Idle Chat: Drive or Fly For a Family Vacation?
Edmunds' Editor-in-Chief Karl Brauer is going to be driving solo from Denver to Los Angeles next week. Idle Chat's hosts wonder whether they'd do the same if it were a summer family vacation.
Mr. Romans: In 1984, my parents did an eventful family vacation from Colorado to South Dakotain their 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser (domestic automaking at its best). Years later, I asked my mom whether she'd drive or fly if she had to do it all over again. "Fly," she said unequivocally. And for a Denver to Los Angeles family vacation, I'd likely fly, too. But I will say that road-trip monotony -- a killer for kids -- is a lot easier to relieve these days thanks to the modern prevalence of rear-seat entertainment systems, portable/in-car navigation systems and MP3 player hookups. For trips fewer than 500 miles, I'd drive for sure.
Ms. MacKinnon: The age and size of the family would make a difference, too. I'm going to use my 3-year-old as my sample and say I'd rather fly. A 500-mile drive broken up into eight "let's-stretch-and-run-around-a-bit" segments can try even the steeliest adult's patience. Yes, air travel is more expensive and has the potential to infuriate as well, but at least you get to your destination a lot sooner and there's no chance of your usually non-napping preschooler taking two giant naps from boredom and not getting to bed that night until 3 a.m. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.
Idle Chat is hosted by Bryn MacKinnon and Brent Romans, two editors at Edmunds.com. Each Sunday in the Idle Chat Lounge (read: fueling up a Q7 in Beaver, Utah), they pontificate on a topic that's kinda about cars.
- Posted by
- Brent Romans July 12, 2009, 12:00 PM
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- Family Cars and Concerns, Idle Chat
When possible, I say fly. But then again flying tends to cost more.
Flying sucks. I don't favor laying my head on 1000's of strangers stank nor sniffing their recycled air.
And although we all love the hobby kit meal trays, a stop at a undiscovered restaurant and some conversation beats that any day.
America is all about the road trip. Maybe it's a guy thing but 3,000 miles in your favorite ride is one of life's perfections.
Does the tail wag the dog nowadays? When I was a kid I sure wasn't getting a bathroom break until my parents were good and ready. My entertainment was whatever I could come up with (remember imagination, thats what we had before every electronic device known to man was crammed in the car).
Sorry about the rant but this sentence set me off. "A 500-mile drive broken up into eight "let's-stretch-and-run-around-a-bit" segments can try even the steeliest adult's patience."
Who is running the show?
On the up side sitting for hours on rock hard escort or tercel seats has prepared me well for soon becoming a member of the Iron Butt Association, on a supersport no less.
Hmmm, fly on an airline that's probably in Chapter 11 or drive in a car that may have been built in a Chapter 11.
Can I take Amtrack?