When is the best time to travel I-95? What type of car is best?

Question

We are taking a family road trip from NYC to Lynchburg VA. We would like to know what car would be best to travel in? We have a Mazda Sedan 3 Hatch, or a Mazda 5 Mini Van? Which one? And also, what is the best time to travel? Traffic and stuff like that? We were planning on leaving around 3:00AM in the morning from NYC right into NJ. Some one please give me their take on the traffic, and are the highway signs clearly marked? It is easy to get lost? Thanks.

Answer 1

I'd take the minivan - you'll want something with a lot of windows.

95 will take you through urban New Jersey, Baltimore, DC, and several other metro areas, and all of them will be busy at rush hour - luckily, places like DC and Baltimore have ring-roads like  495 to get you around the center of town with a minimum of hassle.  Also, there are a lot of toll sections and toll bridges that way, but it sure is beautiful.

I'd say, take the return trip on I-78 to I-278 back to NYC.  It goes through beautiful mountains and valleys, it's free (and traffic-free), and it will be something different on the way back.

Cheers!  Go to the AAA website for route planning.

Answer 2

Take the van for a family trip. If you leave that early you should miss a lot of traffic.

Answer 3

Either of your vehicles will be fine.  You want to be comfortable.  Signage is very clear on the interstate.  I have experienced  Sunday mornings as best times to travel on I-95.  3am is a good time.  You will generally have your early morning church traffic and evening cruisers.  But you will enjoy this mild company on the road.  Just be careful for the early morning Saturday night party riders.  Some are sobering up or falling asleep.  Make sure your driver get plenty of rest for alertness and safety.  NYC to VA is not a bad stretch.  Happy traveling!!

Wisdom

Answer 4

The Mini van would be more comfortable to travel in and the gas milage should be almost the same on both vehicles. The best time to travel anywhere is after 7PM when rush hour is over. On I-95, going down through the DC/Baltamore would be the best to drive between midnight and 5AM so if you leave NYC at around 3, you should be into virginia at around 7ish. so maybe leaving NYC more around 11 or midnight would be a better bet. Going through Phili and DC/Baltamore you gotta watch for the signs because you can get lost but other then that, its pretty easy to follow