I hate flying too, it has become soooo uncomfortable. I would say that anything under ....let's say .... a 6 hour drive I would probably prefer to drive rather than fly. In actuallity when you factor in the time to/from the airport and parking and shuttle time, the time that you have to be there prior to your flight, the in flight time, etc., it is probably a wash, time wise. And unless you are flying first class, how is your car more cramped than a plane? I am a not very tall or large female and I feel cramped (of course as a female when you are seated next to a male they always seem to infringe on your space with a lean over or hoarding of the armrest). In a car you have the luxery of leaving when you want, stopping when you want. Sure gas can be pricey but when you are splitting between a couple of different travel companions it is much much less expensive. In summary....fuck flying.
It's always terrified me, for one, and I've never had a good airport experience. My first flight as a kid was bumpy as hell and I haven't gotten over it. My last flight from St Maarten, I thought I was getting better, relaxing about it, it was an extremely bumpy approach to ORF. I look to my right, there is a pilot, clearly terrified. He was gripping the armrest like a madman. Back to square one on getting over that phobia. My best flight was from Chicago, I sprung for first class. Drank beer for the entire 6 hour delay before the flight and didn't care if we crashed. The only reason I didn't drive back home from Chicago is the purpose of the trip was to return a leased vehicle thereby leaving me without a ride.
How early do you get to the airport? 6 hour drive is normally like an hour and a half flight. 30 min to the airport, 1 hour before your flight, 1.5 hour flight, 30 min for parking/bags/nonsense, 30 min to destination after airport. Thats still 4 hours, saving you 2. Not even close to a wash. Its pricier, I get that, but Id rather be cramped for an hour and a half flight than a 6 hour car ride.
Yes, private rail cars quite beyond financial practicality. But they are so damn cool. Trains are also pretty eco-friendly if you believe the train companies.
I have no problem with road trips, if you have things you really want to see on the way. But y'all are weird for being against flying so much. If you know a few basic things, it should be way more efficient. Also here are things you can do flying that you can't do while driving. Pee while still moving, drink, sleep, browse the internet, sleep, drink, take a shit, eat, watch tv shows or movies, play games on your tablet, cellphone, sleep and finally drink. Oh and I forgot drink yourself to sleep. Surprised no one has dropped in the Louie CK video about the miracle of flying...
My rule of thumb, if its more than a days drive, time to fly. For example, SD to Las Vegas, I would never dream of flying there, seeing as how its only a 6 hour drive. However, SD-Denver, I've driven it plenty of times, but thats only if I'm moving or I'll be in either city for a while. I really don't mind flying, its just with my build its never going to be comfortable. And no, I'm not a big dude, I just have long legs and wide shoulders, perfect for those tiny seats. If any person starts to invade my area, I got no place to go. Whereas in a car, my space won't be invaded, and I can stop where I want, eat where I want, leave when I want. Can't imagine the days when you had to take a boat over the Atlantic, that must've sucked. Now its a pretty straightforward flight from NYC-Heathrow, hell that flight is pretty comparable to the East Coast-West Coast flights. Btw, I don't think taking a dump on plane is reasonable, I'm aware I'm a bit eccentric, but I absolutely refuse to do that on a flight unless I'm moments away from browning myself.
I used to drive home to visit family every Christmas and occasionally during the year to visit. We'd drive at night and if there was no traffic and ideal conditions, it was about a 10.5 hr drive. More typically, it was 12 hours. Two years ago I decided: never again. It's a horrible way to travel. Flying can be terrible as well but at least it's terrible and fast, and you can sleep, or watch a movie, or get blackout drunk and ask the stewardess to marry you. 12 hours of driving leaves me drained and cramped and wanting to die.
It sucks less these days. Again, you need deep pockets to travel in comfort and style. I give you the interior of a Hylas 54, well, a portion of it anyway. The master stateroom is through that door in the back.
We drove from Southern California to here, Alabama. It was 24 hours of driving time. Plus my family goes between here and Houston a few times a year at 8-9 hours per trip. I like driving over flying. I can bring whatever I want, including my dog, and we can stop whenever, eat whatever, bring snacks, take turns, drive during the day or at night. If it were me by myself that would be a different story but the more people you add, the more relaxed you can make the trip and the more money you save by not buying additional plane tickets.
Try flying in a helicopter if you don't like turbulence. It is really fun when you hit a pocket, and drop what seems like 100 feet. I miss flying in a helicopter.
The best part about driving is having a car when you get there, which you're probably going to want if your destination is anywhere in America except NYC. I only fly if I have to or someone else is paying. The only part of the experience that is remotely pleasant is getting drunk, and that's expensive as hell.
Before my most recent flight, I bought a handful of the fun-size bottles of booze at a liquor store prior to flying and stuck them in my carry-on. It was a great choice. I can handle long ass drives and don't mind them too much. My dog is another reason to drive rather than fly. We did lots of road trips as a family when I was younger and I just got used to them. Yes driving through places like North Dakota, etc. sucks but you avoid the hassle and pain in the ass that airports can be when you just hop in the car and go.
This right here. Did this on our 5 hour flight to Puerto Rico. Great call. Keeps the spirits up. Also, glad those of you who have dogs drive, because I'm tired of seeing dogs wearing those silly vets on airplanes in airports.
It was flying to Puerto Rico in particular where I first discovered just how great a healthy buzz can be on a long flight. On dogs flying, a friend is a baggage handler for Delta and says on very rare occasion the pilots forget to turn the heaters on in the cargo bay with pets and they end up frozen solid. Doesn't that sound nice? I'd rather put a fake service dog vest on him and enjoy watching him go from person to person along the aisles begging for pets and snacks during the flight. Or better yet I just drive and he can sleep with his head on my lap.
If a dog is wearing a service dog vest, it's almost guaranteed he is a fake, or rather the owner is. The laws don't require any vest and people only buy them to get their pets where they don't belong.
No, I didn't say service animals. I meant dogs that have fake vests on. Because they claim they need their dog to fly because the dogs calm down their anxiety or some other fake, unprovable bullshit claim. Also, in very rare occasion, planes crash. Still not a reason to claim to have a fake illness and fuck with people who potentially have dog allergies but are trapped in a tube with circulating air because someone couldn't be away from their pet for a few days.