Never thought I'd be debating drive vs fly

[Keeblerelf928]

So we leave in 18 days. We have refundable airline tickets for all 6. Between flights, car transfers, hotel the night before at the airport (cheaper than paying for parking to have a hotel with 10 days of parking the night before go figure) we are looking at about 3400 round trip. We live an hour from the airport and need to be there at least 2 hours before our flight (nervous flyers).

We can technically make them time to give us two full days before arrival day to drive down and two full days to drive home. We check in on 2/10, but could leave the afternoon of the 8th. We check out 2/18 and could take until 2/20 to get home if needed. Factoring in hotels both directions, food, gas, tolls it would be around 1300. Thats not counting wear and tear on the car. Its around 2000 miles round trip which is typically what we put on the car over the course of about 6-8 months (we don't drive much at home.) The longest drive I've done in one shot was Boston and it took around 10 hours from where we are.

Am I crazy for considering this? It would be 6 people in a very comfy mini van with entertainment system. 2 people able to switch off driving though I get car sick and typically do 90% of the driving. No one else gets car sick. Is 2k worth saving? Is there anyway near 95 to stop that would be cool for kids to see between PA and FL?

 

[bakerworld]

If you can stand the drive, the savings would be significant. Lately plane travel has been a bit dicey and pricy. We're flying in March and, even though I am not a fan of early flights, we booked the 8:30a flight, which means we have to be up by 5a to drive. Lately it seems like only the AM flights actually leave although they have been delayed. Returning I took the noon flight and my fingers are crossed that it was not a bad decision.

 

[sam_gordon]

Personally, anything over ~4 hours and I'd PREFER to fly. However, we've driven 7 hours for trips, as well as 13. And I do ~90% of the driving.

Only you can decide if the cost vs time savings is "worth it". If I had the money to spend, I'd fly.

 

[DeeBee3]

I think lots of factors. How old are your kids? It would take us about the same time as you and my kids are 9 and 5. I would literally go insane and jump out of the car after a few hours. We would have to stop a lot for bathrooms, etc. If my kids were closer to teenage years, then I would consider it. However, that' my personality so it could be way different for you.

 

[sam_gordon]

Lately it seems like only the AM flights actually leave although they have been delayed.

This is so subjective. By airline, by days, by airport. I've flown more in the last three months with my new job than I have in the last three years. Yes, some flights have been delayed. But I have yet to not get to my destination (either direction) within a couple hours of when I was supposed to (and probably 80-90% were on time). I've had early morning flights, afternoon flights, and late evening flights.

 

[Keeblerelf928]

As a second piece of information: our flights are on Southwest :/

 

[Keeblerelf928]

I think lots of factors. How old are your kids? It would take us about the same time as you and my kids are 9 and 5. I would literally go insane and jump out of the car after a few hours. We would have to stop a lot for bathrooms, etc. If my kids were closer to teenage years, then I would consider it. However, that' my personality so it could be way different for you.

My kids are 3 and 7 almost 4 and 8. and we'd have my in-laws as well.

 

[DeeBee3]

My kids are 3 and 7 almost 4 and 8. and we'd have my in-laws as well.

Well, you already know my answer to that!!!

 

[FCDub]

Not a chance I would drive 2,000 miles

 

[sam_gordon]

I would plan on flying, but know in the back of your head if there is some kind of issue, change plans and drive (up until you hand over your luggage, it should be a pretty easy switch.)

 

[Ursula J]

I'm team drive! I enjoy driving-- somehow it's less stress for me. Plus, it's a great way to see the country. From Chicago, we've usually stopped around Chattanooga. We have to fly these days because the daughter is 15 and school is an issue, but in short: trust your gut. Oh, another plus is WAFFLE HOUSE

 

[buzzrelly]

I'm starting to hate both flying and driving for completely different reasons, but we do a mix of both from CT. When we drive, we typically make one day a long drive day and leave at 3-4am, drive til 8-9 pm and then the next day is super short, maybe 4-5 hours. Since you're already in PA, you could cut about 5 hours off of that.

Flying Pros:
Get there quickly
Fun and exciting experience (theoretically)

Flying Cons:
Cost/expensive
Stress of delays/cancellations
Stress of MCO-checking bags there is the absolute WORST
Stress of unruly passengers
Not having your car at your destination

Driving Pros:
Saving money
More control, leave when you want
Bring as much as you want, don't have to worry about overpacking
Buc-ees (IMO, the BEST reason to drive!)
You'll have a car when you get there...can stop for groceries, drive to Disney Springs, etc...

Driving Cons:
Traffic (though we head West and avoid the Beltway and rarely hit traffic)
Tolls, though we tend to avoid them with the route mentioned above
Exhausting and boring being in the car all day

I'm sure there's more pros/cons that I've missed, but this gives you something to think about. I will say that driving with kids (and you don't say how old they are) could definitely be another Con because they can get whiney and cranky being in the car for that long. When my kids were younger, we drove to Hilton Head, SC a couple times and that was not enjoyable at all. Now it's usually just my husband and I driving, and we kind of have a routine down and it's much more pleasant.

 

[loves to dive]

A lot of things to factor in. Depends on if you have the disposable income, if your kids have flown before, if you have taken shorter car trips with your kids to know how they will do. Personally, for that kind of savings I'd drive. When I was a kid we always took long road trips, 6 kids, even when some of us were toddlers. I think it was easier back then since we didn't have all the electronic things kids do now so we knew how to amuse ourselves. My parents were great at finding parks for picnics and for the boys to play catch, finding interesting places along the way to stop at (mama loved her a historical marker). Mama always packed things to munch on in the car. I think if you take your time and stop at places other than rest stops so the kids can burn off some steam driving would be fine.

 

[MrKnight]

IMO, anything over 4 hours I always prefer to fly.. Anything over 7 hours, I would STRONGLY recommend flying..

 

[Her Dotness]

We very much prefer driving (16 hours including frequent stops). DH needs a powerchair and can take his own chair instead of dealing with a rented scooter/chair.

We can keep going when feeling like it or stop for whatever reason as we want. We typically drive from St. Louis to just south of Atlanta, stay overnight, and then have only about 6.5 hours on to WDW.

And, we've our car in case we're not in the mood or it's inconvenient to take Disney transportation.

Definite advantages for us to stopping whenever we feel like it or need to. We've gotten so used to driving we don't even consider flying anymore. It's just too much hassle.

 

[Stratman50th]

We drove from MD every year since 1989. Some times a couple times a year. Always prefer our own car to a rental.

 

[winterwhite]

I'm starting to hate both flying and driving for completely different reasons, but we do a mix of both from CT. When we drive, we typically make one day a long drive day and leave at 3-4am, drive til 8-9 pm and then the next day is super short, maybe 4-5 hours. Since you're already in PA, you could cut about 5 hours off of that.

Flying Pros:
Get there quickly
Fun and exciting experience (theoretically)

Flying Cons:
Cost/expensive
Stress of delays/cancellations
Stress of MCO-checking bags there is the absolute WORST
Stress of unruly passengers
Not having your car at your destination

Driving Pros:
Saving money
More control, leave when you want
Bring as much as you want, don't have to worry about overpacking
Buc-ees (IMO, the BEST reason to drive!)
You'll have a car when you get there...can stop for groceries, drive to Disney Springs, etc...

Driving Cons:
Traffic (though we head West and avoid the Beltway and rarely hit traffic)
Tolls, though we tend to avoid them with the route mentioned above
Exhausting and boring being in the car all day

I'm sure there's more pros/cons that I've missed, but this gives you something to think about. I will say that driving with kids (and you don't say how old they are) could definitely be another Con because they can get whiney and cranky being in the car for that long. When my kids were younger, we drove to Hilton Head, SC a couple times and that was not enjoyable at all. Now it's usually just my husband and I driving, and we kind of have a routine down and it's much more pleasant.

Can you share the route you use to avoid the beltway going back to CT, please? I got hammered the last time I did this drive in both Baltimore and DC with hours of traffic and will pursue any other route at this point.

 

[mckennarose]

We also live in PA and make the drive several times a year. Driving allows us to visit more frequently, since it's SO MUCH cheaper. We're about 2 hours away from Philly and it "technically" takes about 15 hours, however with stops and traffic it can take about 17-18. On our way down, we stop in GA around Port Wentworth/Savannah, which is a 12 hour drive. On the way back we usually drive straight through.

We don't always drive I95, but will drive down 81S to 77S in VA, then pick up 26 in Columbia SC which takes you right over to the coast on I95. On 95 we drive about an hour to Port Wentworth GA for our overnight stop. Then 95 through JAX and down the coast of FL to Daytona, where we jump on I4 into Orlando. I HATE driving in the DC area and we've been stuck in traffic there many times. 81S is calmer, lots of hotels and places to stop for food, and it takes about the same amount of time to get to our overnight stop in GA as if we took 95. We've done both routes more times than I can count!

Aside from the huge savings, driving has also allowed us to re-route around hurricanes Florence, Dorian, and Ian. This was when the airports closed, delayed or rerouted for the hurricanes.

We would have to go into either Philly or NYC area for flights (they're both the same distance for us) and pay to park our car for the week, plus get a rental in FL, and we're limited to how much we can bring or what we can bring back.

You do get used to the drive and it's not as big a deal when you get used to it. Everything is on our own terms, timeline, and we can work around any issues that might come up, like getting around hurricanes! Some airline delays or layovers can take as long as we're driving in one day to our overnight stop.

 

[Orion Nebula]

IMO, anything over 4 hours I always prefer to fly.. Anything over 7 hours, I would STRONGLY recommend flying..

15+ hours for me each way. Did it a few times down to Florida without stopping overnight. I hit a point where I decided if I cannot afford to fly, I put off the vacation until I could. I don't know how I use to do it..... for those that actually enjoy it.. I applaud you.

 

[katallo]

Prior to the last three years I would have said FLY. From Maryland I would now prefer driving. While BWI is great, flying itself has become so stressful in addition to be being expensive. Our reasonable flights are now Tuesday/Wednesday or 6am, 6 pm. We are looking at April, May and now hear there might be a possible pilot strike. So, driving is sounding better and better. LOL