What’s the furthest distance time-wise that you would prefer to drive for a day trip?

[RoseLattice]

Not the maximum but the longest preferred?

Theres a place about 1.5 hours away and I’m hemming and hawing over it. I think my maximum is an hour. I have a friend who will happily drive 2 hours which seems so long to me.

I did a 4 and a half hour trip each way for my friends hen do once. I couldn't stop over, but it was important to me that I went - so I was prepared to make that length journey. And it was fine actually!

These days, probably a max of 2.5-3 hours each way (3 hours with traffic sort of thing). But with where we live, most decent days out are a couple of hours away anyway.

1.5 hours x2 for a day out is fine with me. No problem.

For me it depends how much I want to go there and whether there is a similar alternative closer.

1.5 hours is how long it takes me to get to the coast, so if I want a day out to the coast I either drive for 1.5 hours or don't go.

But I also like hiking and am lucky to be able to get to some real hilly wilderness in about 30 minutes so driving 1.5 hours would be unnecessary unless it's a pretty special place to go or particularly nice drive to get there.

As it happens not so long ago I did drive 1.5 hours to visit a particular NT place I'd wanted to go to for years and was glad I did.

1.5 is the maximum, but it's fine, I would do it no bother.

I’ve done 3 hours each way for specific reasons, it is tiring though.

2hrs.

For reference... DD often has Rugby matches 90mins away.
We drive 50mins for other DD to attend a weekly class.

We are in Yorkshire for reference. Things are very spread out!

Around 45 minutes, unless it was for something special/important/we really wanted to do. DD and I went to London yesterday which took a lot longer than that, but we got the train.

I prefer less than an hour but I live in London so it would take me less time to travel by public transport to many places within that drive time.
I’ve pushed it to 2 hours for a special trip but we then take turns so one drives there or back.

That's five hours!!! How long do you spend there before it's time to come back?!?!

For a standard weekend day trip for the kids, 1.5 hours. For something special, I would do more, especially if it avoids an overnight stay when I don't really have space for that.

Before having DD I would say 1.5 hr, maybe 2hr occasionally (the distance from where I live to the coast).

Toddler DD hates the car and is frequently car sick so it has been reduced to 30 min at most and even then it’s a Russian roulette if vomit.

The rigidity and rules of some posters on her often makes me smile, dont.people simply decide on each individual case, seems weird to me to have a pre determined set of rules

Surely you weigh up the circumstances of the particular thing you want to do on the day you want to do it. I can't be the only person who does that

Maybe 2h? We do 1.30/1.45 regularly to see the grandparents and then when we are there we might drive another half hour to a local attraction.

My health does we need to set outlines for travelling. Guess I am not the only one on MN with invisible issues limiting my options.

I did 7 hours in total in a day to take DN to Harry Potter studios. In hindsight that was too much with a full on day in the middle.

Over two hours away now I start looking for somewhere to stay overnight

2 - 3 hours - depends on what the actual day consists of.

This post didn't come across as pre-determined rules at all, just someone saying what they would typically do, having judged each outing on it's merits.

Probably about 2 hours here, we do that fairly regularly to see the ILs. But would go further for a special occasion. It does depend a bit on time of year (driving cross country in the dark as we are a long way from any motorways is more tiring), whether we are both going and can share driving etc.

Probably about a hour and a half for a day out. Over that and I’d be thinking about staying the night. I have done longer when I took my brother to pick up a car but it was an exception.

Depends what it is.

I've done 1.5hrs for theme parks. Once did 2hrs but ds was younger so slept in car!

For a museum I'd say 30mins.

For a good activity not anywhere closer about an hour - did that recently for ifly.

But I think 1.5 hours would be my limit for a day trip and I'd leave early doors to make the most of the day.

The responses people are making are partially influenced by the OPs question about "preferred" duration of journey.

Its about choice and decision, of course. If a journey there and back is longer that the time spent at the destination, then it would need to be a very special event to make you want to travel for 4 hours, only to spend an hour there, for example, and then have to drive all the way home again.

the reason for the journey has to come into it, but that isn't the same as one's "preferred" journey time.

Depends if kids are involved. Wouldn't think twice up to two hours on my own.

1.5 is fine.

2.5 to 3 hours each way.

I think you should go to the place you mention in your OP. 1.5 hrs is not a lotmore than 1 hr. If you think it's a long drive you could drive for 45 mins and have a short coffee break. Leave early in the morning to make the most of the day and also to have a long time out of the car before you have to drive back. On the way back drive 45 minutes, get something to eat (ie your evening meal), then drive the last 45 minutes

I've driven to Edinburgh several times for gigs and that is 3.5 hours away. I make it a day trip by setting off about 9.00am have lunch there and co.e home after the show. I suppose, technically it might be more than a day trip as it goes I t the next day!
I drive to Glasgow regularly and that's about 2hrs.55.ins.
Sometimes.es it can take me nearly 2 hrs to get to work ( and 40 mons to return!)