I have a Chevy spark I saved up for , and paid cash with my issue is I want to go to garabaldi oregon it's like I think a hour or so from Portland renting a car is probably 70/ d and I plan on staying for a 4 day minimum not including hotel stay I live in Kennett and my issue is it's kin 2200 miles or so from me and 35 hour drive give or take i just don't know what to do I really been wanting to go on this trip I just trying to figure out how to approach it?
I don't know if I should drive or fly I would love to get some help
byu/chris_s9181 inFrugal
Posted by chris_s9181
9 Comments
just get in that chevy spark and embrace the road trip chaos. who needs a plane when you can have bathroom breaks and questionable snacks?
Personally I would considering looking for a cheap flight if you can find one because at 35 hours you’ll need at least one additional hotel not to forget gas. If gas there is anything cost to here is CA that will add quite a bit as well. The “cheapest option” is not always the cheapest. Also, if you are tired and get in a car accident that will add to the cost. Speaking from experience when trying to drive 24 hours
Depends if your vacation time is severely limited. We turned a 9 day trip into 2 weeks and drove from Maine to Iowa, but it saved us thousands in flights (with two bicycles) and transfers. Staying in hotels during the drive kind of reduces the savings, but sleeping in a car after driving all day is terrible.
Fly, rent a car.
If you’ve never done it, thats a long drive, and you have to go back.
Write down the costs.
70/day rental x 4 days + fuel = $350
4 nights hotel stay = $500
Airplane flights round trip = $1000
Rough guesses.
A 2200 mile trip, 2 ways, will add maybe 10 tanks of gas, and 8 more nights in a hotel, but save you the cost of the flight.
Additionally, you are not factoring in the opportunity cost of tripling the length of your trip if you drive.
You don’t seem like you even started comparing costs. It’s way cheaper to fly.
Question 1- how long do you want to spend on this trip in total counting travel?
If the answer is less than 6 days your options are fly or don’t go.
Question 2- Do you want to spend 6-8 days driving (round trip)?
If the answer is yes drive. If the answer is no fly.
Fly and rent a car. Hands down.
Fly. Time is money
If the drive is over 8-10 hours and you don’t need to bring multiple people and/or a large dog with you, it’s usually better to fly.
Start adding up gas, tolls, an oil change, hotel if you aren’t a car sleeper, etc.