I used to fly all the time for contracts and such. I used to make my own reservations and could find some screamin deals! However it has been 2-3 years since I've done that. I have taken 1 or 2 flights since then but again, they were pretty good deals ($225 RT from Sacramento, CA to Ft. Lauderdale, FL). I went to look for a flight today (same route) for next month, and I'm looking at nearly $500 or more with taxes and fuel surcharges! There really are no deals out there anymore with all the bankruptcies and price of fuel!!

So, considering the nearly doubled prices of flights in the US now, if you had the extra days to drive, would you drive cross country in your HCHII?

It will only be only me on this trip (If it was 2 or more, DEFINETELY worth it), but looking at the numbers I should be spending less than the $500 on R/T fuel and hotel/motels. I'm figuring around 2600 miles, and if it's all highway, I can easily get 650-700 miles/tank. I only need to buy 1 tank in California at the overinflated $4.60/gal. I should expect to pay $0.30 less or more per gallon in most of the other states. Food may put me over, but I'm not a big eater anyway when driving (cross-country McD's... mmmm ). Plus I can save the cost of the rental car by having my own!

 

Tough question. (I'm afraid to fly, myself.)
I was thinking maybe it depends upon what route you'd have to take. I would not want to drive through the areas in the midwest that have been ravaged by flooding lately.

 

I guess my first question would be:

have you ever drive cross country by yourself before?

I've gone from DE to CA and back. Now, if I had a few weeks (minimum of 3) to make the trip driving, I would do it again. However, I would make sure to stop along the way and have things to do.

It's a very long, tiresome, and boring drive. It took me over 40 hours in the car, and it was pretty much non-stop driving. I'd stop for bathroom breaks, gas, and food. Usually I'd combine 2 of those things in a stop.

Personally, I'd fly and rent a car. It's MUCH easier on your body. Just my personal opinion having made that drive before. If you've never done it, then I'd say go for it! But if it's straight driving by yourself, get there and turn around to come back....I'd say you're crazy lol. You'll be so exhausted when you get there and get back that you'll think it wasn't worth while.

 

I love driving, I really do and just did 2780 miles round trip last month including driving around when I was there at about $3.75 a gallon and it cost me about $181. I did stop overnight on the way down and considered it a total waste of money. On the way back up I would feel a little tired and pull into a nice rest stop on the interstate, lean the seat back, and take a nap, wake refreshed and move on. The HCH seats are actually pretty comfortable for sleeping as long as you don't mind sleeping on your back. I was driving very slow compared to most people but well within the posted min/max limits in the right hand land, with rest stops, naps, fill ups, & a meal it took me 26 hours to cross 1100 miles.

Back in April when I was shopping for the tickets for the end of May I could have gotten a coach plane fare for $200 with a long lay over or $250 for non stop and then would have been at the mercy of the people I was visiting for transportation or rent a car when I was there. I was going for a week so that would have been a few bucks also. Plus having just gotten the HCH I did want to take it on a road trip! My avg mpg for the trip including city driving when down there was 57.4mpg.

Google says your trip is more like 3,091 miles one way from Sacramento to Ft. Lauderdale that is a heck of a long drive. I have done worse but I was a lot younger, drove a lot faster, and gas was less than .50 a gallon. LOL So if you figure on 6200 miles not counting on driving around in Florida when you are there. Lets be generous since you are taking a warmer route than I did, you refrain from using the A/C because you can handle it, and you get 60mpg. 6200 / 60 = 103.3 gallons of gas. If you are lucky and can maintain the current national average for fuel at 4.08 you will be spending $421 in fuel alone. If you drive & sleep like me, I know nobody does, but should give you a max time to cross the country by yourself if you don't use hotels, nap at rest stops, take frequent breaks, eat a few meals, it shouldn't take you longer than 74 hours. Not the 45 hours that Google maps tries to claim it will take you. To make it in that time you would have to average over 68 miles per hour non-stop, and I mean non-stop, all the way. That's just not real life no matter what kind of crazy driver you might be.

Anyhow, is it worth it? That would have to be up to you. If I had the time to blow I would love to do a roadtrip from PA to CA to visit my daughter and see the sights along the way, but I did preface this with the fact that I love to drive. Can you do it cheaper than air fare & rental car, probably close but most people don't take on 6000 mile road trips because it is going to be cheaper. So you decide and let us know how it goes. I will be envying you if you do drive.

 

How about driving because you don't want to be lied to and left stranded by the airlines, and abused by the angry, antagonistic little peons who work at the airports and on the planes?

 

These days, virtually anything beats traveling via the cattle express, also known as the airlines. No offense to cattle, but I'd be much happier behind the wheel of my own car than in a giant herd.

 

This may sound unusual, but when I travel I leave my daily driver at home and either rent another vehicle or take alternate transportation. This gives some peace of mind that when I return and am ready to pick up my life my car will be ready and waiting. If something happens to the transportation during the trip, I won't be stuck with it afterwards. That is liberating.

You figured that gas alone makes driving competitive in some ways to air travel, but you're not including general wear-and-tear. If it was an expense for reimbursement then you would be compensated for more than just the price of gas.

 

Some excellent ideas and points. I do have one question, as I haven't rented a car in ages. Don't car rental agencies frown on people taking vehicles out of state, especially to drive across country? Or is there some kind of special rate you can get for this?

 

We are driving to Minneapolis for my cousin's wedding a week from today. We looked at flying, and even though my wife is a master at finding deals, we couldn't make the math work when you include two tickets and a rental car.

The only thing that bums me out about driving is that I'm sure we will drive faster than I would like and with the AC on so I'm going to take a mileage hit (darn high mileage obsession...). I am hopeful we will be able to keep it above my 50.3 lifetime average, but I don't have any expecations of maintaining my current 60mpg...especially if we stop at Ikea and load up on Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joes!

 

If I had a choice, I'd fly my HCHII.

Seriously though, I'd fly. It's cheaper and quicker.

nf