Price Comparison - Fly vs Drive

[buzz5985]

Hi everyone, I left 2/23 for Disney, I was going to Fly, but USAir had changed our Nonstop to a stop, and I wasn't happy with the new Time we were leaving (6 AM) so we decided to drive, and we were also able to visit my sister in NC on the way home. So here is the comparison, now mine will be a little different from others, so bear with me. Flight for 3 was $660 from Logan to Orlando. Plus a rental car for 10 days was $275. Plus boarding my dog was going to be around $250. Total = $1185. Ok - My drive down Gas - $80. Tolls - $12. Hotel - $47. Food - $21 (low since we had a cooler, we brought cereal, and stuff for sandwiches from home) Total for one way = $160 x 2 (for return trip) = $320 + $81 for boarding dog in Disney for a grand total of $401, for a savings of $784. Give or take. I think the tolls going home would have been a little more expensive, but we went a different route home. We had such a great experience driving. My son (5) was great. The dog (11), just loved being with us.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Interesting--. I always figured driving was "cheaper" (especially if you were renting a car anyway) and this seems to bear that out.
But what gets me to fly--2 hours from BWI vs 16 hours drive. Plus 2 extra days vacation time needed to drive. We leave BWI at 6:00 AM-in Disney only a few hours later. In the same 2 hours, we're only in Fredericksburg Va.---and that's only if we're lucky enough to get around Wash. DC w/o a major traffic jam.

 

[ncligs]

I think each situation would be different for individual families, cost,distance,amount of vacation time, etc.
But for us, we would never waste 2 days each way driving down from Ohio, or if you drive straight through you are wiped out for the beginning of your vacation. We are lucky enough to afford to fly evey time we go on vacation.Personally any trip over 6 hrs in a car, we always fly. You also don't have to worry about car trouble, being many miles away from home.I know airports are alittle more hassle now, arriving early,security, etc, but it is much easier relaxing and reading at an airport then worrying about traffic jams, weather conditions, car trouble,etc.
So as you can see we agree 100% with "Uncleromulus".

 

[nuthut]

You did not consider the cost of driving your car. Do you have a free car or some other secret about driving? I see gas, hotel, tolls, food, what about the car expense? You know the IRS thinks it costs .38 a mile to drive a car. I don't believe it can be done for less. For us in Michigan it is 2400 miles round trip X .38 =$912.

 

[Caskbill]

While the IRS may say it's 0.38/mile for your car, there are other ways to look at it.

Assuming someone doesn't purchase a car just to drive to Disney, and the car therefore is necessary whether they drove to Disney or not, then most of the costs for the car are there anyway, even if they flew. The price of the car, payments, insurance, taxes do not go down just because you elect to fly rather than drive to Disney.

So you really can't say it's costing for example $912 to drive to Disney. Even if you flew, you would not realize a $912 savings anywhere for the year. Your only true savings would only be on whatever gas you saved, oil, maintenance, tires etc.

So if you analyze it, for a 2400 mile R/T:
Gas: Average 25mpg at 1.25/gal = $120
Oil: =1/3 of an oil change, or $7.00
Tires:=5% of a 50,000 mile tire, or about $15 if you purchase $75 tires
Maintenance is tough to calculate, especially since warranties are so much better anymore. But if you spend $120/year on tune-ups, drive 12000 miles a year, that's a penny a mile, or another $24.

So total cost to drive the 2400 miles is about $166. That's a far cry from the $912. The big difference is because you will pay all the other fees (cost of purchase, license, taxes, insurance) anyway, whether you drive or not.

Another way to look at it is in used car prices. Dealers give cars a standard mileage when they are traded in. The value of a car is increased if it has fewer than the standard miles, and it is decreased if it has more than the standard miles. So, let's say you would drive the exact standard miles before trading your car in. The dealer offers you a book value. On the other hand, you drove it the 2400 miles over the standard miles. In this case the dealer gives you the book value, minus excess mileage at the rate of 0.07/mile. So effectively they're saying the car is worth $168 less because you drove it to Disney. So even if we add that to our original cost of $166, we only get $334.

The IRS is overly generous. If you purchase a new car every year their 0.38/mile may be closer, but this represents depreciation, taxes, insurance, license fees etc which are extremely high during the first year of ownership. These will all be the same whether you drive 12,000 miles a year, or 14,400 miles a year.

 

[buzz5985]

My car is a 1993 Pathfinder, that we drove to FL. It has 119,000 on it now. The car doesn't owe me a dime. Just replaced the clutch for the first time at 115,000. I take very good care of my vehicles. When I bought the truck I also bought a card for $150 for oil changes for the life of the truck. I bet the dealer didn't plan on me when they offered that deal. All scheduled maintenance has been performed by the Nissan dealer where I bought it. I also brought it in for a free trip inspection before I went. I'm almost 43 years old. I bought my first car when I was 17. This pathfinder is my 3rd car.

We also didn't consider it a waste of our time to drive down. We really enjoyed the sights, just generally spending time together. My husband and I never see each other during the week. He works days, drives up the driveway at 4 PM, and I drive down the driveway at 4:01 PM to work. We have been doing this since our son was born 5 1/2 years ago. So all we have are weekends, that is when obligations aren't in the way. So spending 21 hours in a car together was a treat. We just love to drive.

 

[ncligs]

Thats great that your car is lasting...........but you should consider buying" American made" cars in the future... Take a look what foriegn countrys helped USA after 9/11????

 

[buzz5985]

1980
Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation (NMMC) is established in Smyrna, Tennessee to fulfill the growing demand for Nissan vehicles

So as you can see, my Pathfinder was assembled here in the US. Most foreign cars are assembled in this country. American made cars are also just assembled here. All the parts are coming from other countries.

 

[skeezixspud]

If we drive, we use 2 add'l vacation days for the drive time. If I calculate the dollar value of those two vacation days for both DH and I, it comes out to $952. Airfare and car rental normally cost us ~$600.

It depends on your circumstances. For us, as long as we are careful about what we pay for airfare and the rental, flying usually works out cheaper.

 

[Lewisc]

Didn't you have to pay to kenel the dog in Disney? I didn't think the Disney hotels allowed dogs? I believe the Universal Hotels allow small dogs.

 

[Uncleromulus]

skeezixpud:
That's exactly what tips the scales for me too. Hard for Mrs Uncleromulus to get those 2 extra vacation days which, in a sense, are "wasted", non Disney days. Plus--whenever we drive, I'm usually tired and in a bad mood when I get home, making it harder to do the necessary house/yard work which needs attention.

 

[caverill]

I have to agree with flying, since any car trip over 6 hours just isn't worth it to me. BUT I sure understand the people that drive. If you have the right attitude and a large family, driving may be your only option.

One suggestion that I would make for those flying. Many airports rent small DVD players.

We rented one to fly from MSP to MCO and back. It made the trip seem very quick. I was suprised how little it cost. It was only $ 20.00 one way and includes one movie rental. Compared to the cost of the rest of the vacation, it was a drop in the bucket. I highly recommend it!

 

[msdis]

Buzz- Thanks for your story. We are about 3 hours north of you and are on the drive/fly fence ourselves. Where did you spend the night and how was it? What time of day did you leave Mass and how long did you drive before stopping for the night? Did you go 95 most of the way or did you opt for a better route. Also what days of the week were you "on the road" and how was the traffic? We really want to do this but our one and only experience did not involve the best timing(the day after 9/11 ) So, we are hoping that if we do this again, much more prepared for driving, it will be an enjoyable experience. Thanks for the price comparison, I see driving can be on the financial plus side too. Thanks for any insight to my questions.

 

[kylara]

I do Buzz's trip in reverse every year...From FL to MA to visit my family....and I have to say, I think if the trip is planned right, it can be very enjoyable even though it is long. I have to admit, I hate I-95 though. I keep looking for alternate routes and when it is good weather, I usually head more inland to I-81 thought the mountains...it is beautiful. I make it part of my vacation so I don't feel that I am missing day in the actual vacation. But I get a lot of vacation time so it is easy for me. I can definately see where flying is prefered by most people.

 

[tax58]

We've flown down from Memphis every time we go to Disney in the past, but last year for a quick spur of the moment trip and I couldn't get good fare. So we drove down in the minivan and my wife had to admit the trip wasn't that bad. We got a room in Ocala on the way down, so that way we would be fresh when we arrived. We drove straight home without spending the night on the return trip and that wasn't too bad either.

 

[msdis]

I sent to AAA last week and they sent the triptix last night. One request I asked for was an alternate route on I-81. It doesn't look too bad except it is longer by about 100 miles. Do you cut across 64 to 81 then up to 84? That is the route I requested. Do you find this better than 95 because of the traffic, big cities, or other? We will be heading down Sat/Sun but will return mid-week so I thought 95 mostly down and 81 back. What do you think? Thanks!

 

[buzz5985]

Sorry it took so long to respond.

I left Wakefield (12 norths of Boston). At 4 am, Saturday morning. I put my 5 yo DS in the car in his blanket sleeper. I only saw about 5 cars on the mass pike going west. I don't think I saw a State Trooper until NY. We were going over the Tappen Zee Bridge at 8 am. I hit no traffic. Just a little bit outside of Washington DC for a car fire. About 1/2 mile, going about 30 mph. We averaged a 20 minute stop every 2 hours. About 30 minutes at lunch. Remember, we had a dog too we had to walk. We stayed overnight in Rocky Mount NC. Was about 700 miles for us the first day. We arrived in Rocky Mount around 5:15 pm. In bed by 8 pm, and we left again at 4:30 am, and arrived at ASMo at 3 PM. I averaged 70-75 mph all the way down. On Boston roads I only drive 55 - 65 mph. Rocky Mount has every hotel chain represented. Also tons of restaurants, stores. I paid $42 plus tax = $46 for the Red Roof Inn. I stayed there because of the dog.

On the way home I went to Charlotte NC. We drove over to the Blue Ridge Pkwy (beautiful) and we ended up on 81 on the way home and way up to 84 to the mass pike. We went that way because of the timing. Was a Friday afternoon. Didn't want to go near any big cities on a Friday afternoon. Didn't hit any traffic until - are you ready for this - 7 mile backup on the Mass Pike!!!!!!!! Anymore questions just let me know.

 

[SNOWBOARDER]

Aaahhhh! ....nuthin' like leavin' at 7:00 and dippin' my feet in the pool by 11:00.......

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

We've both driven and flown, and like many others think it is soooo much nicer to leave the house at noon and including airport time be at the resort by 5:00. We drive if the airfare cost is prohibitive (or if it is a last minute trip), but I can almost always get the 3 of us to MCO for under $500. Worth every dime and more.

 

[msdis]

Buzz-Thanks so much for your reply! You covered everything I had been wondering about. We really want to drive and the more preparation/knowledge the better it will be. I can appreciate how the "fly only" people feel as we were in that same boat, but literally on Sept. 11th things changed for us (we were stranded at WDW) and until you've been there and done it, the "fly only" people really don't know that hopeless feeling as I 'm sure I wouldn't appreciate it as much either if we hadn't been there. Glad you found it to have been a positive venture for you and your family and thanks again for sharing it with those of us who want to drive.