WWYD Fly or Drive

We do the 1200 mile drive from DFW regularly. It depends on how early we leave as to where we make camp for the night. Usually at least Biloxi to Pensacola, (about halfway), but if ambitious, Tallahassee. One time we went all the way to Gainesville (5 am to 10 pm.)

I don't like using either of those airports to get out of. DFW because it's the second busiest in the country and MCO because there are too many casual travelers. Our next trip we are flying into Tampa, but out of MCO. But we almost punted and drove it due to having to layover at O'Hare on the way down. (Just too cheap to use more miles to avoid the layover). But we're doing the flying thing, with free National days to get a car. Has anyone used the car care center to return a car? Just wondered about the time involved with shuttling back to resort.

The next trip will be back to driving, (graduating senior made the decision to fly this time), but we will have to have our own transportation on the next trip for early entry to DHS.
 
I don’t like long stints in the car as a passenger or as a driver. I couldn’t imagine driving 18hrs. Every time I go to Miami I debate for a week if I want to fly or do the 4hr drive haha.

But I’m a convenience person and can’t throw money at things fast enough if it makes my life easier. It helps that I typically only pay for myself as it’s much easier to justify one $$$$$ item rather than four.
 
We do the 1200 mile drive from DFW regularly. It depends on how early we leave as to where we make camp for the night. Usually at least Biloxi to Pensacola, (about halfway), but if ambitious, Tallahassee. One time we went all the way to Gainesville (5 am to 10 pm.)

I don't like using either of those airports to get out of. DFW because it's the second busiest in the country and MCO because there are too many casual travelers. Our next trip we are flying into Tampa, but out of MCO. But we almost punted and drove it due to having to layover at O'Hare on the way down. (Just too cheap to use more miles to avoid the layover). But we're doing the flying thing, with free National days to get a car. Has anyone used the car care center to return a car? Just wondered about the time involved with shuttling back to resort.

The next trip will be back to driving, (graduating senior made the decision to fly this time), but we will have to have our own transportation on the next trip for early entry to DHS.

Hello fellow dfw person. Waves. We usually stop two nights (Layfette, and Tallahasse(Going)/Pensacola(Coming Back)).

And yes I know this is 6 travels days, but we will have 7 at WDW (6 park/1 middle rest day). This is how we like to travel.
 
We drive at least once a year from PA to Disney\Florida. As a family of 4, it saves us over $1600 per trip. So used to it at this point we don't even think about it, and frankly, have begun taking the money we save to add more days to our trips. Ridiculous to me to pay nearly half the cost of the vacation in travel alone.
 


I don’t like long stints in the car as a passenger or as a driver. I couldn’t imagine driving 18hrs. Every time I go to Miami I debate for a week if I want to fly or do the 4hr drive haha.

But I’m a convenience person and can’t throw money at things fast enough if it makes my life easier. It helps that I typically only pay for myself as it’s much easier to justify one $$$$$ item rather than four.

I am with you - my comfort and convenience FAR outweighs $$$. I will always pay whatever it takes to be comfortable. And driving more than 2+ hours is not comfortable. We love to fly, find it exciting, all parts of it. So, we just look at the time before and after the flight as part of the fun. We fly out next week at 3 and plan to be at the airport about 3.5 hours early just to have lunch there and people watch :)
 
We are driving next time, unless I can save extra for flights between now and December. We live in Ohio so it's about 14 hours I think. We stop in SC, eat dinner and stay in a hotel and continue on in the morning. We pack the cooler with lunch and snacks so stopping for food isn't an issue. I want to fly but DH is being a turd.
 
We drove from Ontario to Florida starting when my sister and I were in kindergarten so I can't image why you couldn't drive (which I see you've chosen to do) we never had electronics in the car but we'd read and we played the Alphabet game endlessly (those darn Js, Qs and Zs take forever)
 


We drove from Ontario to Florida starting when my sister and I were in kindergarten so I can't image why you couldn't drive (which I see you've chosen to do) we never had electronics in the car but we'd read and we played the Alphabet game endlessly (those darn Js, Qs and Zs take forever)
Well, of course people could drive. No one is saying they can't. But for many people, flying is preferred. Whether it's because of how long it takes to drive, wear and tear on a vehicle, or just letting someone else "be in charge", I don't see anything wrong with flying.
 
Well, of course people could drive. No one is saying they can't. But for many people, flying is preferred. Whether it's because of how long it takes to drive, wear and tear on a vehicle, or just letting someone else "be in charge", I don't see anything wrong with flying.

I never said people said they couldn’t drive - I was just shocked at how many people said that *they* wouldn’t make the trip if they had to drive
 
Well, of course people could drive. No one is saying they can't. But for many people, flying is preferred. Whether it's because of how long it takes to drive, wear and tear on a vehicle, or just letting someone else "be in charge", I don't see anything wrong with flying.

It's an interesting dynamic. As a kid in the 70s, I remember air travel was common enough, but still rather expensive compared to what many people earned. Fuel was relatively cheap, and the price of air travel wasn't particularly sensitive to the price of jet fuel. Still - back then many cars weren't necessarily the longest lasting. I remember a relative who drive an Oldsmobile cross country once and after about 100k miles ended up getting the engine rebuilt. They maintained it meticulously. I've easily gotten that out of my cars with nothing but regular maintenance although I do have to fix little things that go wrong with age.

I remember going to Disneyland a few years ago and my wife insisted that if we drove it should be a rental car. It's not that our cars were undriveable, but she didn't think it was a good idea to put 1000+ miles on a personal vehicle. The cost of the rental was something like $14/day base rate, and the rental agency employee who handed us said it was a spectacular rate. I've seen base rates as low as $5/day where I'm wondering why they even bother renting it out at all. But it can be practical to just rent a car for a long trip if there's unlimited mileage. Possibly even one-way if one can get a good rate, then fly home.

And as a total aside, I remember hearing about the oddest one-way rental in history. Apparently a journalist wanted to write up about this new private train called the Auto Train (now run by Amtrak). It only has two endpoints in Virginia and Florida and traveling with a vehicle is mandatory. So the reporter arranged for a one-way rental. He only racked up maybe 50 miles, and when he returned it they accused him of possibly turning back the odometer to avoid mileage charges (maybe a daily limit) which were common at the time. He had to show them the ticket and have them call the train company to verify that it was moved by train.
 
I never said people said they couldn’t drive - I was just shocked at how many people said that *they* wouldn’t make the trip if they had to drive
It depends on how much they want to make the trip and how long they have to make it. I'm one who would much rather fly. But the last two years, DS had a soccer tournament at ESPN. Kind of had to make that trip, but we drove (airfare for 5 is high!).
 
It depends on how much they want to make the trip and how long they have to make it. I'm one who would much rather fly. But the last two years, DS had a soccer tournament at ESPN. Kind of had to make that trip, but we drove (airfare for 5 is high!).

This is a factor too. DW & I flew a few times as a couple to the same places we’d now drive with 2 kids. Two plane tickets are a lot easier to justify than four or more.
 
We've done the rental thing a couple of times. But after getting a Suburban in '00, filled by yukon xl in '13. I really don't like to make the drive in anything but those for comfort's sake. Although last year I did get a midsize GM from national and it was comfortable enough that could see driving that one ot is just the two of us.
 
Anyone else ever think about road trips now vs. when they were a kid. Boy how things have changed.

I remember when I was a kid always asking when we would get there and bored out of my mind in the car. Also, remember my mother constantly glaring at the road atlas while my dad would be trying to not get us lost. Then, if it was raining we had no A/C so the windows would fog up and my dad could barely see a thing. Amazing how we survived that. lol

Today, the kids have a full range of in car entertainment. If the kids want to know when you are getting there they just look at the Nav screen for the ETA. And as we all know, windows fogging up is a thing of the past with all cars having climate control now. Sad to say, I have never owned a road atlas as when I did my first road trip mapquest was available and you could print your directions.

I also, remember trying to find a hotel meant my parents driving hotel to hotel until you found a vacancy. Now you just look it up from your phone.

I tell ya, road tripping isn't what it used to be. lol
 
For us it's all about time. One of our usual destinations would be a 24 hour drive. Another is Universal Orlando which is 18 hours. We want to maximize our time at the destination and minimize the impact on our business which means we can't afford to drive two or three days each way.
 
Yep, time is a factor for us too. Our kids have tournaments all over the place this summer. Anything under 7 hours, we're driving. Anything more, we're flying. As much as I love to drive, the notion of a 24 hour each way road trip is time I don't have...and the thought doesn't excite me.
 
Did the drive last week and all went well... The family had a great time on the road and all said they would do it again. Looks like summer of 2020 will be a road trip to WDW. Let the planning begin. lol
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top