Originally Posted by quiltmouse
You travel in the car with the cat in the carrier. You stop & let the cat relieve itself in the greens at travel stops. Use a leash. In the motel, put familiar bed, food/water bowls, litter box in the bathroom, with the cat loose in the bathroom.
I suggest a drive of 30 min to "test" the cat. If it never calms down, get a tranquilizer from the vet. (Valium or whatever.)
I have a cat that I travel with and I agree with all of this. Another thing I have done is get an ID microchip implanted in my cat. It is smaller than a grain of rice and is injected with a syringe. If the cat gets lost while at a stop (has never happened yet and hope it never does) I can notify the local Humane society of the cat's identification code and my phone#. They will notify all the Vets also. It only cost $35.
Good luck with your journey!