Is it cheaper to drive cross-country or just fly?

Question

I want to drive from RI to Seattle, WA, and then back home again. I'd be driving my '65 Ford Falcon, which gets maybe 20mpg. Is it cheaper to fly or drive?

Answer 1

Cheaper to Fly all the way, 3000 miles @ 20 mpg each way, lol, 300 gallons of gas @ $2.20. plus hotels, plus food, wear and tear on ur car. ugggggggggg, not to mention the time behind the wheel driving

Answer 2

Bright eyes, I can definately gaurantee you that flying is going to be waaaaaaay les expensive then driving will be. I have drivin across country many times, and I live In seattle for that matter! your talking something like 3200 miles. If you get 20 miles per gallon your looking at something like 500 bucks in gas each way. 1000 dollars to go from Maine to Seattle and back. And then you have to give yourself at least 4-5 days each way for the journy, so unless your going to camp your looking at hotel costs. anywhere from 45- 100 bucks a night. Plus road food. I would say drive and see the country, but at the price of gas, which i estimated at 3 bucks a gallon, i would just assume fly and spend more time in seattle checking out the beautiful sights!

whatever works! cheers!

Answer 3

How many people are there?
How long are you going to be staying there?
Will you need a car while you're there?
How much time do you have?

It costs about 20-30 cents per mile to drive someplace (gas, oil, tire wear, depreciated value, etc). More for bigger and newer cars of course.
....where are you going to sleep in your 8 days of traveling?
If you only have 10 days, you'll spend 8 of it driving.
If you're alone, you be using all the gas yourself (vs e.g. 6 people)
...then there's the opportunity cost of driving. (You could have worked for a week or two and made whatever you make), not to mention extra time in your destination.

You're looking at a 45 hour drive and about 3000 miles Each way.

In short, it's most likely MUCH cheaper to drive. However if there are a number of you and/or you're going to be there for a month or more it may be better to drive.

Answer 4

That depends upon how many people you have going with you. It also depends how long you are staying and how long it takes you to get there. For example, if you are flying and you rent a car while you are there, this must be taken into consideration. Add all the costs of driving, such as fuel, hotel, meals along the way, and maintenance. Compare with flying by adding the airfares, car rental, etc. You might find that with three people, it is getting close to equal...

Answer 5

I urge you to fly because,it is cheaper than paying for gas. Plus driving long way you need a newer car not a classic one. I wish you the best.

Answer 6

I drove from Pennsylvania to California last year and it cost me about $450. I ate fast food and stayed in inexpensive motels. I think gas was about 30 cents higher per gallon at the time. So if you can find cheaper flights than $450 go for it.

Answer 7

Basically if it is more than one person, driving is the way to go...and the memories are well worth it. If its just one, flying is usually the best option. Don't forget the wear and tear on your ride.

Answer 8

it would take probably 7 to 10 days of straight driving
probably 4800 miles equals 240 gal. x 2.50=600.00
you can probably find a flight well under, not to mention you'll be able to work for an entire week instead of driving

Answer 9

easier to fly also driving is stressful and it has traffic

Answer 10

fly