Driving vs. Flying

I have not talked about it much, but we got a new car this year, not because we wanted to do so, but because the other new car we bought didn't work out for us. As such, we decided to go on some road trips this year. We have never gone on road trips longer than a day, and that was years ago, when we went to Colorado for our honeymoon. First we, (I mean my husband) drove to Oakland for my half marathon race. That was a twelve hour day, but doable since we had plenty of physical activity scheduled the next few days. After the race, drove seven hours to Big Bear. That was also okay, as it was only a day, and after I had exerted all the physical energy I wanted to for that time period. It was only six hours home the following day, and that was that.

This past week, we decided to drive to Texas to visit my family. That was a two day ordeal one-way: 10 hours the first day (plus two hours with time change), and six the second. On the way back, we did six, six, and six. All together, we were gone seven days, five of them being traveling days. We said we wanted to try some road trips and see what we thought. Well, I am here to tell you, I'm going for flying next time.

There are plenty of pros to driving. We can take as much luggage as will fit in our car. We can pack our own snacks, liquids and refrigerated items included (if we have a cooler). Driving may be better for people with immunity issues, as it exposes a person to less crowds. Driving gives flexibility (McCool Travel, n.d.). Driving is great for getting a feel for topography. Driving is great if we want to stop and sight-see. Driving is great when we just have one or two things we want to do in an area (as on the half-marathon drip). Driving can have a lower carbon footprint (if a person values that type of thing), but it depends somewhat on distance (Sunkara, 2022). In some cases, driving may save money, but only if we plan our drive for efficiency rather than some of the other above benefits for driving. In short, driving has its benefits.

Driving has its drawbacks, too. It's easy to overpack, which means more work before and after the trip. The length of the trip means a need for more food (multiple meals versus one or none when flying), which can increase cost. Driving can be painful, especially for those with certain health issues like back conditions (Regenerative Spine & Joint Center, 2023) or circulatory problems. Driving may not always be better for the environment (Sierra Club, 2024), and driving is not always cheaper. Our recent trip cost just about the same amount as it would have cost to fly, and that was with only eating out two meals over the course of our five travel days. (We packed a lot of food and kind family and friends we visited fed us the other times.) All in all, driving did not come out on top.

I have decided after this trip that in most cases, I prefer flying. I would rather fly than drive because it it one expense, versus multiple (hotels, food, gas, etc.) to track. I would rather fly because I don't have the mental burden of meal planning and meal prep for the road. I would rather fly because, although luggage rules are annoying, they constrain my packing and make me more efficient. I would rather fly because it means (in many cases) I can sleep all of my travel nights in the same bed (versus in four places), as with our most recent trip. I would rather fly because it gives me more days in a place, especially when that place is with family. Flying is also statistically safer (Smith, 2025). When factoring in the value of time, flying often comes out as more affordable (see, for example, the Travel Math calculator). In the end, I would rather fly because I like to fly. 

I was hesitant about these road trips because I feared how I would fare on them. All in all, I was able to stay busy crocheting, reading, and sleeping, so the actual experience was not too terrible. I did not hurt too bad, at least for most of the trips. I was able to get in early morning workouts before each day of travel, which helped my squirminess. The big thing driving had going for it in my mind, though, was affordability. (I really like to save money.) When it did not turn out to give us that much of an edge, though, and when I cried because my time with my family was too short, that was it for me. I will drive if I have to, but otherwise, sign me up for the flight.

--

Blog readers, how do you prefer to travel? What pros and cons of driving and flying did I miss? Please share in the comments section!

References:

McCool Travel. (n.d.). 8 great reasons to drive instead of fly. https://www.mccooltravel.com/8-great-reasons-drive-instead-fly/

Regenerative Spine & Joint Center. (2023, July 27). Car driving and lumbar disk pain. https://regenerativespineandjoint.com/2023/07/27/car-driving-and-lumbar-disc-pain/

Sierra Club Redwood Chapter. (2024, June 1). Emissions from flying or driving? Which is worse? By a member of the California Sierra Club's climate committee. https://www.sierraclub.org/redwood/napa/blog/2024/06/emissions-flying-or-driving-which-worse-member-california-sierra-club-s

Smith, E. (2025, March 26). Driving vs flying: A comprehensive travel comparison. https://www.blacklane.com/en/blog/travel/flying-vs-driving-a-comprehensive-travel-comparison/

Sunkara, L. (2022, May 19). Which is worse for the environment: Driving or flying? Reader's Digest. https://www.rd.com/article/which-is-worse-for-the-environment-driving-or-flying/

Travel Math. (n.d.). TravelMath.com.