Do you prefer driving or flying? (Or trains or buses or boats or whatever)

[meenman]

I will not fly unless it is an absolute necessity. Flew one month after 9/11 out of NY had no problems, but had one real bad flight between North Carolina and New York about 10 years ago and will not get on a plane again. It has cost me positions in the past, but I can not get over my fear - guessing it is a lack of control thing.

[sethatk]

As a lifelong aircraft mechanic, I definitely prefer driving. Just kidding, flying statistically is safer than driving, but I also prefer control.

[isukgolf]

I prefer flying for any distance. However, if i am in the passenger seat then driving with my brother would be cool and a good way to visit a bit.

[saevel25]

I voted driving. I personally like driving. I also like flying as well. If I had to choose I would rather plan out a road trip than fly. I just like the freedom you get from driving. That and the huge cost savings.

Though I do with more trains are around. I would like to at least experience that option once.

[jamo]

I like driving, but the exact hour threshold depends on things like where I'm going, who I'm with, if it's a long drive to and from airports, etc.

[tristanhilton85]

I don't do a lot of traveling, but I think the cut off for me would be somewhere around the 10 hour mark.... I feel like with flying, that day is essentially gone after you deal with checking in, dealing with baggage, getting a rental car, etc; so if I can drive it in a day, it's just as well.

[Shindig]

I hate the whole experience of flying, except the times the craft is in the sky. The airport, the security ... things, the nickel and diming for things. I mean, it's sometimes worse than movie theater prices for food and cokes. So... it's driving for me. But, let's talk to your situation. I've driven from the general Los Angeles area to middle Oregon (Corvallis) once, three and a half years ago, when I moved there for work. I drove back about a year later, too. The trip up I drove to the Davis area, give or take, and stayed with a friend for the night before finishing the trip. Trying it in two days wasn't right for me. So on the way back, I drove to Medford one afternoon (used a moving van for my stuff), then to the SF Bay area the next day, hung out for a day, and then on day 4 finished the trip. This worked better, but isn't realistic for your vacation. I think eight hours is the likely limit for me. I'll drive to Palm Desert regularly, and that's about two hours. Phoenix... I think five hours? Easy drive though.

[mchepp]

the nickel and diming for things. I mean, it's sometimes worse than movie theater prices for food and cokes.

Yeah, I forgot about paying $35 for my golf bag to come along with me, I hate that too.

[scorpion12]

I voted drive. I don't like flying.

[k-troop]

I don't do a lot of traveling, but I think the cut off for me would be somewhere around the 10 hour mark.... I feel like with flying, that day is essentially gone after you deal with checking in, dealing with baggage, getting a rental car, etc; so if I can drive it in a day, it's just as well.

Yeah, this is about it for me.  A single day's drive is my threshold (pretty much).  Every flight is a minimum of 2 hours +flight time when you factor in driving to the airport, parking, checking in, getting your boarding pass at the TSA minimum 30 minutes prior to takeoff, then getting your bags and transportation, and driving from the airport to your actual destination.

A <5 hour drive is a no-brainer for me. @Golfingdad , that 45 minute Vegas flight actually takes you 3 hours.  And you don't get to decide when you leave/arrive.  You have to lug all your crap around with you.  You have to hand your golf clubs over to an hourly wage employee who has 20 minutes to load 500 forty-pound bags.

On longer flights the cost savings is almost always worth it.  It's four tanks of gas from here to DFW (about $400 round trip).  A single plane ticket from LAX, ONT, or Vegas to DFW is $600.  If the wife and I are flying with the kids it's $1800, plus parking, plus rental car.  Last Christmas we drove because we had two weeks and planned to visit my family in DFW and the wife's family in MO.  Between plane tickets and rental cars it was going to cost us $5k.  We spent about $600 on gas (at $4/gal) and two nights in hotels (about $200, which is much less than the parking would have been).

And a day's drive for me is a loooong way.  I drove from Ft. Irwin CA to Houston in a day last spring.

[cipher]

Nervous flyer a bit, but I do it all the time. I would rather drive though if it is under 15-16 hours or so. Anything more and especially a two day drive is just miserable. One way or another I hope you get to go on that trip Drew.

[Golfingdad]

A

I suppose you are right.  The "only" choices for a Friday flight to Vegas from John Wayne on Southwest are 7:45, 9:10, 11:35, 1:10, 4:10, 6:25, 8:10 and 9:20.  (gate to gate is 1:05)  And the only choices for the flight back are 8:30, 10:35, 12:40, 2:25, 5:05, 6:40, and 7:30, also 1:05 gate to gate.  Door to door, sure, it's probably closer to 3 hours, but door to door driving is always going to be over 5.  And here's the thing:  You have a lot less choices as far as time is concerned when you're driving because if you leave after noon on Friday, then now you're talking about that drive being 6 or 7 hours.  Same thing coming back:  If you get out the door before 8am, then you can probably breeze home in 3 1/2 hours.  Wait too long and you risk the possibility of that trip being 5 or 6 or more hours.

People keep saying "freedom" is the reason why they like driving, and it's funny because that's exactly why I like flying too.  The freedom to not have to stress about when to get on the road, what route to take to avoid the traffic (if that's even possible), to be able to do anything else like read or watch tv, or even drink alcohol if that's your thing, but mostly, the freedom to have more time at the destination to do more things.  A Friday-Sun road trip to Vegas leaving after work is really only going to be a couple of hours Friday night and then Saturday.  A trip flying and you get much of Friday evening, and you also get to be leisurely on Sunday morning if you'd like.

Now, all of that said, the cost is still one of the biggest factors.  Right now, it's $150 each way, and that's for the Super Saver!  That is insanely high, so driving it is.  I swear it wasn't that long ago (ok, maybe 12 years) where they had $39 each way tickets.  You could fly roundtrip for less than the cost of gas in your car.

Nervous flyer a bit, but I do it all the time. I would rather drive though if it is under 15-16 hours or so. Anything more and especially a two day drive is just miserable. One way or another I hope you get to go on that trip Drew.

I get a little uneasy occasionally when there is turbulence, but I manage.

[turtleback]

Define "great cost differential." (Not really asking… it's going to be different for everyone.)

We saved about $800 driving to Orlando for the PGA Merchandise Show week over flying, AND had a better experience.

Pretty much the exact opposite of this is why I prefer flying when its feasible.  When you are driving, you have to drive.  You can't read a book, you can't play on your computer, you can't do work, you can't get up and stretch your legs whenever you want to, you can't get the kids settled unless you pull over, etc, etc.

When flying, once you get through security, then you don't really have to worry about anything else.

I'll drive if at all reasonably possible.  When I drive there is no one making things as uncomfortable and inconvenient as possible so they can sell me "solutions" to the discomfort and inconvenience they have created.

And unless you are either a control freak or the only licensed driver in the car, there are still lots of opportunities to read, nap, play on your computer, etc., if you drive.

Plus you get to see something of the area between you and your destination.  AND you do not have to rent a vehicle when you get there.

[lumpuckeroo]

I voted for flying, mostly because I'm the worlds worst passenger in a car.  Whenever we drive anywhere I have to do all the driving, the rest of my family are HORRIBLE drivers, my wife, son, daughter, son-in-law, brother, all scare the crap out of me when they drive.  I've actually been trying to get my wife to take a driving vacation, I would like to drive from KC area to Florida panhandle or SC area.  I would like to see some of the country side, but I can't get her to commit, I'm willing to do all the driving as she actually scares me the most.

If I'm going for a long weekend, say to Vegas, I would prefer to fly, but if I'm going on an extended vacation, I don't mind driving.  As as Erik said, I can pick my music, stop when I want, pack what I want, and set my own pace, so driving is fine with me.

[colin007]

There's no such thing as a fresh feeling after a flight. You feel grimy, congested, gross. Plus, I'm a little tall (6'4") so a seat on a plane is never comfy. Also, even if a flight only takes an hour, you gotta be there two hours early and then it takes an hour to get out. Finally, planes are loud as all get out. I'm so mentally and hearing fatigued by the end of it, it's not worth it.

[turtleback]

There's no such thing as a fresh feeling after a flight. You feel grimy, congested, gross.

Plus, I'm a little tall (6'4") so a seat on a plane is never comfy.

Also, even if a flight only takes an hour, you gotta be there two hours early and then it takes an hour to get out.

Finally, planes are loud as all get out. I'm so mentally and hearing fatigued by the end of it, it's not worth it.

I recently read that city to city routes are now being eyed and serviced by luxury BUSES of all things.  They are positioning themselves as a luxurious comfortable way to travel.  They will never compete big time with the airlines - especially not for long trips.  But if you are traveling from one decent sized city to another that isn't too far away it might be something to look into.

For example, if I had to travel between Boston and NY this might be an attractive alternative to both driving AND flying.

http://my.limoliner.com/

[phan52]

I was cool with driving anywhere when I was younger but now, if it's farther than 4 hours away, I'm flying.

[Moxie Dawn]

Definitely flying. Love the airport, love the planes, don't even mind picking up the luggage, it's all good. Flying to Miami next month on one of those sweet little mini jets, the Embraer RJ145, the kind with two rows of seats on one side and one row on the other side. My favorite!