How I'm Saving $300 By Flying Instead of Driving on my Next Vacation

My wife and I are flying to San Diego this month with our youngest son for a week-long vacation. Each year, we travel cross country for my Navy ship's reunion. Last year, we drove to Philadelphia from Oklahoma City. What a nightmare.

Immediately, I realized between gasoline and tolls, I was going to be spending a lot more money than I bargained for. It took us twice as long to get to Philadelphia than we estimated, mainly due to highway construction, and we broke down twice. The first time, we got a flat tire on the New Jersey Turnpike during a side trip to visit my in-laws, and the second time the water pump in my car died. It was a VERY expensive trip.

This year, I vowed things will be different. I priced the cost of flying the three of us to San Diego, and I priced the cost of driving. Flying won...easily.

I will save at least $300 by flying to San Diego rather than driving. The cost of three round-trip flights, departing from Tulsa (it's actually cheaper to fly out of Tulsa rather than Oklahoma City. Check nearby airports when you plan a trip) and purchased through Expedia.com, totals $498.

The cost of driving (round trip), meanwhile, looks like this:

Gasoline - $400 (if gas prices don't rise or fall)
Hotel - $200 (I'm figuring a one-night hotel stay each way)
Food - $200

Total cost: $800
Total savings of flying versus driving: $302

These are estimates of course, but there is also the added benefit of spending 5 hours on a plan rather than 17 hours in a car each way. That's worth something to me, too. For long trips, weigh the cost of flying versus driving, and you may find it's cheaper to leave the car in the garage.