How many DUers fly to places, despite the discomfort and hassle?

[MineralMan]

I know that I do. Driving for days to cross most of the country is not on my to-do list any longer. I used to love cross-country driving. But, that was when I was young and single and it was an adventure. I've driven from coast to coast at least a dozen times in my life. I would never do it again. In the first place, I don't have time. In the second place, sitting in a car at freeway speeds for eight hours or longer is damned uncomfortable, really.

So, if I have to go more than about 300 miles, I drive to the airport, instead. Yes, I have to sit in a cramped coach seat. Yes, I have to go through TSA security screening. Yes, I have to bring my own food on the plane if I want a meal. Yes, the coffee on the plane is lousy. But, even if I fly cross-country, I'll only be uncomfortable for 5 hours. If I drive, it will take me 5 or 6 long days at the wheel to make the same trip.

When I was young and single, I was stupid, too. I'm older now, and not quite as stupid. I've learned to be uncomfortable for the least amount of time if I need to go somewhere. In some ways, getting older makes some things more simple.

So, DUers, how long a trip is long enough to send you to the airport? For me, it's about 350 miles.

[katmondoo]

1. I take the train when possible

Wish we had more train routes

[MineralMan]

4. I see. Well, I could take a train from St. Paul, MN

to Los Angeles. I could do that. It takes about three days, if there aren't any delays, which there usually are. That's three days and nights of sitting on a train. How is that better than flying for 3.5 hours? I don't get it.

I like train rides. I've taken a number of them, but I wouldn't take a cross-country trip on a train. Again, too much time is lost sitting and watching scenery go by. I have work to do and deadlines to make. I have a destination to reach so I can do whatever it is I will do at that destination. The trip itself is just how I get there.

[Freddie]

53. Took the Auto Train last year

D.C. to Florida (near Orlando) as our son moved down there and we had to take his car down. Very comfortable and relatively quick despite 3 hour drive to D.C. and then 3 hrs to his place. Nice people, pretty good food, very on-time.
So as I hadn't been in a plane since 1978 we decided to take the "regular" Amtrak train back, W Palm to Philly. Arghh. Seemed to take forever, killed 1.5 days. Next time will fly despite everything.

[athena]

68. I do, too.

It's extremely pleasant to spend a day or two on the train if you can afford the sleeping car. I've taken Amtrak from New Jersey to Florida and back maybe seven times. It never gets old.

[liberalhistorian]

2. I try to drive as much as possible, even for

frequent trips to visit family in my home state over 1,300 miles away. I love driving and I love the freedom it gives me. Flying is nothing but a major pain in the ass hassle nowadays and it really almost has to be an emergency to get me to fly now. I did fly to Cuba with a seminary class this past fall and that wasn't too bad, on American, but I still prefer flying. I had already sworn off United before the recent incident with the doctor on Sunday, though, because it's a horrible airline with atrocious customer service and customer treatment. Delta isn't too bad.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. Out of the country

We drive from NJ to Rochester for family.

Other than that - the rest of family is 'rest of world' and there's really no place we go on vacation to in the USA. IF we do a trip down the California coast with my mom in the next year or two - we'll fly out west, drive down the coast, then fly back.

[crazycatlady]

5. for me it depends on who is paying

If work pays, flying is the default option.

I'm moving 3000 miles away in 1.5 years so I'll have to fly home. I'm only driving across the country once.

[MineralMan]

6. I drove a moving truck from the Central Coast of California

to St. Paul, MN when my wife and I moved here in 2004. That will be my last cross-country trip. Due to the weight of the truck and the hot summer weather, it took 5.5 days to make that drive. I just couldn't drive more than 8 hours a day. 2500 miles. Never again. I did drive from Denver to St. Paul a few years ago, but only because I had to bring a car full of stock for my mineral specimen business back with me. I won't be doing that trip again, either.

[crazycatlady]

10. I'm moving from NJ to WA

Goal date January 2019. I plan no not hiring a moving truck (cost prohibitive relative to the contents) and am in the process of selling items so all my stuff can fit into a passenger car (just me). Furniture can be replaced upon arrival (and used if possible).

[MineralMan]

15. Good decision.

I actually bought a big moving truck from UHaul for our move. They sell their old trucks. I paid about $6000 for it. When I got here, we hadn't bought a house yet, so I parked the truck in a storage yard until we found one. After we moved in (I hired a couple of guys to unload the truck) I sold the truck to some guy in Wisconsin for $4500. It worked out just fine. It wouldn't have made sense if we had paid movers to do it.

But, if I were to move again, I'd just sell what I could, have the rest hauled off and buy replacements where we moved. I'm not madly in love with any of my furniture, frankly, so it would be no great loss. But when we moved from California, we had to pack up our office, my mineral specimen stock, etc. No choice. But, had it not been for that, we would have moved with nothing but our clothes, our computers, and our cats and driving a minivan out.

[MedusaX]

7. Make every effort to avoid any car trip beyond 250miles...

I do not mind driving to Houston or Corpus Christi
or even Laredo.....

But i would much rather go thru all of the airport protocol ... which is longer than the actual flight...
than to have to drive to Dallas...

[MineralMan]

9. Yup. I agree.

I spent two days driving across Texas once. Worst week of my life.

[Hangingon]

45. Driving thru Dallas or Ft. Worth is a nightmare!

We drive to Kansas City (870 miles each way). Getting thru DFW is the worst part.

[exboyfil]

8. Not anymore

I don't for business, and I won't for pleasure. The only place I need to go is Florida (my mom) from Iowa. I didn't give a second thought about driving to West Virginia (710 miles) for my grandma's funeral.

[leftynyc]

11. I fly a few times a year

Overseas, obviously. Out to TX (from NY) to see my nephew at school (graduated last year so I don't have to do that). To FL to visit mom and friends. I work so taking off time to drive or train is just not feasible.

[Arkansas Granny]

12. My family lives within an hours drive or half a continent away. In the latter case, I'll fly.

If you know what to expect and plan accordingly flying isn't that much of a hassle. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes that slip on and off easily. Check the airline website to make sure your carry on meets their requirements and that you aren't carrying any restricted items. Just set your mind to it and get on with it. Resistance is futile.

[MineralMan]

19. Yup. Be prepared and it usually goes just fine.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

13. I hate highway driving

However, my home airport is SNA - John Wayne and getting through there is pretty painless even when PreCheck is closed.

Orange County seems to be lacking in the abusive personality types who staff the TSA and airlines at most major airports.

[MineralMan]

16. The TSA folks at MSP are pretty much OK, too.

We fly out of the smaller terminal, and it has a second security screening area at the far end of the terminal that is never crowded. We are always pre-check, too.

We have two dogs, though, that have to be boarded while we're gone. Fortunately, there's a boarding kennel near the airport that lets you park there and takes you to the airport on a shuttle. That's really convenient. When you come back, you call them, and they send the shuttle to get you and bring you to the kennel. The only bad part is that it costs about as much as a hotel room for the time you're gone. Ouch!

[Hangingon]

47. We recently flew from Corpus Christi to Montgomery AL.

CCI is a non-hub so security is easier. The plane change at DFW did not involve TSA but meant a frantic tram ride from one end of DFW to the other. Montgomery is not a hub so TSA was easy on the return.

Living here means we have to fly to the DFWor Houston to go any where.

[Glitterati]

14. Never again

I won't subject myself to the cattle call named TSA.

If I can't drive it, I don't go.

[MineralMan]

18. OK. Your choice.

In all of my flying, I've never had a bit of trouble with security screening. My wife, though, had hip replacement surgery in March, so we'll see how they handle that at the airport.

[MANative]

17. My limit is about 500 miles. If I fly, it's out of NYC airports...

which are notoriously horrible for waits and delays. When possible, I use Amtrak, partly because I've always enjoyed train travel, and because it's actually pretty convenient when I leave from Stamford, CT or directly from work out of Penn Station. Did a 525-mile (each way) trip for a 5-day weekend recently, and it was definitely pushing my limits, but I also had a car-load of baby gifts to transport. If not for that, I probably would have flown.

[Coventina]

20. There is a dearth of other options for those who don't have oodles of leisure time.

Rail, high speed or otherwise is often inaccessible to most of the country.

If our infrastructure continues to crumble, or the highway system becomes privatized, there will be even more people "forced" to choose air travel.

[NurseJackie]

21. It sounds dreadful. What airlines do you fly?

[MineralMan]

23. Well, since I fly almost exclusively between MSP and LAX,

I use Sun Country, an airline based here in Minneapolis. They make two round trips a day, at nice, convenient times. Typical coach seating, but if you book early, you can reserve exit row seats for a small surcharge. We always do that. That small charge also gets you early boarding and a separate check-in line. So far, we've always gotten Pre-check status when we book those seats. Not bad perks for about $20 each way.

Sun Country's prices are lower than Delta's for the same trip, and they're in the smaller terminal, which speeds up security screening as well.

[GulfCoast66]

22. I generally like flying

We now have global entry which gives me TSA pre and allows us to skip customs when coming back into the country

I generally can afford 'fancy pants coach' which gives more leg room and if I cannot book an isle seat I will find another flight.

But I swore off United in 2012.

I still find the fact I am soaring 7 miles above the earth amazing. But the wife does say I am easily amused 🤔

[MineralMan]

25. I always book a window seat, and spend much of my time

watching the geography pass under the plane.

[Dulcinea]

60. Same here.

I used to really like it. I put up with it now.

We live in metro Atlanta, so getting anywhere on Delta isn't hard. We're going to LA to see my sister & meet my new baby nephew next month!

[GulfCoast66]

61. Safe travels

And congrats on the new family member.

[LeftishBrit]

24. I don't fly regularly, but sometimes yes

It's a different situation for me here - I obviously don't have to fly in England, and I can get to Paris or Brussels on the Eurostar. But if I need to, I don't have a problem with flying.

I don't drive, so if I needed to travel any distance within the USA, I would need to fly.

[MissB]

26. One kid is going to college on the east coast.

Other kid will be going to college just far enough away that we won't want to drive other than to drop him off next fall.

Flying it is. I don't fly much for work, but DH does. If he's going to a conference that is in an interesting city then I will tag along.

Since I fly so rarely in general, I upgrade to first class. (Not really paying big bucks for college so I have some funds to pull from when heading to see kids.)

[MineralMan]

27. First Class is definitely better.

I've only sat in First Class a couple of time, and that was decades ago when I was flying military standby and the only available seats were in First Class. I can't afford it, these days.

[Freddie]

59. Had one rule when our kids picked colleges

Besides $$ considerations - no airplanes.

[MissB]

63. I allowed them to apply based on what we'd pay.

Which worked out well. Our budget was for them to stay within the in-state university cost.

The kid that is on the east coast was awarded a full ride. He will probably come home twice next year.

The other kid will cost me $8k/year (got full tuition and fees scholarship.) He will likely come home 3 times next year. His flight costs are much cheaper.

My point being is that they stayed within the constraints given so I didn't particularly care which part of the country they ended up in.

Of course I'd love for them to stay within the state at the state flagship. But they found a way to stay within the financial constraints. I survive with FaceTime once a week.

[yuiyoshida]

28. I won't, imagine me visiting Japan and coming back and being told

Because of my foreigner face, I am not allowed back into this country, despite a "Looks fake" passport, send this one back to Tokyo where she belongs... "GTFO OF OUR COUNTRY ASIAN SCUM!!"(AND don't think I haven't heard that recently, cause I did a week ago on line.)

[MineralMan]

30. I doubt very much that you would ever be denied entry.

You might worry that you would, but it wouldn't happen.

People with US passports who are of Japanese ancestry are not being stopped when returning to the US. It's not happening.

[yuiyoshida]

34. You seem very sure about that...

Most Americans can't tell one ASIAN from another. Look at my face, and tell me what I look like to you? Japanese? Korean? Thai? Vietnamese? Chinese? North Korean? You may know because I told you I am Japanese and Hawaiian but If I hadn't said what I was, could you tell? Here's a clue, most Asian's can't tell what other Asians are.

Most Mainland Chinese think its despicable if you are not Pure Chinese, and many Japanese seem to think the same way. But back on track, the average American could not pass the FACE test as to what kind of Asian a person is.. so If I get told I must look like a North Korean, trying to pass themselves off as an American...than what???

[MineralMan]

37. No, I couldn't tell what your ancestry is from your appearance.

I live in a neighborhood that is primarily Asian. Hmong, Vietnamese, Laotian and Chinese. I don't know their origins unless I ask, but by now, I know all of my neighbors, so it's not a problem. I don't believe any of those are being stopped at the airport if they hold US passports. I haven't heard of anything like that so far.

There really aren't that many North Koreans traveling to the US, though, I think.

If you want to travel, you should just go ahead. You have your passport, so go where you want. As soon as you speak, it will be clear where you live, I'm sure.

[yuiyoshida]

41. Speaking is no indication.

Russian spies have been living in America for a years now, do you think all their English is bad? And if Pyongyang wanted to send well trained North Koreans into America, don't you think they could? SO who is to say. We know that DU had Russian trolls on this website. Pyongyang does have the internet in special places for their Internet trolls to invade the internet where they wish. Its not that unbelievable.

Because someone speaking Korean, doesn't necessarily mean they are from South Korea. People have been infiltrated into Southern Korean society to spy on them from North Korea, and for them to take the next step and get papers to travel to the US, is pretty easy up and until now.

So no, I won't even travel to Hawaii these days even if I can prove I am Native Hawaiian, which I can't. I would have to go to Hawaii to even prove that.

[Doreen]

29. Fly? I am glad for those who have the money to fly.

I can not even afford the train. If I use those someone has to pay for it. I would however fly even with all of the crap going on.

[HopeAgain]

31. I've actually chosen to fly on United quite a bit.

I fly a lot for a non-profit (who pays my fare) and always pick the cheapest fare, which is often United. Every time I click "confirm" for my reservation I know that I will be sitting in the tightest seats, getting the worst service and risking the most delays. But it's not my money and I would rather fly (Between south Florida and Texas) than drive for at least two days.

In Florida I used to fly to Orlando from Fort Lauderdale all the time. But as flying has gotten less reliable and more time consuming and uncomfortable, I just take the three hour drive. If I have a 9:00 AM meeting, I can get there as long as I leave by 6 am, which is about the same time I would have to arrive at the airport.

[MineralMan]

32. A three hour drive is fine with me.

I do that frequently.

[petronius]

33. 400-500 miles is about my drive/fly cutoff as well, depending on how convenient the

destination airport is. (I typically have to drive about 200 miles to get to a cost-effective departure airport anyway, unless I want to shell out a couple $100 extra to leave locally.) Although I rarely go anywhere in the 500-1000 mile envelope; it's either <400, or cross-country/international for us.

And I've always had good experiences on United, so they've been one of my top choices...

[Pablorama]

35. I'm a jet set meat eater who 'cares' about climate change

[HoneyBadger]

36. My limit is as far as I can go in daylight, in one day, with the usual breaks

350 miles sounds reasonable. Given that I need to pad it with hotel stays to rest, flying is cheaper and faster. I also do not find TSA and airline crew any more unpleasant than highway patrol.

[sinkingfeeling]

38. About the only way to leave the country and get to Europe is by plane.

[NewDealProgressive]

39. I've never had any problems flying.

Now, I've only flown maybe thirty times total in my life but I've never had any problems, hassles or discomfort. Hell, I just go to sleep.

To answer your question though, any place that takes more than six hours to drive to, I'll fly to.

[bettyellen]

40. I do! As I usually prefer to go far away. As a NYer, I'm happpy to remove my shoes too. No big deal.

[Jim__]

42. If there were a bridge, I'd drive to Europe rather than fly.

I used to fly a lot for work, some weeks 5 out of 5 days. If I even walk into an airport now, my stomach turns. That's not fear of flying, that's having to put up with the airlines' bullshit.

[athena]

70. I know what you mean.

I used to love to fly. Then I was sent from EWR to ORD once a week for five weeks. I would go out Monday and come back Thursday. It got so bad so quickly that I asked to be moved to another project that didn't involve travel. I still dread flying every time I have to do it. Once you're in the air, it's not so bad, but the edge effects (driving to and from the airport, going through security, waiting, boarding, putting up with the nastiness of everyone else who is just as stressed out and annoyed as you are) are horrible.

[hack89]

43. While I enjoy driving long distances

I fly to have more time at my destination.

[Flaleftist]

44. I find it's not so bad if I pop a Valium before I leave .

I do not like driving long distances.

[nolabear]

46. I've only recently wanted to drive rather than fly.

Well, that's not strictly true. I drove a lot when I was in the South and East. But man, up here in the PNW you have to drive forever to get to anything. It's BIG out here! So I've flown a lot for many years, 3-5 times a year.

But lately I'm seriously jonesing to go across the country, to see what places look like, to separate myself from the everyday for a while. I keep putting it of but I really should, either with Mr. Bear or alone (I've never worried about that).

I might start a thread for cross-country trip advice.

[SwissTony]

48. A few years ago, I had to do quite a bit of flying for work purposes.

I grew to hate it. The actual flying time was insignificant compared to the time spent getting to the airport, the time waiting on the ground, then the time getting from the airport to wherever I was supposed to go. And at times, it seemed to be every couple of weeks.

I've made a few flights on propellor-powered planes going to places not too far away. That was amazing. You get on with the pilot who then tells the passengers where to sit (distribution is important) and then you take off!! No hassle.

Driving depends on where I am. I used to live in Australia. Once you get outside of the major cities, driving is lovely. Lots of room. No traffic. In Sydney and Melbourne, peak hour...yeah, it's like any other big city. But Adelaide, Perth...what's traffic again?

Now, I live in The Netherlands. If I want to travel (by car) from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, I have to first negotiate Amsterdam traffic, then Utrecht traffic, then Rotterdam traffic. I just take the train (they're wind driven over here!!)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/10/dutch-trains-100-percent-wind-powered-ns

Many years ago, I used to ride a big motor bike. In the city and round the country. Very fond memories. Marriage and kids put an end to that.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

49. I'm mostly in your camp.

Though I did do an 800 mile trip to Wyoming a few years ago. 400 a day seems about my limit behind the wheel now so I spent one night on the road. Any more than that though and I'm flying. For the time being though I will make a conscious effort to NOT use United.........

[Major Nikon]

50. I rarely drive more than 2 hours

But I have my own airline. I don't have to mess with TSA and the only real issue I have is I can't get my wife to wear a FA outfit.

[kimbutgar]

51. I fly once a year on vacation and take a car trip later in the year

When I am overseas I make an effort to take the train or bus. Europes transportation system is so much better than the US.

[Adrahil]

52. Well of course I do.

Europe is not very convenient without flying. And California is a few days away by car. For me, the cut-off for drive/fly is about 5 hours. maybe 6 if the drive looks nice.

[duncang]

54. Yep, I have flown a lot.

Until the last few years I have flown around twice each year. I'm fairly tall and have pretty wide shoulders. I don't have trouble with my bottom but my shoulders over hang the arm rests. Sitting at a angle and barely being able to move my legs is a real pain. We try to get the exit seats or maybe by a divide to get those few extra inches for my legs. Just can't do anything about seat width. I drive if under 12 hours drive time. Or if we are on a full family outing. (Have rented rv's and 13 person vans several times.)

[sdfernando]

55. I travel 1/2 dozen or more trips for work

I'll drive up the locations in the Los Angeles area, which can be 3.5 to 4 hours due to traffic. I won't drive further and will fly. Usually Southwest or Virgin American (now Alaska), or American when I need to go to Texas, Delta when I have to go to the East Coast.

Never like going through TSA, sometimes I get pre-check...other times I get pulled aside. I get mistaken for middle eastern a lot, even by middle eastern people...but I'm 100% Mexican, guess I just have that "look".

I always try to get upgraded seats so I have at least more legroom. Its worth it to me even if I have to pay for it.

[MedusaX]

62. Big Fan of Southwest

I will go out of my way to use Southwest domestically...
(And tend to use interjet otherwise)

Southwest's Wanna Get Away? Fares &
2 carryon + 2 checked bags free policy are huge incentives....
and once you figure out when to use the regular 24 hr check in vs. paying $15. For early bird option ...
their boarding system makes the open seating policy work out just fine...

Maybe I'm just cheap...
Alternative fact🙀

[CTyankee]

56. I used to but no more. Too old. This year is the first year I stay home...

[HeartachesNhangovers]

57. More important than distance is whether

there's anything to see/do on the way. If it's winter and the weather is not great, I'd fly from Portland to the SF Bay Area (about 600 miles) or take Amtrak, although I may not do any more overnight Amtrak trips. But in the summer, since there are lots of attractions between those 2 places, I would probably drive (we are doing that next month). Portland to Los Angeles where we have friends/family (almost 1000 miles) we would definitely fly.

I don't enjoy driving at all, but I avoid airports and airlines as much as I can, within reason.

[JohnnyLib2]

58. We do and have not encountered significant problems.

Using Global Entry and TSA pre-clearance has been very helpful as age creeps up. So is using any chance at picking seats ahead of time.

[OnDoutside]

64. From 1998 to 2008 I used to regularly fly all over

Europe, but one benefit of the 2008 economic crash was companies wanted to save money, so are now more than happy for me to work from home, so I rarely have to travel anymore (maybe the first couple of weeks to introduce myself to a new client), and I get to spend so much time with my son.

[WinkyDink]

65. Haven't this century, and never again will.

[EllieBC]

66. About 300-400 miles. And that's painful with 3 kids.

Flying with 3 kids is painful too but slightly less.

[democratisphere]

67. I travel the eastern part of the US by car.

The entire airline situation is s**t!

[athena]

69. Flying is extremely bad for the environment.

I'm not sure why you're advertising it so heartily by going on about how unpleasant you think the alternatives are.

I only fly if I absolutely have to. And I find that the alternatives are much more pleasant. You may be on the plane only five hours, but when you add the time you spend at the airport, and the hassle of getting to and from the airport, it's not a lot faster than taking the train, which is much more enjoyable. Driving can also be fun if you take your time, staying in small towns and sightseeing on the way.

If this were a civilized country, we would have high-speed rail like the rest of the industrialized world. But as long as people go on about how much better flying is than its alternatives, not only will we not get high-speed rail, but the airlines will continue to make conditions increasingly worse in cattle class.

[rainbow4321]

71. I take jobs around the country for 13 weeks at a time

So I've driven:
Texas to PA ( and then back after 13 weeks)
Texas to CA (been working here for over a year but I fly home for short 1-2 week visits once in a while). For tax purposes, I keep my "home" in TX and also have family there.
All over CA from the CA/Mexico border up to the San Francisco area.

I drive so I can have my own car with me. And it has let me make some over night stops in cities that I had never been visited.

Even when I was staying in a LA suburb and went to Vegas I drove. By the time I would have gotten to the damn airport, went thru the boarding process, waited on my bags in Vegas...it averaged out to almost what my drive time would have been.

[csziggy]

72. Nope - haven't flown since 1990

Even that far back they were packing in passengers like sardines and not providing any real service.

Any more when my husband and I take trips we make the path to our destination part of the enjoyment. Year before last we drove to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, about an eight hour drive from here if we'd pushed it. Instead we took two days each way, stopped at places along the way, and just had a good time.

The most fun was on the way home when we stopped at Congaree National Forest. The lowland forest - one of the few that remain in the South East - was impressive, as was the history provided with exhibits and a film. The next week we were startled to see the intersection we'd passed through on the way out towards Columbia, SC, on CNN with flood waters up to the eaves on some of the houses we'd passed.

The year before we did the same thing on the way to Louisville, KY and stopped in Birmingham, Alabama to hike through Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve, and then drove to the top of Oak Mountain in a state park nearby.

Even when we were young, the journey was the reason for the trip most of the time. When we drove to San Francisco on our "honeymoon" we took almost six weeks and stopped a places to explore almost every day along the way. We visited wildlife centers, local museums and parks, archeological sites, and even a few tourist traps. We also took tons of photos that still bring back wonderful memories.

We need to take a few more trips like that now that we are retired and before we cannot do the driving any more. But we almost never do 8 hours of straight through driving unless there is an emergency. We plan short days with
stops to limber our legs and engage our minds.

Flying just doesn't give me the same enjoyment though I used to enjoy flying. These days it is a cattle car with no ability to enjoy the trip. I'd rather visit those fly over places and see what they are like first hand.