I am going home for the weekend (I am in Chicago for work) but have to be back on Monday. Originally the plan was I would go home Friday and not have to come back for a few weeks, so with this in mind, I drove my truck.

Well now the plan is for me to go home on Friday, come back to Chicago on Sunday night and work for a few more days. I have to be back home on Saturday as I am playing in a Basketball tournament.

The drive is about 6-7 hours one way (430 miles). The company will pay my travel time as well as mileage for my truck (covers the gas plus about $200 each trip).

I was debating flying, but that will cost the company an extra $100-200 for me to go home for the weekend, but save me the wear on my truck and about 1.5-2 hours travel time one way. However, if I do this, I will have to leave my truck at the airport over the weekend (I'm not a big fan of that) and I will have no vehicle for the weekend other than sharing my wife's car.

Cost isn't really a big issue for me as the company will reinburse me either way, but I just like saving them money when I can. I don't mind the drive either, it is all interstate so I can cruise at 70+.

What do you guys think, Fly or Drive home for the weekend???

 

If it was me I'd drive it. Back when i had to travel a lot I insisted on driving most places anyway. Furthest I ever had to go was Sacramento to Portland - about 8-9 hours each way. Once last year when I took this trip I flew. If you count the time it took to leave my house, get to the airport, get THROUGH the airport check-in and [ridiculous] security, get on the plane, fly, get off the plane, wait for my bags and get where I was going, it was almost 6 hours. At least the drive is more interesting than being packed into coach!

 

See that is what I was thinking. I really don't save any time so it would be more for convienence of staying home a few hours longer on Sunday and not haveing to worry about driving and staying awake than anything.

 

You be flyin'!

 

Trick is to leave in the evening or VERY early morning when I5 is empty. I do most of the speeding through CA then slow to a more respectable 75 in OR

 

You will be more relaxed flying.

 

The IRS figures 37.5 cents per mile is your cost of owning and operating a vehicle. So for your trip one way they figure $161.25 . So it sounds like you are money ahead but do you want to drive all that way for a weekend?

 

That is what I am debating. I am going back either way, I am just undecided as to whether I should fly or drive. Another down side of driving is I have to leave my truck at the airport. That is like leaving a kid at the airport (the well behaved kid that doesn't give you any grief).

 

I dont trust planes one bit, i would never fly again...i flew when i was a little kid and of course i thought it was fun back then...but now i know those things are deathtraps, I say DRIVE!

 

or better yet get a rental car (ugg) with unlimited mileage. Not really!! Personally I would drive. You have a nice vehicle, if the boss is paying ...go for it and be happy. Just be carefull while driving tired.

 

I hate driving long distances, and I hate flying (come on, they're nothing more than Greyhound buses with wings. Oh, wait- Greyhound gives you more legroom...). Tough choice. I did enjoy the comparison the "Today" show did a few years ago, between flying from New York to Boston or taking the train. 2 people left from Times Square at the same time, to meet up at Boston Common. Guess who got there first? Yep- the guy on the train. When you factored in the time to get to and from the airports, required early security check-ins, delays, wait for your luggage at the carousel- it took less overall time using Amtrak.

 

By flying you will be saving more time to spend with your family. The down side to driving is that it can be mentally and physically fatigueing. Once you actually get home you will probably have some additional downtime to recouperate from the drive. Factor this in with the limited time you will have with your family it would probably make more sense to fly. Just my $.02

 

Driving would be more expensive, and more fatiguing, but it is the way I would go.

Until I get my pilots license, I will still travel in a way where I am in control - not saying I don't trust commercial pilots, I just like my independance.

If you do take the plane, park the truck next a Porsche or something like that, and NO ONE will touch it...

 

Just drove to Florida, 3 weeks ago, i'll tell ya superduty crew cabs aint the most fuel efficiant vehicles, however i was able to do it in 22 hours, the people that flew down to meet us took 15 hours with lay-overs and delays caused by snow, plus they had to rent a car when they got there.

 

I hear you on leaving the truck at the airport...that stinks. How about a co-worker's house?

I just flew to Chicago for the weekend on St. Patty's day. Southwest Airlines from Midway to Philly Int'l was $69 each way and may have been a little over an hour back to Philly, and less then two back to Chicago. The Orange line runs from Midway to Downtown, which is how we got too and from the city to the airport.

A friend of mine was actually on his way out from Philly and driving, and he said the drive through Ohio was the most boringly painful drive ever. He went through a whole case of Red Bull. Plus...gas is ridiculous. Not like it's going to get cheaper if you wait to do it another weekend, but it's sick out there. Gas here is $2.01, it was $2.45 when I was out there for Reg.


I say fly.