long distance driving

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i recently signed on take a small group on tour around the uk for 50 quid a day, maybe my driving stamina isnt as great as i thought it was but it really can get quite tiring, esp as you have to maintain extra concentration on the motorway, keep a gauge of your speed in case you get caught speeding, all of which you worry about a bit more because on tours, you dont get enough sleep so youre already tired soon as you get behind the wheel. i think im going to hit one of the artists soon though if he tells me again (aparently jokingly) 'youre not really built for touring are you man?'. fuck you lard arse, let me see you drive for 6 hours at a time with only one or two breaks then unload the gear when you get there, sit around for a couple of hours, watch your shitty performance and then upoad again and drive back to the hotel. its kinda like being in workmode/'alert' all the time. not much time to wind down. i could say dud but i get to see some parts of the uk i wouldnt otherwise which is nice, and im at least not doing it for free (one girl on the tour isnt getting paid at all) and its good to see what touring is like. not quite classic either though. long dist driving can be great with friends, partners or certain family members, i love those journeys.

― tigertiger (tigertiger), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 08:30 (nineteen years ago)

When I was at uni, I had a job one summer as a 'tour guide' for a coach company who did those cheap European coach holidays. I hated the endless hours of travelling, and had great difficulty in staying awake en route to these holiday destinations, which made me a fairly rubbish tour guide really. At least I wasn't the driver though.

― C J (C J), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 08:56 (nineteen years ago)

i suspect there's a huge difference between driving a complaining band around and driving across a country with friends. i really enjoy long-distance driving by myself (did a nice boston to detroit drive in the spring and liked it a lot), it's really relaxing and a different experience. roadtripping on your own or with friends is classic, don't know if i'd fancy your situation much though.

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 10:03 (nineteen years ago)

ooh i want to do what you're doing tigertiger, this is why i'm learning to drive. everyone always looks at me like "what?!" when i say it and i guess this is why.

― emsk ( emsk), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 11:35 (nineteen years ago)

yes, long distance driving in and of itself is C, especially when part of a road trip. I strongly prefer it to flying. Did a Philly to St. Louis jaunt earlier this summer which was excellent, especially through NW Maryland and So Indiana. Would not want tigertiger's job in a million years tho.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 11:36 (nineteen years ago)

Long distance driving? Dud. Dudduddududududududududud. Duuuuuuuuuuud. I'm very good at long-distance riding, especially for exciting trips that start early in the morning. But if I never drive a car again, I'll be a pretty happy woman.

― Party Time Country Female (pullapartgirl), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 11:38 (nineteen years ago)

road trips so classic! especially in the western us where there is no one around and you can drive a hundred on desolate two lane highways yay!

(on the other hand driving from, say, nyc to chicago on 80 is pretty dull.)

― jhoshea megafauna (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 11:59 (nineteen years ago)

I freaking love long driving trips but what tiger is describing sounds dud.

― Sam: Screwed and Chopped (Molly Jones), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 12:07 (nineteen years ago)

oh and tigertiger - complaining abt 6 hours a day? you're not really built for touring are you man? (sorry)

being on some annoying dudes' schedule does sound pretty lame. road trips with people yr not liking too much are horrible, for obv reasons.

the best is no destination - just get in and go. i wish i still had a car. i would drive and drive.

― jhoshea megafauna (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 12:08 (nineteen years ago)

Early morning starts are the BEST -- no adventure feels properly done unless it begins before the crack of dawn. I want to watch the sun rise over the EXPRESSWAY, YO.

― Laurel (Laurel), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 12:35 (nineteen years ago)

OTM

― you win again, gravity! (tissp), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 12:42 (nineteen years ago)

all of the above, OTM. damn, I'm craving a road trip. Last two road trips (from Dallas to Marfa and Dallas to Detroit) have been well over a year ago. boo. :(

― Sam: Screwed and Chopped (Molly Jones), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 12:46 (nineteen years ago)

Having just completed a 7,351 km round trip (Winnipeg - Toronto - Portsmouth, NH - Mpls - Winnipeg) all in just a few days, I'd say classic, though it would've been more fun if I'd had company. My schedule was so tight on this drive that it wouldn't have worked, unless it was an SO. I did Portsmouth to Minneapolis in 33 hours (I obviously stopped a few times) including a nap at the rest stop just west of Cleveland on the I80. It's fun to push yourself like that sometimes.

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 13:28 (nineteen years ago)

33 hours?!?! wow. how many times did you stop, seriously?

― tigertiger (tigertiger), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 14:10 (nineteen years ago)

Well first, I didn't take the I80 all the way to Chicago from NY. I stopped for a bit in Nyack, NY, then at the Meadowlands, then drove to Harrisburg (well, Camp Hill) and had dinner/a bit of a rest, then went straight through to Cleveland (where I dilly-dallied for a bit as well as napped), then a stop in Kenosha, WI, where I also dilly-dallied. The drive was a little over 2,500 km, so considering how much road work there was to drive through my time wasn't too bad.

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 14:31 (nineteen years ago)

what bryan is basically saying is

"tigertiger, youre not really built for touring are you man?"

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 14:32 (nineteen years ago)

i did this in about a week, which wasn't very hardcore (we just camped and slept each night!) it was VERY CLASSIC though. such pretty scenaries in scotland.
http://lolrider.com/silly/runlondon.jpg

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

Actually, I thought tigertiger was suggesting that I was a pussy for taking so long.

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 15:20 (nineteen years ago)

He lives on a small island. He can't get his head around the idea that you *could* actually drive for 33 hours without ending up in the drink. While a North American thinks a mere 33 hour road trip is for pussies.

Road-tripping and touring really are two different beasts. You can treat touring like road-tripping, and it's probably best if you do just view it as an extended road-trip. But it really does take a certain kind of person to do it for any length of time.

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 15:23 (nineteen years ago)

a road hog?

― jhoshea megafauna (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 16:04 (nineteen years ago)

I've driven from Little Rock to New York City in one shot as well as from LR to Minneapolis all at once. I love playing that game of "Let's see if I can keep from urinating until Iowa". The downside is the inevitable crash that occurs as soon as the destination has been reached. Then you're too tired to do anything afterward.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

If I never have to do Dallas to El Paso non-stop again, I'll be happy. El Paso to Vegas or El Paso to the Grand Canyon is OK, but that flat, desolate stretch along I-10 (10? Or is that still 20?) can be soul-crushing. Might be fun if you took three or four days and explored all the little towns and stuff, but in one go it's awful.

I'd like to go the opposite way next time - up through Arkansas to Memphis and then over to the coast.

― milo z (mlp), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

I'll never forget driving from Tyler, Texas to Arizona via I-10 and 20. We got outside of the DFW Metroplex, approaching Abilene, and my passenger had the map open. I pointed to the left side of the map and asked, "So is El Paso somewhere around there?"

He said no, and then unfolded the map like eight more times where the map took up most of the width of the car. "There is where El Paso is."

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:04 (nineteen years ago)

Classic, at least for British distances. Which, to be honest, aren't very far.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:34 (nineteen years ago)

After my last cross-USA trip, I figured that I've driven close to 750,000 miles.

My longest trip was an 11,000 mile loop around the US. Longest stretch behind the wheel: 39 hours in central Australia.

Anyway: CLASSIC, especially by yourself and not in the situation at the top of the thread.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:14 (nineteen years ago)

brit opinions on "long-distance" driving are cute.

longest continuous stretch: NH to CA, 54 hours, rotating drivers.
longest no-sleeping, solo: 17 hours

classic if you're taking your sweet time with yr pals. dud if you're alone, and on a schedule. double-classic if you just take the train with your buds instead. booze cruise!

― gbx (skowly), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:37 (nineteen years ago)

Will someone take me on a roadtrip/tour?

― roc u like a § (ex machina), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 19:18 (nineteen years ago)

I need to do more roadtripping. I had a vague notion of driving up to New England, meeting Tep, eating a lobster roll, etc.

― The Bearnaise-Stain Bears (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 19:46 (nineteen years ago)

double-classic if you just take the train with your buds instead. booze cruise!

Triple-double-classic!

― Party Time Country Female (pullapartgirl), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 19:50 (nineteen years ago)

Having a breakdown could muddle things up a bit. Otherwise - driving and getting paid isn't the worst you could do.

― jim wentworth (wench), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 02:14 (nineteen years ago)

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long distance driving - C or D