by Richmond dad Jeb Hoge
Whatever happened to the Great American Road Trip? Driving cross-country to see families or landmarks, to go to the beach or the mountains or the big city, playing road games like spotting license plates or beating the crap out of your siblings under the premise of Punch Buggy…do families still DO that? Or has the long road trip gone the way of polyester pants and vinyl interiors?
It seems that bargain airfares and the idea of flying being the faster, easier way to travel have made the long drive so unappealing that we just don’t think of it anymore, but I think that’s misguided. Especially with air travel becoming so restrictive and airlines increasing fees and expenses to the passenger (come on, $75 to check a couple of bags?), maybe we should be driving more for long trips?
To be fair, it’s not a perfect solution. Driving from Chicago to Seattle, for example, is a day and a half by road versus maybe 7-8 hours door to door. But for what we might think of as “regional” travel, it’s surprising how little time and effort flying actually saves over driving. Case in point: let’s say I’ve got a family reunion in Nashville. I’ve got a family of four, with two boys ages 5 and 2. The drive time between Richmond and Nashville is about 11 hours, factoring in a few short stops for food and bathrooms. Surely it’s faster to fly?
Well, yes, but how much faster? Let’s break it down. An average air travel excursion (multiple flights) from RIC to Nashville’s airport is four hours, and we don’t get the luxury of direct flights. It’s a half-hour drive from our house to the airport, and another half-hour drive in Nashville. We try to get to the airport 90 minutes before our trip (shepherding two little ones through security is such joy, even when they’re being good), and the post-flight regimen of bathrooms and luggage claim is about another 30 minutes. Just like that, we’re at seven hours of travel time, assuming no flight delays.
Now, you’re probably thinking “Yeah, but you’re still spending four hours less time than you would driving.” True, but here is where quality of life comes into play. By driving, you’re able to control your departure time, you don’t have to pay to park or check bags, you can pack as much as your car can hold, you can stop when you choose, you control the temperature, and you don’t have to turn the music off because a flight attendant says so. In a way, you’re only sort of leaving home; our cars are a microcosm of our home space, so even though you’re in it longer, you’ve got a more comfortable, more manageable environment. Your view out is better, too. Not to mention you can detour to see a giant ball of twine or whatever. This is what memories are made of, people!
And in practical terms, it’s so much easier (and cheaper) since you don’t have to transfer car seats and luggage around, you don’t have to think about renting a car on the other end of your trip, and even if you’re paying for 4-5 tanks of gas, at an average cost of $40 per tank, your total fuel cost is about what one plane ticket would be. Wouldn’t you spend an extra few hours in travel time to save $800?
