Flying vs. Driving

[elessar78]

I use something I call my 6-hour rule. If the drive is less than 6-hours then I just drive.

I look at it this way, It takes me an hour to drive to the airport, arrive two hours before my flight, shortest flight takes an hour, then an hour or two to get out of my destination airport to my hotel. So that's 5 or 6 hours. If there's any kind of delay, then the advantage of flying has evaporated.

Maybe even a 7 or 8 hour drive is done over flying.

Cost is a factor too. With a wife and two kids—it's considerably much less expensive.

[Wino]

Last night, DW and I decided to go see my brothers and my parents over Thanksgiving. We bought two plane tickets rather than driving about 20 hours. I only get about 16 days off, and to use two to four of those days driving, rather than 6 hours total, would be a waste. Total cost for two last-minute (nearly) tickets from Houston to Washington, DC: about $1000.

Would anyone have driven in this situation? Probably not, but if you would have driven, I'd like to know your reasoning (no, that's not a challenge - it's a sincere inquiry).

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I think we're driving SF to SD for the holidays. 8-10 hours but we'll likely stop along the way overnight. With the kids we just aren't up for it. We'd probably fly but holiday pricing is too much and my BIL can chose to join us last minute this way.

[FrugalTexan75]

For Christmas this year I will be flying from ABQ to San Francisco, stay 3 1/2 days, and then fly from San Jose to Omaha and stay for 8? days, and then fly back to ABQ. The three trips all together cost just under $500. If I drove, then I would have to cut my time in CA short, as well as my time in NE. I priced out taking Amtrak, taking a combination of flight and Amtrak, and taking a combination of flight + Greyhound. The third combination was actually the cheapest by $20 - but also had 3x as much travel time as just straight flying.

My limit on driving in a straight stretch is ten hours. Anything more than that, and I *have* to split the trip and spend the night at a hotel. This past summer I drove to NE from ABQ'sh area - the 16 hours split in two going there worked fine. The second day of driving on the way back though ... I ended up having to stop at a rest area and sleep for an hour towards the 6 hour mark - otherwise I would have fallen asleep at the wheel. My bf who'll be visiting me over Thanksgiving is somehow able to do a 16 hour drive in one shot - I really don't know how he does it.

[Blessed]

Last night, DW and I decided to go see my brothers and my parents over Thanksgiving. We bought two plane tickets rather than driving about 20 hours. I only get about 16 days off, and to use two to four of those days driving, rather than 6 hours total, would be a waste. Total cost for two last-minute (nearly) tickets from Houston to Washington, DC: about $1000.

Would anyone have driven in this situation? Probably not, but if you would have driven, I'd like to know your reasoning (no, that's not a challenge - it's a sincere inquiry).

Yes but only because we enjoy getting to see things along the way. If we couldn't find the extra time we would fly.