Driving versus Flying - A REAL Comparison

[Local_Girl]

This has been an interesting thread. We (family of 4) drive 1200 miles to WDW, which is 2 full days of driving each way for us, and a night in a motel each way. We have calculated the cost of flying vs. driving and driving wins out every time.

As I’ve read through this thread, I’ve tried to divorce preferences from the actual calculated cost, but have been unable to do so. Many have already pointed out that each family’s trip is a subjective experience…based on their own personal preferences such as how long they want to stay, how they prefer to travel, where they prefer to stay etc.

In our case, we prefer to take long trips (2 weeks in Orlando), we like to do road trips, and we stay offsite in a condo for the full 2 weeks. Because we drive, we don’t have to pay for parking at our home airport or a rental car for 2 weeks (or taxi costs—yikes!). We can haul whatever we need for the trip without worrying about whether or not it will fit in a suitcase (or even be allowed on a plane!) or how we might ship a box to/from.

IF we took shorter trips, stayed onsite, and didn’t like to drive (well, okay, it’s DH that does all of the driving—he enjoys it, his choice to be the sole driver) then by all means flying would be the way to go. But if you factor in things like the fact that we can stay for free at motels along the way using reward points, or that we are one of those families that will “drive our cars into the ground” so that the depreciation cost is moot (1 car is almost 12 years old with about 245,000 miles on it; the other vehicle is a 6 year old van with almost 120,000 miles on it, and both are in great shape), or that we prefer to have our own vehicle with us…then driving makes the most sense for us.

Penny Pinchers? You bet—it allows us to go to WDW!

 

[Mari annie]

We have been driving for nearly 18 years.
Things have gone up but we do it for family time.

We now go 2 to 3 times a year, so we have stops along the way and my son will be attending College outside Orlando in the Fall, so to us it's like a 2nd home now!

We have noticed that this year the cost of renting a van has gone up extremly, we would go anywhere to pick it up anyway, Boston, Providence, NH wherever it was cheapest*, now NH adds the sales taxes as well=we haven't rented since we lived up there almost 7 years ago, so like everything else I am not surprised........
This year we are renting a large car, our kids are older now anyway, and it will save us a little over 300.00.
Depending on how long you have for vacation, what type of vacation you have when you go away, sometimes spending the extra money either way, whatever the family enjoys doing, or time constraints.
Since we go two weeks each time and have travel stops like VA/Savananah,GA and other little stops and staying at St Augustine for 3 days before going to MCO, I prefer driving. Since we have the favorite family stops, resteraunts, places we stay overnight, etc.

Good luck to everyone, no matter how you travel, plane, train, or automobile!
Happy Trips to all!!!
May you all be happy with the best choices you make for yourselves!

 

[consultant]

19 hours? Just you driving? If that is the case, Hard Core is an understatement. I did LA to Seattle straight but that was switching off with another driver and no kids in the car. And we were both halucinating when we got to Seattle because no matter how hard you try (without the aid of drugs) you don't really sleep in a car when it is bombing 70 MPH down I-5.

So I'd even venture to say anyone driving straight for more than 15 hours even switching off drivers, that's not a wise decision from a safety standpoint. And I did this when I was young and youthful and rested. Doing only one driver for 19 hours is pure craziness and I consider myself a risk taker (especially compared to my wife.) We both got a $120 speeding ticket on the way. Our fault, but add that to the cost. It was 21 hours straight if I remember so 10+ hours of driving per person. Driving straight for 15 hours or more sounds just pure desperate to me.



You're NUTS!

I must be a hard core driver if this is the case . . . I do about 19 hours (including all stops) in one day. I'm sure people do, but I can't imagine breaking up a 13 hour drive. . By the time I got that "day" through, I'd be saying "to heck with it! we're just a few hours away!" and finishing the trip.

I've done that trip 3 times over the past few years, to Orlando and back and have never spent more than $100 in gas each way, no more than $20 on food (for my part), and obviously no hotels.

Typically I do fly (especially when I have time to watch fare sales and can regularly get there and back for under $100 nonstop) but in those last minute pinches when airfare is $200 and up, it really is cheaper to drive. Actually a few years ago my friend and I went to Orlando for the Florida Music Festival and I didn't spend more than $100 for the whole trip. No way I could have managed that one after deciding to go a week and a half before the event if it wasn't so cheap to drive.

 

[consultant]

Cars are depreciated based on age, not mileage.

Wrong. I won't even elaborate. Plain wrong. The car value websites wouldn't ask for mileage if that is the case. Open any Kelly Blue Book or NADA guide and you'll see mileage is a factor.

 

[toesmom]

I would be very concerned about possibility of accidents while driving such long distances. Some posts mention driving through past 12 hours... I've driven 8 or so in the past and after a while, you are just not as alert. You know what I mean... especially in the night hours.

Not to mention, trucks, drivers who may fall asleep at the wheel, drunk drivers.

I just think you expose yourself to possible accidents that are avoided when you fly (assuming nothing happens on your plane trip of course).

The OP did an excellent analogy and it makes me confirm our plans to fly from now on.

And missed work hours for those days of driving. Some here would lose a lot of money for those missed days.

 

[consultant]

With the depreciation moot and two full days of driving, and one night hotel, lets see your numbers. Do you bring your own food or eat out? How many meals? How much do you actually spend on meals? And what is your opinion on all those extra hours you spend in the car versus all the time saved flying? Is the time saved not worth anything to you? Oh and what city in Michigan are you leaving from? Most importantly, realistically when you add *everything* up including those churros you bought at the park and those golden ears or Disney pin, how much TOTAL do you spend on the trip from start to finish and what percentage do you save driving? 5%? 10%? 15%? Is it worth the time and trouble/risk?

This has been an interesting thread. We (family of 4) drive 1200 miles to WDW, which is 2 full days of driving each way for us, and a night in a motel each way. We have calculated the cost of flying vs. driving and driving wins out every time.

As I’ve read through this thread, I’ve tried to divorce preferences from the actual calculated cost, but have been unable to do so. Many have already pointed out that each family’s trip is a subjective experience…based on their own personal preferences such as how long they want to stay, how they prefer to travel, where they prefer to stay etc.

In our case, we prefer to take long trips (2 weeks in Orlando), we like to do road trips, and we stay offsite in a condo for the full 2 weeks. Because we drive, we don’t have to pay for parking at our home airport or a rental car for 2 weeks (or taxi costs—yikes!). We can haul whatever we need for the trip without worrying about whether or not it will fit in a suitcase (or even be allowed on a plane!) or how we might ship a box to/from.

IF we took shorter trips, stayed onsite, and didn’t like to drive (well, okay, it’s DH that does all of the driving—he enjoys it, his choice to be the sole driver) then by all means flying would be the way to go. But if you factor in things like the fact that we can stay for free at motels along the way using reward points, or that we are one of those families that will “drive our cars into the ground” so that the depreciation cost is moot (1 car is almost 12 years old with about 245,000 miles on it; the other vehicle is a 6 year old van with almost 120,000 miles on it, and both are in great shape), or that we prefer to have our own vehicle with us…then driving makes the most sense for us.

Penny Pinchers? You bet—it allows us to go to WDW!

 

[Local_Girl]

Hmm…okay, I’ll try to answer your questions:

We bring much of our own food. Breakfast on the road is either muffins/fruit (from home) or free b-fast at the hotel (gotta love Holiday Inn Express—pretty consistent at the many we’ve stayed in). Lunch is sandwiches made from groceries purchased for the trip. Dinners on the road are usually at a sit down place, like Cracker Barrel, so we can get a hot meal. Because we stay in a condo, we also bring groceries from home and eat several meals there. Current plans for the next trip (13 full days there, not including arrival/departure days, and we’ll have 10-day hoppers) are to have b-fast in the condo each morning (except one special restaurant b-fast, and maybe a bakery treat one morning in the MK!). As for lunches and dinners—I’m planning on probably ½ of the lunches in the parks (counter service) and about ½ picnic lunches (we make ourselves); and we’ll have more dinners in the condo than out (right now I’m thinking 3 sit down dinners out, maybe another couple counter service). I’m trying to keep the sit down dinners to under $120 per meal (doable as we sometimes share entrees and don’t order drinks). Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t give more detail than that because we haven’t sat down and calculated our meal plan yet…the next trip is still 11 months off!

We leave from Holland, in SW Michigan. As to my opinion regarding the extra hours spent in the car vs. time saved flying…we enjoy being in the car as a family. The kids travel well. DH and I talk a lot and really enjoy each other’s company. I don’t like to fly and DH says he flies enough for work…and he enjoys driving. Our trips to WDW, by car, are part of a whole package. It certainly wouldn’t suit everyone, but it suits us fine!

Wow...I honestly don't know what percentage we're saving considering all the other stuff we might buy/do in the parks...never thought about it. Nor have I really thought about the risk of driving vs. flying and that being a factor as to whether we might fly instead of drive given all of our other considerations.

BTW...do you work for the airlines??

 

[katerkat]

Just for fun, I added up the miles we've spent on road trips in our SUV since buying it in 2004 - over 10,000 miles!! Kelly Blue Book value for the car is only $1,000 different when I subtract the 10K miles - so, I'd say the depreciation of the vehicle is a lot lower on a 1K trip than you're assuming. At least on my car.

Also, I keep the SUV in top condition, so a breakdown is not one of my worries.

And sit in traffic? Never happens. We have a GPS and we ended up on a really cool dirt road experience outside of Albuquerque to avoid an accident blocking the highway and Old Route 66. The cost of the GPS doesn't factor into our vacation cost because we use it daily. (I get lost easily.)

I'm not saying driving is always better. I would never drive from Washington to WDW. But a drive from NJ? Easy, done it lots of times. We've also flown from NJ lots of times. It just depends on the circumstances.

 

[klmall]

We've done both driving and flying and have always had time constraints so flying won out every time but one. We stopped on the way back to sightsee but the novelty of driving wore off quickly and until we retire we'll never drive to WDW again.

Even though we've never managed to snag really cheapo fares to Orlando we value our vacation time more than $$$. And we really hate arriving tired and losing our first day to catching up on sleep! Especially now with ME we don't rent a car; yes, we have fallen into the Disney net!

To each his own....

 

[tink2dw]

1 family of 3, 3500 miles from Disney World,[NO DL] Dec 2006, Nov 30 thru dec 10th, Value Season, Budget $3000.00

Plan

CS, 9 nights, 10 days, AAA Room only discount, 7 day hopper passes, dinning plan, 1 day tickets to Sea World, 2 day, 2 park tickets to US and IOA, cost $2600.00

Still Do-able with $200.00 flight, hours spent looking for air fare 5 hrs per night x 11 months, 3 to fly, Air Fare from Kayak, $1000.00, not thru Kayak $1500.00, only 1 airport to fly out of

WDW Budget BUSTED

Would NEVER consider Driving!!! Our vacaction would be over before we got there and back.

 

[Cindy B]

We just recently flew after many years of driving... and DH hated it!

He gets tons of vacation time (5 weeks or so) so his time is not a factor. I'm off in the summer--so my time isn't a factor either.

Last August we got 4 less expensive fares from PHL to MCO late August-- it was $700. Figure in tolls-payment for off site airport parking --$60 and such it was expensive for one day. Of course we got there early and just sat around--which drove my DH nuts he was constantly saying I could be in DC by now, I could have been in VA by now. Throw in the liquid ban and luggage limits it drove him over the edge and we weren't even off the ground yet.

Yes, we got to Florida around 10 am, but then we had rental car prices--one time it was $50 and another time $40. (those rates were before and after cruise)

$700
$ 60
$ 50
$ 40
_____
8 5 0

Of course after we bought these non refundable great deal airfare, there was a special that we couldn't take advantage of at Discovery Cove since we couldn't switch our times, and then Free Dining came out and then we couldn't switch our times either.

For the $850 it cost (no meals included) we could have driven and gotten there the next day. We leave early like 3 am in one day and drive until we get to Savannah--3 pm. We spend overnight in Savannah--costs less than $100 using Priceline--one time it was $50! and get to Florida by noon the next day.

Gas can be costly--we have an Expedition that we drove on our trips, but its an older vehicle so the depreciation isn't such a big deal. On our last trip it was Hurricane Katrina week, so gas was hideous--$4 a gallon in some stops, so gas was high on that trip. It takes 2 tanks to get down there, so low $35- to high $85 x 2. The last driving trip gas was hideous but it was the midst of a horrible hurricane and therefore an outlier in our calculations.

We can bring all the stuff we want--we can bring all the liquids we want and there is no problem.

Our kids are good car travelers. My DH loves his car and loves to drive. I also do the driving as well and don't mind driving his Expedition as long as I can park it further from other cars.

 

[ducklite]

19 hours? Just you driving? If that is the case, Hard Core is an understatement. I did LA to Seattle straight but that was switching off with another driver and no kids in the car. And we were both halucinating when we got to Seattle because no matter how hard you try (without the aid of drugs) you don't really sleep in a car when it is bombing 70 MPH down I-5.

So I'd even venture to say anyone driving straight for more than 15 hours even switching off drivers, that's not a wise decision from a safety standpoint. And I did this when I was young and youthful and rested. Doing only one driver for 19 hours is pure craziness and I consider myself a risk taker (especially compared to my wife.) We both got a $120 speeding ticket on the way. Our fault, but add that to the cost. It was 21 hours straight if I remember so 10+ hours of driving per person. Driving straight for 15 hours or more sounds just pure desperate to me.



You're NUTS!

My DH's threashhold is about 18 hours without needing to stop for a nap at some point--which he will do if he's tired. Mine is much lower. I can do a 19 hour drive if I can get two half hour naps along the way. I need the first one at about the seven hour mark, and the second one at about the 14 hour mark. As I said in a previous post, he has experience driving long distances, and also knows when enough is enough and is'nt afraid to stop for a power nap.

Neither of us have ever felt the need to speed to get where we are going. It's still going to be there.

On his last trip down, it was just stupid out there. It was the Friday before Christmas, and he wasn't able to leave as early as he wanted to due to a work issue that kept him up late the night before. It was amatuer day on I-95. Accidents caused by idiots driving too fast or not paying attention kept slowing him down. At hour 12 he was in northern NC, he would normally be around the SC/GA border. Then it started to rain. He knew he wasn't going to make it home that night so he gave up early and got off the road, lessening his chances of becoming a statistic. Got a room for the night, got a good nights sleep, and left early the next morning to get a jump start on the rest of the drive before the idiot brigade showed up around 10:00 am.

Even though he had to pay for a hotel room, it was cheaper than flying would have been, considering that his car was full of Christmas gifts (try checking a case of champagne on a plane...) and the aforementioned W-Pop,

Bottom line, not everyone speeds to get $120 in speeding tickets--talk about a dangerous driver who will cause an accident!!!--and many know their limits on how long/far they can drive without becoming a dangerous driver.

BTW--For everyone worried about being in an accident on a long drive, the statistics show that you are far more likely (I think it's around 80%) to be in an accident within ONE MILE of your own home!

Anne

 

[ICF]

Just for fun, I added up the miles we've spent on road trips in our SUV since buying it in 2004 - over 10,000 miles!! Kelly Blue Book value for the car is only $1,000 different when I subtract the 10K miles - so, I'd say the depreciation of the vehicle is a lot lower on a 1K trip than you're assuming. At least on my car.

I believe the IRS rate is a rate that can be used in calculating your deduction if you drive your personal vehicle for work and are not reimbursed by your comapny. The value the IRS figures is the depreciation, gas, maintance costs and whatnot associated with each mile you drive.

I went to www.kbb.com and checked our 2003 Toyota van....It didn't even change on mine. I input 45K in one example and 46K in another and the value stayed the same. A lot of factors go into your trade - in value...miles are only 1 small part of it and typically are just used to place it in a certain range (i.e. - low miles, average, high, etc). The condition of the car in terms of maintance and appearance I would think plays a much high roll in your cars resale value then if you have 50K or 52K (or even 55K-60K) on it.

 

[Caitsmama]

Well, all aside, i definately have to agree it is NOT safe for anyone to drive for 19 hours straight with no sleep........ yikes. I know there have been studies about it, and i forgot the number that they had said was a "safe" point..
But, anything over say 12 hrs in my book is asking for an accident.. just b/c it hasn't happened yet - doesn't mean it's ok, or it won't.

And, i have driven to KY twice, about 18 hours from my home.. and i would NEVER have thought about even attempting that without a nights rest or switching drivers!

I don't mean to jump on anyone.......... but seriously, it's not safe. I compare it to driving and drinking- in a sense that some drivers may not think they aren't a risk - they THINK they can operate the car safely (even with a drink or two) , but it is proven that even one drink can impare our reactions while driving.......... same with not sleeping for a long period of time.

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

You're absolutely right -- it depends upon your family's circumstances. My girls will ride happily in the car all day long; they just want a day's notice to get all their goodies together. We have a safe, new, economical car. And we live by one of the most expensive airports in the country.

As for RVs, we looked into them a couple years ago and decided that it just wouldn't be a good deal for us. The cost is high, I don't mind searching for cheap hotel rooms, and we didn't like the idea of driving that big thing. Does that mean it's a bad choice for YOUR FAMILY? Not for one minute.

Oh yes, you are absolutely correct, the cost is extremely high if you are purchasing a motorhome just for the actual driving. And I'm with you, I've never driven it, scares the *poop* out of me My DH on the other hand, it just one of those drivers that doesn't flinch at it. (The man actually got a CDL for fun , don't ask, he's just weird like that)

For us, the actual driving convinience is only a very small part of the purpose for having it and we will probably swap it for a 5th wheel when the kids are just a bit older. (With three small children, having your "potty" with you is a lifesaver) What we gain from it, is the actual vacation. We love having a seperate bedroom from the kids with our own TV for after they go to sleep at night. We love the time spent at the campground, sitting outside in the evening while the kids make smores. It makes for a very relaxing time.

As for the cost, YIKES. They are very expensive and we are NOT wealthy. We have a "redneck timeshare". You'll have to read my pretrip, for the definition of that

Sorry, I got way OT

 

[disneysteve]

I read the first couple of pages, then jumped to the end to post, so I apologize if I'm repeating what others have said.

The OP makes some assumptions that don't necessarily apply to everyone.

1. Gas isn't always $2.50. Right now, it is about $2.06 in my neighborhood, so that first fill up would take us about 1/3 of the way there (it is 1000 miles door to door for us). Also, we don't have an SUV so our highway mileage is a little better than 20mpg.
2. Flying takes a lot more than 2 hours when you add in getting to the airport, being there 2 hours early, flight delays, waiting for luggage and getting from the airport to your accomodations.
3. You didn't include the cost of a rental car. We would NEVER go to Disney without our own car, especially since we prefer to stay offsite in a condo or house. So add in a few hundred for that and add extra time waiting to get your rental at the airport and returning it when you leave.
4. The vacation time lost isn't right because of when we leave. If we fly, we usually leave about 10am Saturday morning. If we drive, we leave right after school on Friday afternoon. Our arrival time is only a few hours later on Saturday.
5. Meals on the road don't really count because no matter where we were during that time period, we'd have to eat. If we were already at Disney, we'd be paying for our meals. Plus, we can pack food from home to eat in the car. Also, when we stop for the night, we always do so at a hotel that includes breakfast. So that $50 for the night gets us hotel and breakfast.
6. This isn't entirely a monetary thing, but driving allows us to pack much differently. We can bring a carton of food items to use during the week, which saves us from buying them when we get there. We can bring paper goods, laundry detergent, and other items that we'll need in our condo, again saving us from buying them in Florida.
7. And finally, we do actually enjoy the drive. There are several stops that have become traditions for us, like getting pecan logs, free orange juice, stuff like that. We all look forward to revisiting those places.

Now we do only have 1 child, so there is no backseat bickering. If we had 2 or 3, I might feel differently.

 

[minnie1928]

I don't see a whole lot of people trading in their Explorers and Dodge Caravans for Priuses anytime soon. But even so it wouldn't make that much of a difference as fuel is only 19% of the total cost in my estimate.

If this double posts, forgive me...It didn't appear to post the first time I typed it all in.

I have not yet read the entire thread (yet) but when I saw this comment I had to post. In September I traded in my BMW X5 SUV (or SAV as the BMW marketing people call it) for a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid and I am THRILLED with it! I agree that not alot of people are doing what I did....yet!

I think your formula is very thorough, but I think that there are too many variables to say whether or not it's worthwhile to drive vs. fly. We plan on going in April (week of Easter) and for the first time we are driving. At this point, airfare from BWI would cost our family of 4 over $1200. That's just the airfare, no parking fees, eating at the airport, buying a magazine to read on the plane, etc.

I figure that gas will only cost me about $100 for the total roundtrip. The mileage depreciation isn't big for me...largely because I put less than the ''average" mileage on per year anyway. I'll review your formula some more and calculate the cost based on your figures and see what I come up with.

 

[minnie1928]

I read the first couple of pages, then jumped to the end to post, so I apologize if I'm repeating what others have said.

The OP makes some assumptions that don't necessarily apply to everyone.

1. Gas isn't always $2.50. Right now, it is about $2.06 in my neighborhood, so that first fill up would take us about 1/3 of the way there (it is 1000 miles door to door for us). Also, we don't have an SUV so our highway mileage is a little better than 20mpg.
2. Flying takes a lot more than 2 hours when you add in getting to the airport, being there 2 hours early, flight delays, waiting for luggage and getting from the airport to your accomodations.
3. You didn't include the cost of a rental car. We would NEVER go to Disney without our own car, especially since we prefer to stay offsite in a condo or house. So add in a few hundred for that and add extra time waiting to get your rental at the airport and returning it when you leave.
4. The vacation time lost isn't right because of when we leave. If we fly, we usually leave about 10am Saturday morning. If we drive, we leave right after school on Friday afternoon. Our arrival time is only a few hours later on Saturday.
5. Meals on the road don't really count because no matter where we were during that time period, we'd have to eat. If we were already at Disney, we'd be paying for our meals. Plus, we can pack food from home to eat in the car. Also, when we stop for the night, we always do so at a hotel that includes breakfast. So that $50 for the night gets us hotel and breakfast.
6. This isn't entirely a monetary thing, but driving allows us to pack much differently. We can bring a carton of food items to use during the week, which saves us from buying them when we get there. We can bring paper goods, laundry detergent, and other items that we'll need in our condo, again saving us from buying them in Florida.
7. And finally, we do actually enjoy the drive. There are several stops that have become traditions for us, like getting pecan logs, free orange juice, stuff like that. We all look forward to revisiting those places.

Now we do only have 1 child, so there is no backseat bickering. If we had 2 or 3, I might feel differently.

Well said...

 

[MrsPete]

Cars are depreciated based on age, not mileage.

Well, it's actually both . . . I mean, suppose you were looking for a used Ford Explorer and you found two nice ones. They're both 2005 models, both nicely maintained, but one has 50,000 miles, and the other has 150,000 miles -- one'd be worth more than the other.

BOTH age and mileage matter in depreciation.

But according to the OP's statement, my car depreciates almost $4 per day as I drive to and from school, which is about two miles away. It depreciates $2 everytime I go to the grocery store. A trip to my in-laws, who are only four hours away, knocks almost $200 off the value of my car. That's just outrageously high and untruthful.

In my case, I don't care about depreciation at all. We buy good cars, maintain them religiously, and drive them until the wheels fall off. We just chose a nice, new car for me, and I intend to drive it for five years (until our oldest daughter graduates from high school). We'll use it to get the girls and me to school, to do around-town stuff, and we'll use it on trips. When my oldest goes off to college, the car'll be hers: a five-year old, one-owner Honda is a fine college car. When the car is eventually traded in, we'll be lucky to get anything for it, but we'll have had our money's worth from it.

 

[MrsPete]

You didn't mention what city you are flying from (and your profile on the side of the post just says USA.)

I tend not to give too much information about where I live on the boards, but I'm a Carolina girl.