck, but plan on a whole day for the trip. If you luck out with no big delays, which is not that unusual, you have bonus time.</p>
<p>Regarding I95 south of DC, my own experience is that the traffic load there is far more tolerable than the Wash-Bos corridor.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you still want to drive, good luck, but plan on a whole day for the trip.
[/quote]
Well, duh. </p>
<p>The question is, what type of time do you have to devote to the air trip? Let's say you take the 11 am flight Bos-BWI. Leave hotel ca. 8-8:30 am to arrive 2 hours ahead at Logan. Arrive BWI ca. 12:15pm. Collect luggage >1pm. Stand at rental car counter 1:15pm. Collect rental car 1:30pm best case. Leave BWI to head for JHU vicinity (surprise! there might be traffic) -2:15 best case. So, best case scenario, you've used 6+ hours for you "one hour" flight. That is a time savings from driving, I agree. But not much imo.</p>
<p>newmassdad - your experience with driving the route is way worse than mine (and I leave from Maine - 2 extra hours!). I'm driving it next week. Will report in.</p>
<p>tiramisu - put us out of our misery. Have you decided whether to drive/fly/train it? Then we can focus on - gasp - college search and interesting touring sidelights.</p>
<p>Just saw your most recent post. Sounds like you've decided. Plenty of time to decide departure hour for the drive from Boston. We try to arrive in Hartford area around 11:30-12:30 (see earlier beloved lunch recommendation). That would mean leaving Boston around 10? After traffic in both spots. Quick stop for lunch (sometimes we call ahead and get take-out to eat in car). Arrive Balto area 4:30 ish or so. Yes, you will experience some traffic. You'll live (bring good music/books on tape/read your beloved college guidebooks etc).</p>
<p>I think driving DC to UMW might be best as an evening thing. I find rush hour in greater DC area lasts almost all day (!). So do the drive around 7pm/8pm. Find your hotel, relax for the evening and be ready for the school visit in the am. IMO, 4pm would be about the worst time to drive.</p>
<p>H just rented from Budget, pick up Florida and drop-off Maine. No drop-off charge. He was pleasantly surprised. So do check on that. I also think you might drop off your car upon arrival in DC, rather than store it (can be expensive). Pick up another one - check the difference in costs both ways.</p>
<p>I've been pretty lucky with the western route. The odds of a tie-up are higher coming northbound as there are no tolls headed south/west across the Tappen Zee. And, recently, the construction tie-ups around Hartford have been eastbound. The tolls on the Garden State are a bit annoying, but I've encountered no tie-ups -- of course, I time it to hit that stretch mid-day in non-afternoon commute traffic.</p>
<p>I'm not sure it is longer for me. I live north of Boston near I-495, so unless I do something monumentally stupid like head south through Boston or around 128, I'm pretty much headed through Hartford regardless. A few extra miles is worth the added risk of major tie-ups on the Cross Bronx or the GW Bridge, or the Rutherford, NJ stretch. The Garden State avoids the most likely problem areas on the NJTP.</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong. I still find it a tiring 6+ hour drive to Philadelphia, especially because I've done it solo three of the four legs in the past 9 months. Thank God for Dan Brown and Grisham books on audio CD! A 12 hour thriller is just the ticket for a round-trip drive to Phila.</p>
<p>I'll drop in one more mention of the train. It's convenient, drops you right in town where you can get a bus/taxi, not the kind of hassle you'll have with airline travel, and you're not so completely exhausted when you get there, as you might be from 8++ hours of driving.</p>
<p>Sounds as if you've decided against it, but this is a reminder that it <em>is</em> a viable alternative. It's not just "fly vs drive": there's a 3rd option (4th if you wanted to consider bus, but that's not any better than driving, and in many ways, worse).</p>
<p>This year AMTRAK also had a special where one parent traveled free with high school students when visiting colleges. You may want to check it out.</p>
<p>I think that flying into Burlington, VT is an excellent starting point. Burlington is served by United, Continental, Delta, USAirways, Jet Blue, Independence Air and a few others. Burlington is a great place to catch your breath after the long travel day and is an incredible small city. Middlebury College is an easy 45 minute drive south of Burlington on route 7. When you leave Middlebury take route 7 south to route 4 in Rutland. Head east on route 4, through Woodstock, VT ( a great place to stop and look around) til you hit I-89 southbound. Obey the speed limit in Woodstock, they are very strict. At this point you are only 5 minutes from Dartmouth College if you want to take a peek. Continue south on I-89 to I-93 south to Boston. Have fun.</p>
<p>Here is information about their "free</a> companion offer for campus visits" for high school juniors and seniors to take along one parent for free. I'm sure "some restrictions apply". :)</p>