“You’re driving there?” I was asked this in the same tone someone might ask, “You’re ripping your fingernails out?” See, the company I was working for at the time was doing a “brand activation” at a Supercross race – we were doing them at every race on the circuit that year – and while the rest of team was hopping on a two-hour flight to get to the event, I drew the short straw and would be driving the five or six hours to the venue so I could bring a pickup-truck bedload’s worth of stuff we needed to set up the activation.
But I hadn’t actually drawn the short straw, at least not accidentally: no, I requested the short straw, and the drive it represented. I was looking forward to it, in fact. This stunned my work buddies, who thought I would have it hard while they had it easy. It was the other way around, I explained.
“Let’s do the math,” I said. “Is a two-hour flight really a two-hour flight? You’re going to drive about a half-hour to the airport, take at least another 30 minutes to get through security and to the gate, and then blow an hour waiting at the gate and boarding. We’ll assume the plane takes off and lands on time, and the flight is precisely two hours. You’re going to kill another 30 minutes deplaning and getting your bags, then 30 more getting the rental cars, and then you’re driving at least 40 minutes to the venue. That’s 340 minutes, divide by 60 … five hours and 36 minutes.”
I could see it starting to register. “Going through security, sitting in a gate chair eating a garbage lunch, squeezing into a coach seat, waiting in line at the rental place … none of that sounds fun to me. While you’re doing that, I’m going to hop into a nice, new Honda Ridgeline [the company had just purchased one as an errand runner] and take a scenic drive through southern Texas – alone – as I blast my music as loud as I want. I’ll stop to refill the tank at Buc-Ee’s, stretch my legs a bit and enjoy a chopped brisket sandwich with those hand-cut potato chips of theirs, then hit a full-size, nice-n-private bathroom stall before heading back out on the road in a comfy seat, with my tunes on the stereo and a giant Coke in the cupholder. I’ll arrive about the same time you do. Who will be more refreshed and less sore, you think?”
So, long story short: if the drive is going to be 12 hours or less, and it’s not expected to be a traffic beatdown, I will choose driving over flying every time.
Your turn: How Long Does A Drive Have To Be Before You Consider Flying Instead?
Top graphic images: depositphotos.com
I fairly frequently drive about 715 (12-13 hours on the road) miles to one kid and grandkid. I think I drove that trip three times last year. I will be flying up there next time. This is one of the few times that I don’t have to haul anything big up or back. This opened up flying. It is an hour and a half to the airport for me and about 45 minutes for the driver to pick me up. This time I was able to get a flight far enough in advance that financially it was cheaper for me to fly. And since I will be there to six-dog sit while everyone is gone, I don’t need my own car either. If my spouse is also coming up, with the amount of medical stuff needed, driving would usually be the wiser option.
Spoken like a true midwesterner, even if he was in Texas.
I’m probably at about a day’s drive. But it depends on what I value and how I value my time. I can easily drive to Cleveland for Easter but time will be tight and it will be an in-and-out (and I can fly for free), so I’ll fly.
Well, I just drove 12 hours to Dayton Ohio for a memorial service, spent two nights, and drove 12 hours back. That wasn’t bad at all. So I’d say whatever I can comfortably drive in one day, I’ll just drive. Probably 14 hours is where I’d think about flying, but only if it was a direct flight. If it’s a flight with layovers, I’d rather possibly sleep in my car for a few hours and keep going later, so maybe 20 hours drive I’d go with a flight that had a layover.
Around 10 hours, it becomes too much to comfortably drive in one day, and the gas+hotel+time+energy+wear & tear overcomes the flight+rental (or ubering around) cost of the alternative. A one-day road trip is fun, a 2-day one is asinine unless it’s a backroads drive for its own sake.
For me, its more about how much time i have rather than the distance. Ill drive to FL at the drop of a hat, but if im going for a weekend, flying brings the maximum time there.
Depends on where I’m going, why I’m going, and whether I need a car when I arrive. Going to Disneyland? Don’t need a car and I just want to get there so I can go to Trader Sam’s for a drink and some Long Beans.
Going to LA to see family or friends and hit multiple locations? Driving since I would rather have a nice road trip and my own vehicle rather than a shitty Hyundai rent-a-wreck for the same price.
Twelve hours used to be the pivot point. And I have moved cross country several times and drove 16-hour stints (sometimes in a U-Haul, pulling a car on a dolly behind it).
I am older now and have made several trips from metro Seattle to metro Sacramento. The last several, I broke it up, staying overnight in Medford, OR.
I am going down and back again in the next 10 days and elected to fly. Two days down and two days back on I-5 is time I won’t get back. And crossing the Siskiyous just south of Medford can be dicey, weather-wise, this time of year.
I have some mileage points to use on airlines and I am at a point in life where I just want to be kinder to myself. I also have to factor in renting a car.
While working, I had to do jobs in Spokane and Pullman, WA and then went on to meet up with family near Missoula, MT. I elected to drive then and for those two assignments, it was about a wash for the airfare vs. what they had to reimburse me for mileage.
I don’t put many miles on my car now and qualified for a low mileage discount on insurance, but a couple of 1400 mile roundtrips in one year, kicked me out of it, for a while.
It’s not calculus, but the math is not straightforward as one would think. Similarly, taking an Uber/Lyft to and from the airport vs. driving and paying for airport parking is pretty similar for shorter trips.
No additional charge for checked bags. I can recline my seat. I control the boarding process. Every seat is aisle & window.
Over 5 hours I’ll consider flying.
About 5 – 6 hours.
Just like you, this is something I’ve tested in the past. I drove from my location to Montreal. About 5.5 hours if traffic is ok. A couple colleagues flew from Toronto to Montreal. Everybody arrived at the customer location within about 15 mins of each other after departing the office at about the same time. Pearson is not an airport you can count on getting through quickly, even if you’re all Nexus-enhanced.
Not that it’s a hard and fast rule. I drove to the east coast a couple years ago, and might do it again this summer. Road trips are fun!
About 6 hours drive and I start thinking about flying, depending on the timing/price/how many people are splitting the driving/etc. I’ve found that to be about the point that I’m actually saving time. The one exception is sometimes my wife will fly to her parents (4 hour drive) when Southwest has stupidly good prices.
More than 10-12 hours I’ll basically only be driving if I need to bring more stuff than I can take on a plane. If I fly up to visit my mom’s family (Houston-NE Oklahoma, 9 hour drive, 1 hour flight) I can leave work an hour early and still get a full night’s sleep, if I drive I’m going to burn a whole day.
Anything over 18 hours is flying territory to me. I once drove 31 hours straight by myself and it was easily the dumbest thing I have ever done. I could have opted to drive to Seattle next month, but a plane ticket is both cheaper and faster. It gets me two more days of actual vacation time for my anniversary, so worth it to me.
Probably 10+ hours and it depends on flights. If it isn’t a direct flight, I’ll probably just drive up to 12-14 hours rather than deal with layovers and more time in the airport.
Every part of flying without some sort of first-class, VIP status is terrible. Last I checked a first class ticket cost as much as a used car, so I guess I won’t be doing that any time soon.
Never. Even over the ocean I’ll drive my car onto a ship.
If there was a bridge to Europe I’d drive there. That’s how much I hate the US airport “experience”. Granted, I fly in/out of JFK which is about as 3rd world shit as 1st world can get. That and I absolutely love driving, preferably alone.
I’m driving unless crossing an ocean is involved. Flying sucks.
Next month I will drive from Detroit to Seattle to deliver a vehicle and fly home. The drive will be 2400 miles in 3 days. The flight back will take about a day all together and will be far less hazardous. I don’t dislike driving (or I wouldn’t have an account here) but when I balance independence against safety flying wins.
If you’ve ever been in a conversation that includes the phrase “It’s only 4 hours past Regina”
…
I’m sorry what was the question again?
I’m biased on account of having a Nissan Leaf S (40kWh) so I don’t drive it outside of range of my home. However once I get a NACS having BEV in a few years I’ll drive it instead of flying irrespective of distance (since I’m unlikely to leave the US again).
Growing up, we never flew. Would drive 14 hours from the northeast to either Wisconsin or Georgia. I did a bunch of those drives alone later in life and could do it in 12 hours overnight. Getting a little older now and I would say 10 hours but depends. If its for work, maybe a little longer as its easier to bring tools and what not.
I’ve been driving 20K miles a year and flying 100-130 times a year for a decade. Flying is safer. It’s a hassle but you’re far more likely to survive. When you travel a LOT it makes a difference.
Once the drive is over 8 hours, then it’s worth looking into flying and how much it costs… including the cost of a rental car if I need one at my destination.
Some places are very expensive to fly to (such as the Atlantic provinces in Canada) and thus, would drive there even if I have to do the drive over 2 days
The last 12 years I have flown over 1,100 flights for work as an industrial laser engineer (primarily automotive assembly and components) for a big German machine tool company.
Our travel standard said more than a 6 hour drive you fly. Exceptions for shorter distances if you have to be near an airport to get to another place quickly for the next job. This was a rational arrangement and usually worked.