If you have the stamina or a few extra passengers that can share the driving, you can go nonstop… and this article is not for you. But if you’re the kind of road warrior that doesn’t want to spend the first day at their destination recovering from the trip, then read on.

Just to keep things simple, New England to Florida (let’s say Boston to Orlando) is about a 22 hour drive or about 1300 miles. That’s including stops for gas, meals and breaks. For most travelers, you can comfortably make the journey with two days of driving and one overnight stop.

That first day can get a little frustrating as you pass through “the northeast corridor” with mostly urban areas and heavy traffic. At the end of the day you’ll be somewhere near the Virginia/North Carolina border. Your next day of travel is much more rural and by the end of that second day of driving you’ll be in Orlando.

Here’s our suggested itinerary:

Day One: New England (Boston) to Roanoke Rapids, NC (638 miles)

Timing is everything on your first day. Scheduling to avoid urban areas during heavy traffic is important and will save you time and frustration. As you can see from the table below, leaving Boston at 6:00 am will get you through New York, Baltimore and Washington between rush hours.

LeaveArrive in
BostonNew York CityBaltimoreWashington, DC
12:00 am4:00 am7:00 am8:00 am
3:00 am7:00 am10:00 am11:00 am
6:00 am10:00 am1:00 pm2:00 pm
9:00 am1:00 pm4:00 pm5:00 pm
  • 6:00 am : With a full tank of gas and breakfast behind you, you’re on the road. Head down I-95 to New York City. An alternate route to NYC would be I-90 to I-84 to I-287, over the Tappen Zee Bridge to the Garden State Parkway south to I-95 (NJ Turnpike). Click here to view this route.

– Travel Tip –
Avoid getting gas in Connecticut if you can. They have some of the highest gas prices along I-95.

  • By 6:45 am you should be approaching Providence, Rhode Island
  • By 8:15 am  you should be approaching New Haven, Connecticut
  • By 10:30 am  you should be approaching New York City
  • By 11:30 am you should be south of New York City on the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95).

– Travel Tip –
There are some great service areas along the New Jersey Turnpike where you can stretch, gas up or grab a bite to eat.

  • By 12:00 pm you should be approaching the Delaware Memorial Bridge
  • 12:30 – 1:30 pm: Stop at one of the Maryland Service Plazas, have lunch, take a break and gas up before you leave. You can allow up to an hour here, you’ll still be in great shape to hit Baltimore and Washington before the rush.
  • By 2:30 pm you should be approaching Baltimore, Maryland. Traffic may be heavy but still better than in an hour or two.
  • By 3:00 pm you should be approaching Washington, DC. Rush hour is just getting started but you can beat the worst of it by not stopping along the route here.
  • By 4:00 pm you are leaving the traffic mess behind you, just a few more miles and it should be smooth sailing.
  • By the time you get to Richmond, Virginia it should be around 4:30 pm. Gas up for the final stretch.

– Travel Tip –
Try I-295 around Richmond and Petersburg if the traffic is heavy. I-295 is a newer, more rural alignment with less traffic.

  • 5:30 pm: you should be crossing the Virginia/North Carolina state line.
  • 6:00 pm: Arrive in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Check into your hotel and head out for supper. I-95, exit 173 is a popular overnight stop for travelers and a halfway point between Boston and Orlando.

Click here to check out the hotels, restaurants, gas stations and shopping at I-95, exit 173 in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.

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I-95 Exit Guide
I-95 Exit Guide
https://www.i95exitguide.com
The I-95 Exit Information Guide is one of the most popular travel destinations on the Internet. This website features detailed listings for exit services all along Interstate 95, from Maine to Florida.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

31 COMMENTS

  1. Why am I just finding this? Stupidity on my part. We travel from FL. to Maine many times a year. This will be our go to on the next road trip.

  3. I did the New England (Manchester, NH) to Orlando trip last month. This would have been handy. Great website! I’ll be sure to use it next trip!

  5. This site is great! I have been trying to put things together using different sites, but here it is “ALL WRAPPED UP IN A BOW”.

    THANKS

  6. Planning on leaving Salem NH at 2:30 pm on a Wednesday, and would like to be past DC and get a room on the other side of DC.
    Anybody have any best route and/or idea where I’d be around 10:00 pm?
    Thanks

  9. Thank you for this valuable information! We will be traveling with 2 dogs! Can you recommend Any dog friendly hotels at the 1/2 way point??

  13. The directions are great but there is always that one thing left out what are the coast of tolls from Boston to Orlando no one ever answers that question please dose anyone know Thank you

  14. Hello, Could the same route be used to travel from Miami to Boston? Or are there other alternative routes that you could suggest.

  16. Getting back on here after a long hiatus because – I’m now retired – and plan to spend more time on the big road again.

  17. Congratulations BostonBoy on hanging up the gloves, may it be a long retirement. You will now have more time to do the “i wonder what’s at this exit” exploration. Don’t forget to write up your trips, so us working stiffs can live vicariously through them.

    • @bossmannI don’t know how much I’ll be traveling … this summer was a washout with home repairs.   We are planning a Florida trip in Feb/March,  three weeks… as well as next summer.

      But we will update here – if you dig back,  I did a “trip down the big road”.    I also plan on taking lots of pictures,  etc.  so – it’ll be a good trip.

        • Thanks for reposting it. It’s somewhat out of date as I refer to using dollar coins — to pay tolls. Pardon my wry sense of humor.The US Treasury has stopped the general circulation of dollar coins, but you can get them at most banks. The original silver ones were problematic – they looked too much like a quarter; they had a serrated (grooves) edge like a quarter, and worst of all, Susan B. Anthony looks too much like George Washington. Still, drive-through fast food joints take them, and the newer dollar coins have former U.S. Presidents (the deceased ones) on them. Yes, kids, you can pay for a Happy Meal with coins bearing the portraits of Andrew Johnson, Millard Fillmore, and Warren G. Harding. I still use them. for the parking meters in the city of Boston – which take quarters and dollar coins. And now, EZ-Pass has taken over for tolls – thankfully – you don’t usually need to stop to pay the tolls. I can recall huge backups in Delaware, to pay what was then a $2 toll… likewise, New Hampshire has a full-speed gantry drive through on I-95. The toll booth used to be backed up for miles there.If you ever saw The Godfather, I’ll bet Sonny Corelone wished he had EZ-Pass.

  18. oh i am well aware of your “big road” story, to be honest that was what first got me to register to become a member of this site.

  19. An update.   I didn’t retire.    I retired from one job in May, 2019.   Home repairs stymied my travel.

    Then,  I was GONNA make the drive in February 2020 but I decided to take a good part-time job,  the money was too good.

    NOW — NOW — I retire again,  for good,  on May 31.   Vaccine is in my veins.

    We probably won’t do Florida for a bit (November,  or next March) but we’ll do SOME I-95 this summer.   I am antsy,  I wanna get behind the wheel.

    Drink coffee.   Take pictures.   Drive till I’m exhausted,   flop in a motel,  and do it all over again the next day.   Automobiles + I-95 = freedom as Americans and Canadians know it.

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