To drive or fly? Whats the farthest you'd drive?

[csharpwv]

I have a very unique perspective on this specific topic - let me explain...

I drive thousands of miles for work every year - so far since the 3rd week of September I think I'm over 5,000 miles now. (I'll actually know on Friday when I return my rental car )

So vacation for me involves very little driving or a road trip style seeing tons of stuff along the way. Marathon trip bore me to death now - I make them so often for work, doing it on vacation is of no interest to me!

So before I go further let me do a quick run down of our trips and transportation -
Drive time is 16-17 hours from where we live to WDW.
Flight time (actual time in the air is around 2 hours)

October 2006 - (Honeymoon Trip) by air

September of 2008 - By air

January of 2009 - By air

December of 2009 - Drove straight through (stopping for naps/meals/gas etc) left at 11:00pm and arrived around 4:00 the next day.

May 2010 - Drove 1/2 way (to visit family friends) then finished up from Noon-9:30pm next day.

September 2010 - By air (short trip - got really cheap airfare)

OK - so that covers all of our trips so far.

Driving so much for work, I really don't like to drive - but flying isn't my wife's favorite thing - so we have to balance it out some (well, we've started to! LOL)

OK - so we are getting ready to take our next trip - and it's from a different starting location - we won't be home when we start this trip. Since we check in on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we are spending Thanksgiving with DW's family 5 1/2 hours from where we live - the trip would have been almost 20 hours - and to that, I said a big NO WAY!

So - what are we doing this time?

The AUTO TRAIN!

We took our first train trip last year from Baltimore to Boston just because we had always wanted to take the train! We had a really positive experience and found it to be a great - less stress - alternative to flying and a less boring/tiring alternative to driving.

So we will drive from DW's family's house in PA to Lorton, VA on the day after Thanksgiving - and board the train, leaving VA around 4:00 or so. We are scheduled to be in Sanford, FL by 9:30 the following morning.

First off we are avoiding all the interstate traffic, second we will arrive we rested as we booked a sleeping compartment, AND we will arrive there WITH our car, and all the luggage that we want to take - packed in our car - with no worry about the hassle of airports, checking bags, arranging transportation, or anything else that would just make it to be a horrible trip!

SO - would I consider driving your distance - NO I would not, it's just too far especially if you have a family or if you are limited on your number of vacation days.

We have had good experiences driving - but it still isn't my favorite thing to do, it's very stressful, my wife doesn't drive much on long trips and she hates to drive after dark - and for me - it's hard to stop at a hotel to sleep when I know that I could be driving - getting closer to our destination.
Plus once again - back to my work situation, I HATE getting luggage out of the car KNOWING that I will just be putting it right back in the car the next morning. I hate packing and I hate unpacking! SO I like to pack and unpack once on either end of trip - UNLESS I'm staying for a few days.

Anyway - that's us - that's how we travel.

Your cost goes up when you drive considering the need for a hotel, meals, fuel, and by chance any vehicle repair problems you have (but still understanding the OP's situation not having to cover any of the vehicle expenses) I wouldn't drive that distance unless it was a 2 week or more road trip with some 1+ day destinations in the trip there and back.

But then again - I'm jaded on rushed driving trips - and I'm a fan of enjoying the journey!

So while some people would 'never' drive - others would 'never' fly.

But when you make the decision one way or the other - do it calculating all cost - even the cost of taking extra days off!

 

[stich1fan]

We drive every trip from NJ, about 19 hours, but really turns out to be 23....with all the stops.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

There is 6 of us--so it would be driving. Plus we are from Florida...so we would hit more than just Disney.

Planning DD's 10th birthday in 2012 at Disney and the trip would definitely be combined with sidetrips to our old town.

Between here and the Mississippi and distances in between, we are fine with driving. West of the Mississippi, airplane.

But if these stupid search things get too nonsensical (I thought I would be fine with them, but now that they are doing them--I am uncomfortable with the thought), we might consider a train or just stick to the griswold vacation plan.

Auto Train is a total splurge--the company paid for us to auto train up when we moved and we really enjoyed it. But to transport myself and three kids (plus free baby) and an oversized vehicle...it was $1000, one way! It included a children's discount for 2 of the kids and we did have a family sleeper which was nice. We really liked having beds.

For giggles, just priced coach on Amtrak, 1 way for 2 adults, 4 kids and a minivan and it was $542. I would do that before flying--only b/c I wouldn't stick with just Mears and renting a vehicle would be tough.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

The journey is half the fun! We drive (from Detroit). Not only does it give us a chance to drive thru mountains, farms, ect, and see lots of pretty scenery but we bond as a family. We play games, sing songs, read books, talk. It's fun.

On a practical note, it does save us money. Airfare is not cheap for a family of five. Then you figure the up charge for each bag, the possiblity of your flight being delayed or cancelled, and all the hype surrounding airport security measures, I'm not in a hurry to fly anytime soon.

We leave in 22 days. Yipee!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

That happened to my family around 10 years ago. We were driving home to PA from WDW and in VA, it was a freezing rain that came out of nowhere. The roads were slick and thankfully we were near an exit right at King's Dominion amusement park which has an on site Best Western. We got the last room and there were a lot of people behind us in line who were out of luck. I guess they had to go to another hotel if they had any rooms left.

This happened to my family when returning from a cruise in December of 1989. Only--it was Florida with the weather issue (ummm....ice and snow????) and when we finally escaped Florida after it took all day to get from Daytona to the GA state line (read--many many many many hours)....I think we hit 3 hotels until we found something and the only room left was a room that was too small. So all the kids (me and siblings) got to sleep on the floor. Winter driving definitely requires some flexibility. But who would have thought, Florida would have that issue.

 

[chevblazer02]

OP, IMO, that is taking advantage of your company car. In this day and age I would think that easily would be grounds for firing. Why risk it? Companies are cutting the fat and why should they pay for that?

This is a perk sort of.....I actually pay a small monthly fee to use it for "Personal Use". The fee I pay monthly and taxes compared to the gas I put into my personal vehicle makes this a great deal....The one and only thing is, is that there is a limit to the miles in a round about way, its a percentage of the miles I drive at work and I put 6000+ miles a month on the clock at work.....so I get a good chunk to use on my own time plus they bank from month to month.

Some one mentioned about driving at work and not liking to drive on vacations, now that I think about it....after driving the amount I drive at work flying sounds like a better option.

 

[jgates]

We have done multiple 26 - 28 hour trips to & from Florida from West Central WI.

A couple made it not so fun.......a single driver on the way home (me) because DS got food poisoning. I did manage to make it up to the north end of Tennessee that night. Then we battled outracing an ice storm from central Illinois all the way home - less than an hour behind us the radio was reporting an inch of ice. Pedal to the metal!!!!

Another was going back up through central Indiana the weekend of the Brickyard. NOTHING within a massive radius. We ended up all the way back to Champaign Urbana at around 2 in the morning before we found a room. Burned up a ton of cell minutes & wore out the AAA book!!! One reason I never plan an overnight trip now without having a room.

So now, unless flight costs are totally prohibitive, I would much rather fly. Yes, we burn an entire day flying because nearest large airports are 2.5 hours away, but can still be there in a single day & having supper at Bahama Breeze or Earl of Sandwich & wandering thru DTD before bed!!! (Except when there is an ice storm in Milwaukee......then it's Perkins at 1:30 in the morning..........don't ask.......just next time plan to leave earlier in the day!!!)

 

[disfan07]

That happened to my family around 10 years ago. We were driving home to PA from WDW and in VA, it was a freezing rain that came out of nowhere. The roads were slick and thankfully we were near an exit right at King's Dominion amusement park which has an on site Best Western. We got the last room and there were a lot of people behind us in line who were out of luck. I guess they had to go to another hotel if they had any rooms left.

hahha....I wonder if you hit the same strom we did. We lived in Northern Virgina. Every year, for winter break, we would drive from Northern Virginia to West Palm Beach. About 10 years ago, on our way down I think, we got freezing rain and ice when we were near Emporia. We stopped at exit that had like 5 hotels. The first 2 hotels we stopped at were full and we got the last room at the 3rd one we went to. There was a Shoneys I think next to the hotel and that place was PACKED. There were 5 almost full hotels and only like 4 restaurants. AT check out the next morning, the front desk was giving everyone ice srcrapers to clean off their cars I was only like 10 or 11 but I still remember that trip...lol

We now live in SoCal so flying is our only option. I guess we're like the only ones who dont care about these new TSA screening procedures. My entire family (15 of us) just flew from CA to FL 2 weeks ago (age 1-65) and no one even flinched.

 

[angelmav]

We have driven twice from Colorado (about 25 hrs each way) and enjoyed the drive. We were going at a leisurely pace and stopepd for meals and to take a few small things in though.

I like long drives, hate to fly and the cost was prohibitive so it all worked out, but next time well probably fly.

 

[ChiCat]

I hate long car trips. About 5 hours is all I can stand.

This.

We do live in the city so we don't own a car but if we are going to visit my family 2 hours away we rent a car. But for everything else we pretty much fly. We got married in Connecticut in September we flew, we are going to Pittsburgh in January and we are flying. So much easier, and cheaper for us.

 

[njcarita]

we have been takining amtrak the past few years and love it....

 

[lisaross]

I think it depends how long off u have. If u can enjoy the drive meaning stop at motels along the way and take in some sights...same on the way back home and still have enough days for disney then go for it BUT if u have to pretty much drive and just stop to sleep i'd fly if u can afford it.

The furthest we drove "straight" was 6 hours each way!

Well I am looking into a trip to WDW for early 2011. So, my question is whats the farthest you'd drive to get there? We normally fly to not waste a couple days of driving but I now have use of a company vehicle that I can take anywhere, with all fuel and maintenance paid for by the company. I figured it would be cheaper to drive the 1100 miles than to fly. We would also get to see more of the east coast that we miss while in the air. So do you think I should even consider this or just fly and enjoy a couple more days @ WDW....

 

[J3nn78]

We drive from NJ with a 3 and 5 year old. We have done it for a few years now. 2 Weeks ago, we flew down for a quick long weekend visit. And both kids have told us that they prefer driving to flying. I honestly like driving better too, 1. It's cheaper 2. It is more relaxed-no busy airports, security, flights delayed, etc...

 

[MagicMomma]

We're leaving in 1 week, and we're driving. We have teenagers, so they're not a problem on long car trips, but we've done it lots of times when they were younger, too. It takes us about 16 hours. We usually split it up, but this time we're driving down in one straight shot. We plan our route so we're not on 95 for most of the trip, we take interstates where the speed limit is 75, so we can move without worrying about speeding tickets! We've flown also, but this trip chose to drive to save some money on airfare. The drive down is not ad, because of all the anticipation of our vacation, but coming home stinks!!!

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

The drive down is not ad, because of all the anticipation of our vacation, but coming home stinks!!!

AH, PA! Take me with you!!!! I'm dying to get back but alas, no $$$

But yes, we drive, I looked into flying for all 3 trips we made (even though I hate flying, terrified of it) but it was just so expensive. More than 3x as much as driving... checked the train too, but that wasn't any better...that $$ buys a lot of souvenirs! Our trip is I think about 18 hours, the boys, first trip DS4, last trip DS6 and DS4, are fine on the way down, excited about it all, even being in the car with books and toys and movies... The trip home is tougher, we spend the extra $80 or so and get a hotel half way. BEST thing we ever did was get one outside Savannah I think and spend a couple of hours on Tybee Island... the boys had a blast, gave everyone a nice break and after the Disney excitement it was very relaxing!

So I vote for driving, you'll not regret having extra money in your pocket!!!

 

[hearts8701]

my husband and i drive a few times a year from chicago we mostly take winter trips and drive straight thru we love it we take all the luggage we want i bring home anything i want we can leave the resort for meals and if we want to stay alittle longer we can

 

[natashag76]

We've driven from Chicago several times, with children! And it was relatively painless. And, boy oh boy, if we had the gas and maintenance paid for too it would be even better!

 

[DisneyScraps]

If I had the time I would drive 2 days. We are 12 hour from Disney and I like road trips but we usually are looking at time versus cost and it's better for us to spend the money and get there faster.

Lisa

 

[Nik's Mom]

We have really enjoyed our road trips. It helps us to see some of the country. We drove from the Kansas City area to WDW in 2008 with our 2 young sons. We had a great time! It was in March, and we did get a little bit of snow and some heavy rain on our way home, but we managed. We loved it so much, we decided to drive to Chicago a few months later.

I definitely would not do every vacation as a road trip. Flying is our most common method, but driving is a nice change of pace at times.

By the way, there is a great thread on the transportation board for long distance drivers going to WDW. I learned so much from that thread.

 

[punkin]

Our last few Disney Trips, we have driven. I find the trip down is usually a breeze and I can do 14 hours straight with bathroom and food stops only. The was back is usually torture. We generally stop for an overnight somewhere in Southern Virginia.