I live in Toronto but am originally from St. John’s, Newfoundland Labrador. Like all other Newfoundlanders I get “home” as often as possible. One thing that really gets me is when I’m talking to another good Canadian and my most recent trip home comes up, about 9 out of 10 times people ask me if I drove. Generally my trips happen over a long weekend and the thought that I would drive is just insane, primarily because it would be impossible to drive from Toronto to St. John’s and back in the amount of time I have planned for my trip – Google say its 2999 KM (36 hours)

Lets walk through a long weekend trip home, basing the drive on Google’s 36 hour estimate. Lets assume there is no traffic, no road construction delays, and no necessity to sleep.

I’m going leave work early on Friday, say 3:00 PM. Now I drive for 36 hours straight, I have timed the Ferry perfectly so I drive on just as it is about to disembark for “The Rock”. This puts me in St. John’s at 3:00 AM Sunday Morning

At this point I’m a little tired, might need to use the washroom, and perhaps I’m a little hungry. I decide to sleep until 9:00am (thats 6 solid hours of sleep). Of course I want to see my family and friends so I do that between 9am-9pm Sunday (12 hours of family and friends).

At 9:00 PM Sunday I jump back in the car to head back to Toronto. With all of the same constraints on my drive “home” I head back to T.O. 36 hours later I would arrive back in Toronto just in time to start work at 9:00 AM Tuesday morning. Don’t worry about me, I’ll put in my 8 hours at work and then sleep Tuesday night. Sounds like a hell of a way to spend a long weekend, eh?

Would you ask someone if they were driving to Vancouver for the weekend? Google Says it would take 41 hours, just 5 hours longer than the trip to St. John’s.

I have one comment for everyone who has ever asked me if i’m going to Drive to St. John’s for the weekend.

Get a mit and get in the game!