Got the bug. Have to go back but not all Orlando. Any advice on a road trip?

[Batman1]

So, after our first trip we are keen to go back. We have done the parks and wouldn't have them on the priority list again.

However, thinking of a few nights in New York, then fly to Miami for a few nights and then take a trip from there to a few locations, like the keys etc.
Kids are teens so they like the same as us, a bit of sightseeing, beaches/hotels and some activities thrown in.

I'm not too sure though on what is achievable in a 2 week (ish) timeframe.

How long would the drives be between the more well known areas from Miami ?

Where would be best to fly home from ?

[duchy]

We like mixing it up .
Still like some park time though.
Easter Monday we flew into Orlando , stayed on I Drive and did SeaWorld and Aquatica with a day at Discovery Cove and lots of eating, drinking and chilling, we also had a day at Mount Dora then drove across to Tampa and did BG and Clearwater (the original plan was just chill on I Drive then go to Tampa for BG but it was £100pp more to add in DC and the other parks with free parking and of course food and drink included at DC ) we then drove straight across to Vero Beach stayed there a week and had a night in Miami before flying home. Plenty to see and do and no crowds anywhere. I think we both enjoyed it more than our mainly Disney centred trip eight months before mainly because it was far more spontaneous and relaxed.

[tspill]

We have done quite a few road trips in the US/Canada.
Top would be California/Arizona, or The Canadian Rockies starting at Vancouver.
Florida is OK, but unless you want parks, or relaxing - there are many much better options.
For cities, New York and Washington DC are hard to beat. But on the west coast, we love San Francisco.
Personally I hate Miami. The best thing it has is age road out and even it is miserable with traffic.

[Batman1]

Thanks.

We were thinking the west coast but it seems to be expensive for SF and a lot of driving ?

[TheHughesCrew]

We are planning a Florida road trip for next year. Probably something like Miami, Keys, Florida City, Naples, Clearwater, Orlando. We are lucky enough to be able to go for a month, and have a villa booked for Orlando. Planning to book via Hotwire for the other places. My brother and SIL travelled round the world for a year with 2 kids a few years back and used Hotwire every time. We have checked Google Maps for our driving times and plan to have no longer than a 3 hour journey. Our kids are well used to sitting in a car and I drive approx 100/150 miles a day for work so we're hoping it will all be doable. I think the main thing my brother told me was to be flexible. I'm a manic planner, so this is going to be difficult, but it makes sense to be able to tweak plans as we go. We flew from Miami up to NYC a few years ago, it's a blimmin long way! But a fabulous contrast. Happy Planning

[Emma & Lloyd]

We've had a couple of road trips in the past. Our favourite itinerary included :

Coconut Grove - 1 night
Islamorada - Theatre of the Sea - (slightly more morally acceptable Dolphin Swim) Then onto -
Key West - 2 Nights
Everglades - On our way to -
Marco Island (Our favourite place) - 4 Nights.

[scottish mama]

We mostly travel around when we go to Florida, but our favourites have been

New York and Washington, flew down to Orlando then went overtoGulf coast

Road trip to Smokey Mountains then gulf coast

Road trip to Savannah and St Augustine

Road trip from Miami, up Atlantic coast, across to Busch Gardens, further up Gulf coast back down to Naples then back across to Miami.

[jdouds]

Hi would agree about Miami and believe the keys are fantastic. We would also suggest Toronto for the city and Niagara Falls . This last few years like a lot of others here we have done a couple of road trips, LA ,San Fran, Monterey ,Yosemite , Vegas and Palm Springs . On our last trip it was yellowstone, Lake Tahoe , Monterey (whale watching! ) and San Fran. Hope this gives you some food for thought

[Wismgari]

We are doing a mini road trip to the Keys before going to Disney next year (4 days in the Keys, staying in 3 different spots). The Keys look amazing!

I have also done other US/ Canadian roadtrips and have loved them all! California was definitely my favourite (SF, Yosemite, Pacific Coast highway and various places along there, LA and DIsneyland). I have also done an Ontario roadtrip (Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Blue Mountains among other stops), and an Illinois/ Wisconsin mini roadtrip (just for a week). I am doing a New England 2 week road trip next week as well!

I would think about how much travelling you are willing to do, how often you are willing to change hotels and the sort of trip you want (relaxing, cities, hiking, mixture of everything!). Then from this you should be able to work out if Florida is for you or if you would like to explore anywhere else. Btw, yes, California is expensive, but so are the Keys if you are considering that option!

Enjoy planning your trip

[Vanillapod]

Our trip this year was as follows

2 nights Miami
1 night Hawks Cay
2 nights key west (Fort Jefferson is a must do if you an squeeze it in!)
2 nights AMI
10 nights Disney
3 nights Universal which turned into 7 nights due to Dorain!

We absolutely loved it. It was great seeing a bit more than usual. We used our bonus hurricane time to do non park Orlando area activities such as Winter Park, Celebration and the showcase of citrus.