Should You Fly or Drive to Your Vacation Destination?

It’s the question so many of us wrestle with when it’s time to plan a vacation. Should we fly or drive? It used to be cheaper to drive. As gas prices rise, however, driving is not always cheaper. There are other considerations, as well.

My family is flying to Boston later this month. We already have our tickets, but out of curiosity, I decided to use this online fuel calculator to see if, mathematically speaking, we made the right choice. The cost to drive is about $250 cheaper, plus we have to rent a car when we get there.

If money was my only consideration, driving would be the best choice. For us, time is also a factor. My husband just started a new job six months ago and has limited vacation time. Driving to Boston is 3,600 miles round trip. Averaging 70 miles per hour, it would take us a minimum of 51 hours to get there and back. Our round trip travel time by plane is about 10 hours, which means we get several more days in Boston by flying.

There are drawbacks, though. When you take your own car, you leave on your own schedule, delays are minimal, there are no baggage fees and no fees to change your plans at the last minute. When I was booking our plane tickets, schedule was a huge concern. Many airlines only fly between Dallas and Boston very early in the morning or very late at night. I was not going to wake up my family at 3 a.m. to catch a plane at 6 a.m., and I was not going to come home at midnight when my husband has to go to work the next morning. We also had the issue of layovers in different cities. I eventually got exactly what I wanted, but it took a lot of effort.

I have a friend who usually drives from Denver to Houston every summer. This year, her cost would have been about $500 to drive, but Southwest Airlines had flights from $56. It’s actually cheaper for her to fly, but she’s already lamenting not being able to stop at the few places where they stop every year that have become a tradition. That’s the benefit of driving. You can stop and see more sights or eat at restaurants you only find in certain parts of the country. However, it does put wear and tear on your vehicle (and your sanity if you’re traveling with kids).

If you really like driving, but it’s not cost-efficient, consider renting a more fuel efficient car for your road trip. I have rented cars very cheaply on Hotwire and Priceline. Many car rental companies also offer last-minute deals on their websites.

Whatever your choice is this summer, have a fun and safe vacation!

Next week: Look for tips on finding affordable airline tickets.