To me it totally depends on what you want to do when you get there.

If we’re just talking a third bedroom for guests? No. Not worth it.

But if 3 hours has a dock and the whole point is boating, then yes.

I mean you’re not driving all that way just to sit around and drink coffee, right? So figure out what makes the whole enterprise worth it and then get the closest version of that you can afford.

Ours is 2.5 hours away. We bought 12 years ago in the area and then moved a few years back to a bigger place in a community we like better.

We totally built our life around living in our vacation place and coming here for school and work - meaning it’s pretty much an every weekend trip for us.

Personally for us, an extra hour would t make a difference to us if we loved the area and wanted to be there. And I know lots of people who have second houses three hours away and don’t find the distance a deterrent to visiting. The most important thing is how well you like the area and does it offer what you are looking for.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have homes 1.5 and 3 hours away. The 1.5 one we go to 2-3 monthly, but the 3 hr one only gets visited 1-2 a year. We can make day trips with the 1.5 one but the 3 hour is always overnight/ long weekend.

Why would you buy a second home just for day trips? Where is it?

That's not what the PP said -- they said they *could* do a day trip, not that that's what it's for.

Especially if you're close in, having a second place gets you a lot of advantages -- more outdoor space, access to things that need outdoor space (riding, hiking), a different vibe (either fancier or less so, depending where you land)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have homes 1.5 and 3 hours away. The 1.5 one we go to 2-3 monthly, but the 3 hr one only gets visited 1-2 a year. We can make day trips with the 1.5 one but the 3 hour is always overnight/ long weekend.

Why would you buy a second home just for day trips? Where is it?

It's not just for day trips but the option is nice to have. It's in shrnandoah. We love kayaking and fishing and just listening to the water. We get a lot friends who live coming through but don't necessarily stay the night.

Anonymous wrote:We have homes 1.5 and 3 hours away. The 1.5 one we go to 2-3 monthly, but the 3 hr one only gets visited 1-2 a year. We can make day trips with the 1.5 one but the 3 hour is always overnight/ long weekend.

Why would you buy a second home just for day trips? Where is it?

We have homes 1.5 and 3 hours away. The 1.5 one we go to 2-3 monthly, but the 3 hr one only gets visited 1-2 a year. We can make day trips with the 1.5 one but the 3 hour is always overnight/ long weekend.

I would never do 3 hrs

Anonymous wrote:We bought a place that was 90 minutes away. I would not want to do much more than that. 3 hours would be a complete non-started for me.

Same, 3 hrs for a weekend not for us (our kids & pets also hated long drives) - 90 min the sweet spot - away from it all without hassle.

Anonymous wrote:Our vacation place is just under a three hour drive and we regularly make the drive for a weekend. Sometimes we go Friday night (leaving at 6 or 7) until Sunday night, and sometimes we go early Saturday morning. You can time your drive to minimize traffic when you don’t have check-in/out times. I would prioritize the house over the small difference in commute time, since both commutes are doable.

+1 DP but our place is 2:45 with no traffic, we go every weekend from May through September and at least monthly October through April. We leave at 7 on Friday and come back usually 7 on Sunday. At least one of you needs to like to drive, though. If you both hate it you’ll be miserable.

What are the places

We bought a place that was 90 minutes away. I would not want to do much more than that. 3 hours would be a complete non-started for me.

We bought a place right before COVID hit which was about 2 hours from our regular house. We really appreciated being able to make it all the way there without stopping. No chance of using a dirty gas station restroom, highway rest stop,no having to stop because the dog needs to "go". I will admit that a time or two I got in the car in my PJ's, knowing I would not be stopping. If you bring food from home, you don't worry about it thawing out, etc. I know that in terms of health and safety, the closer distance was awesome. Also, whatever age you are now, you will not be that age forever. My mom has mobility issues, a walker, etc. Not having to stop and being able to go all the way there is certainly easier with elderly parents or when you yourself become elderly.

We chose a place that is 2-2.25 hours away vs one in a somewhat more desirable location 3 hours away and are happy about the decision EVERY TIME we drive out. Knowing you're almost there at the two hour mark is so, so valuable. And yeah, it makes it super doable to run out for a day if there's an emergency or we need to be there for a delivery or whatever.

Our vacation place is just under a three hour drive and we regularly make the drive for a weekend. Sometimes we go Friday night (leaving at 6 or 7) until Sunday night, and sometimes we go early Saturday morning. You can time your drive to minimize traffic when you don’t have check-in/out times. I would prioritize the house over the small difference in commute time, since both commutes are doable.

We are actively looking for a second home on the Delmarva peninsula. The goal would be to use it for occasional weekends (long weekends when school is out plus every now and then regular weekends) and school breaks. We have jobs that allow us to work remotely. We have elementary aged kids, none of whom are active in sports and our weekends are pretty light on activities. We plan to have local maintenance help. We would not be renting it out.

We would be coming from the north, so bridge traffic is not an issue, though we plan for relatives from the DC area to use the house as well. We had set our initial radius as a 2 hour drive, but we are finding more attractive properties (price, space, location) that are a 3 hour drive.

Are we crazy to consider this long of a drive? It means there would be no one-night visits, but it also means we would have more potential to host friends and/or expand in the long term. I'd appreciate any perspective from folks who have chosen a place in that 2-3 hour (or longer) zone.