what time do you go to bed or get up?

[john warren]

been looking at some threads about dark curtains and lights and such and got to wondering.... what time do people go to bed and get up when they camp or travel?
as a person that ran my own businesses a lot of my life,,, i still get up early reguardless . usually 4 or 5 am... and i reall have to force myself to stay in till 6 am. uh my wife on the otherhand has no such trouble,,,,lol.

i usually go to bed about dark,, home or away. so my lighting needs end up being very minimal in the evening. and in the morning i make coffee and read my kindle or listen to my radio, and don't use more then maybe our poarch light if i need it. as far as dark curtains,,,unless i take a nap during the day i don't see a need for them,,, and a little light never stopped me from a very proffesional appearing nap.

so at camp,,, what time do you conk out and get up? am i just wierd?

about sleep i mean.

[Kevin A]

When camping, Cindy usually gets up between 5 and 6 a.m. to do some exercises in our screen house just outside the front door of the UHaul. I try to sleep until 6:30 if possible, unless we have a round of golf scheduled somewhere. If golfing, we try to start playing by 7 a.m. to get in 9 holes before it gets hot. Done by 9 a.m. and the whole day still ahead of us!

We usually head inside the trailer around 9 p.m. unless we have guests over in the screen house, since it has a central roof light (chandelier made out of a utility work light!). We like to watch part of a movie before going to sleep, but we rarely make it through much more than 30 minutes of a movie. We can stretch a movie over several nights!

[BCDave]

Just as when I was working...

I very seldom get to bed much before midnite, usually "up 'n' attem" by 6

Get on the road by 8 AM, drive til 8 PM or so, then look 4 a place to set up for the night. On the computer til near midnite again. Repeat as required until we get where we are going.

[floyd]

When traveling or camping, we usually go to bed when we are tired and wake up with no alarm. That's about half the point, ain't it?
I got up at 5:30AM for nearly 40 years and never got used to it, now it just depends on what we are looking forward to each day.

[melissab]

Wow! Ya'll are early birds!!! I've never been a morning person and since Hubby is a shift worker that works out great. Unless an alarm is set we're never up before 10am or even later. 9am is "early" for us. I did discover though when traveling across country my internal clock resets and I'm ready for bed by 9 or 10pm instead of the usual midnight or 1am and so wake between 7 and 8am. Getting the kids up on the other hand usually takes at least an hour or more so we are usually not on the road till at least 10 am. Being used to late hours I can drive til 1am if necessary and then just pull into a truck stop or Walmart with no setup involved. Just crawl into bed.

[BigLew]

Originally Posted by melissab

Wow! Ya'll are early birds!!! I've never been a morning person and since Hubby is a shift worker that works out great. Unless an alarm is set we're never up before 10am or even later. 9am is "early" for us. I did discover though when traveling across country my internal clock resets and I'm ready for bed by 9 or 10pm instead of the usual midnight or 1am and so wake between 7 and 8am. Getting the kids up on the other hand usually takes at least an hour or more so we are usually not on the road till at least 10 am. Being used to late hours I can drive til 1am if necessary and then just pull into a truck stop or Walmart with no setup involved. Just crawl into bed.

That's because your so young Melissa. When you get old like some of us, you'll be in bed at dark and up before 6. You'll see!

[steve dunham]

In bed by 10:00 PM , up by 5:30 to 6:00 AM. I find nothing more pleasant than to sit outside early in the morning when it is cool , sip a cup of fresh coffee and watch & listen to the world wake up.

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by BCDave

Just as when I was working...

I very seldom get to bed much before midnite, usually "up 'n' attem" by 6

Get on the road by 8 AM, drive til 8 PM or so, then look 4 a place to set up for the night. On the computer til near midnite again. Repeat as required until we get where we are going.

And then, when I'm at home - its more like "up till midnite, sleep til 9:30 or 10 AM then sloth around till noon before I get to doing anything"!

I'm WAY more relaxed and get WAY more sleep at home than on a trip

[theresa p]

with our windows tinted, we find it VERY easy to sleep in until 8 or 830. that's late for us. bedtime is usually around 10 or so. getting up early---like 6---is reserved for travelling days. and when travelling, we're either at a walmart or flying j or the like where the activity from others wakes us without an alarm. in fact, i don't even think our little clock has an alarm on it...because that doesn't fit with our idea of camping!!

[rgrugg]

Usually in bed after the weather on the 11 o'clock news. However, if not in the eastern time zone, in bed after the weather on the 10 o'clock news. I'm up by 7 no matter the time zone after my internal clock is reset...usually about a 3 day deal. My wife usually gets up at 8 when I don't let her sleep any longer.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

In bed by 10:00 PM , up by 5:30 to 6:00 AM. I find nothing more pleasant than to sit outside early in the morning when it is cool , sip a cup of fresh coffee and watch & listen to the world wake up.

Amen, brother. Really close to my routine, including the cup of coffee while contemplating life as others rest.

My wife has the same bedtime, but sleeps until 7ish.

I just can't fathom sleeping much longer, to me it seems like a waste of part of my lifetime.

[jen b]

While out on trips with the Burro we try to be up around 4:30 - 5:00 so we can eat something and then hit the trails with camera gear by the time the sun comes up. Drag 25 pounds of equipment around for 4-5 hours hoping to find moose/squirrels/birds/bears/whatever will hold still for a second in front of the camera. Then second breakfast, then a nap, and another outing to catch afternoon-evening light. By 9pm we're totally pooped and ready to call it a day. Rinse, repeat the next day.

[CindyL]

Like Kevin said, I get up early, work out, and then sit with a cup of coffee listening to the birds and watching the campground wake up. This is my favorite part of camping is before anyone else is up.

So if you are a late sleeper, as long as you are not loud at night, you are welcome next to me, so you don't disturb the animals I am watching. However, be aware that you ARE being watched. I have seen some interesting getups in the early AM.

CindyL

[Raz]

Most nights in bed by 9:00. Up 4:30 - 5:00. On the road we tend to sleep a little later. Raz

[honda03842]

As Long Distance Travelers, now in our 244th consecutive day on the road, the journey is the destination. Though we may have destinations, getting their safely and with adventure is our method. This year one of our three destinations was the July Oregon Rally. It was a great rally with wonderfully embracing people, however getting here was equally a blast, a summer adventure of two old chuildren exploring America hand in hand.

We do no all day driving and never drive at night. We travel many places where moose dominate the night, and for us, at our age, all day driving is unsafe and no fun.

We never drive more than 150 miles in a day and never at high speed. We are now on the coast of Oregon. Last week after spending 4th of July week in 'downtown' Port Orford we moved 7 miles to Cape Blanco State Park for a couple of days and then drove 23 miles to the rally in Bandon where we've stayed a couple of extra days.

Tomorrow it's 23 miles back to Cape Blanco to investigate the black sand that often contains gold on Oregon beaches, something we learned in the little town of Langlois (where at LaLa Bells you can get absolutely the best scones and muffins but only between 8 -12 AM, M-F and also read the history of the area or drive up Langlois Mt Road and see a 1000 sheep or on select days visit the off Rt. 101 organic farm that supplies most of the areas better restuarants and pick your own berries).

We wake at 6 am get out of bed at 7 AM and usually are on the road between 8-9 AM. We always try to stop by 1 PM. This gives us the opportunity to talk to people before exploring the area. In Port Orford we drove the China Mt road (long beach vistas), the Sixes River Road and the Elks River Road, often driving by mining claims, river camping spots and discovering those dirt roads the Honda and I so love. If there's something of interest we stay for a day or even a week.

We have found that often these stops on the journey are often more interesting then our destination.

We usually get in bed by 9PM and usually are asleep by 11PM and often before. We find we sleep really well on the road.

The magic of Long Duration Travel is that you can take your time, learn about the little places that stick with you when your home in your living room that beckon you back to the road.

We really enjoy the journey to the destination and are in no rush to destinations. We rise early with anticipation, stop early with questions, and sleep well with answers.

Lucky to have chosen retirement.

[RogerDat]

When on vacation I go to sleep when I'm tired, wake up when I'm not. And eat when I'm hungry.

If I have to travel long distances I've been as inclined to sleep in the evening and start driving at midnight as to leave in the morning. Depends on what gets me through Atlanta, Denver etc. at off peak hours.

Less inclined to do that as we get older but really have 0.00 interest in rushing to get on the road, it will be there when I get to it.

Moose in road might discourage me from night driving just a bit. Would not like to be the meat in the sandwich between camper and moose at 60 mph.

[john warren]

Originally Posted by honda03842

As Long Distance Travelers, now in our 244th consecutive day on the road, the journey is the destination. Though we may have destinations, getting their safely and with adventure is our method. This year one of our three destinations was the July Oregon Rally. It was a great rally with wonderfully embracing people, however getting here was equally a blast, a summer adventure of two old chuildren exploring America hand in hand.

We do no all day driving and never drive at night. We travel many places where moose dominate the night, and for us, at our age, all day driving is unsafe and no fun.

We never drive more than 150 miles in a day and never at high speed. We are now on the coast of Oregon. Last week after spending 4th of July week in 'downtown' Port Orford we moved 7 miles to Cape Blanco State Park for a couple of days and then drove 23 miles to the rally in Bandon where we've stayed a couple of extra days.

Tomorrow it's 23 miles back to Cape Blanco to investigate the black sand that often contains gold on Oregon beaches, something we learned in the little town of Langlois (where at LaLa Bells you can get absolutely the best scones and muffins but only between 8 -12 AM, M-F and also read the history of the area or drive up Langlois Mt Road and see a 1000 sheep or on select days visit the off Rt. 101 organic farm that supplies most of the areas better restuarants and pick your own berries).

We wake at 6 am get out of bed at 7 AM and usually are on the road between 8-9 AM. We always try to stop by 1 PM. This gives us the opportunity to talk to people before exploring the area. In Port Orford we drove the China Mt road (long beach vistas), the Sixes River Road and the Elks River Road, often driving by mining claims, river camping spots and discovering those dirt roads the Honda and I so love. If there's something of interest we stay for a day or even a week.

We have found that often these stops on the journey are often more interesting then our destination.

We usually get in bed by 9PM and usually are asleep by 11PM and often before. We find we sleep really well on the road.

The magic of Long Duration Travel is that you can take your time, learn about the little places that stick with you when your home in your living room that beckon you back to the road.

We really enjoy the journey to the destination and are in no rush to destinations. We rise early with anticipation, stop early with questions, and sleep well with answers.

Lucky to have chosen retirement.

^5 thats the way to get er done.


i love getting up early,,so quiet enjoy my coffee and watching the suun come up.
never drive till it hurts,,,whats the point in that?

[Kevin A]

I look forward to the day when we don't have to rush back home to jobs. Right now, we try to maximize our time out with the trailer by driving long days to get to interesting destinations. On our upcoming trip to the Charlottesville, VA and Cumberland Gap NHP areas, we will average about 350 miles each day of travel with stops of either 2 or 3 nights at each site. We've gone as far as 900 miles in one non-stop driving trip to get us to our next spot (Chicago to Pine Ridge, SD). With limited vacation days, we carefully plan each trip and spot. We love having the VT since we've now been able to visit so many neat areas east of the Rockies (west is in the future) that we couldn't have afforded if we had to stay in motels all the time.

[Jim Bennett]

We too are like Kevin, and must decide how best to spend our holiday time. If we only traveled a couple hours a day, we would never get far and see the same thing over and over again.

I prefer to spend a holiday primarily in one or two locations, which will see us driving long days to get there, and getting to spend more time at that location.

I actually enjoy driving, as long as it is not stupidly busy, and doing at least the speed limit am willing to put in a 12 hour day on the road no problem. We do take some short breaks along the way too.

Once I get to retire and go on extended trips, I will likely do a lot more shorter days of driving, though still imagine there will be some long days. If you did a couple hours a day of travel on an Alaska trip, and did multiple days in one area, you just might not make it there before your life expires.

[honda03842]

Most people will do the Alaska trip once or twice in your life. I'm sure we averaged no more than 150 miles a day.

The roads are not designed for speed, curves often slope in the wrong direction. There is often construction and waiting to follow the pilot car thru construction is common. Probably most important the Milepost with all the information provided and the vistas available, particularly in the Yukon and Alaska, encourages stopping.

When we visit these marvelous out of the way places it's almost not possible to escape taking your time. We did the trip in 3 months and wished we had 4 months.

If you were only having sex once or twice in your life wouldn't you take your time ..... LOL