Deciding whether to Fly or Drive if you need to travel this year
We are rapidly approaching 2021’s fourth quarter. Traditionally, many individuals travel during the year’s last three months. Families like to get together during Thanksgiving and the Christmas and Hannukah holidays, and they’re coming up over the next few weeks.
Last year saw significant travel declines during the fourth quarter. It’s not surprising since many individuals didn’t want to hit the road because of Covid-19 worries. Although the pandemic is still a reality this year, some families will want to travel and visit relatives when they were not willing to do so last year.
If you’re going to visit relatives during these last few months of 2021, you might wonder whether flying or driving makes more sense for you. Let’s talk about some cons and pros of each of these options.
Car and Truck Accident Possibilities
If you’re planning on driving to visit relatives as the holidays approach, it can save you money, and that might be a huge determining factor for you. Some families have had to engage in some belt-tightening since the pandemic started.
However, if you drive, you’ll face more crowded highways than in 2020. Many people are probably thinking the same way you are, and highway congestion isn’t the easiest thing in the world with which to deal.
For one thing, there are tractor-trailers and other large commercial trucks out there. These trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, and even a little nudge from one of them can send you into a ditch or a highway divider. If you fly, this is not a possibility.
If You Drive, You Can Avoid Potential Covid-19 Exposure
On the other hand, if you decide to drive this year instead of flying, that means you won’t have to be on a flight with other passengers from all around the country. Federal regulations dictate that those who fly have to wear face masks now, but that’s not exactly fool proof.
Nothing says that someone won’t decide to remove their facemask when they’re on the plane, and you have no way to tell whether this individual has Covid-19 or not. If you drive, you can stay safely in your vehicle with your family members. If you have an immunocompromised condition, you’re probably going to prefer this option.
If You Fly, You Can Get to Where You’re Going Much Faster
One thing about driving, though, is that it’s going to take you a lot longer to get where you’re going. If you are visiting relatives that live only one state away, that won’t be so much of an issue. You can make the drive within a day or so, perhaps staying at a hotel for a single night if you don’t want to do the trip all in one straight shot.
If you want to see relatives that live completely on the other side of the country, that makes driving challenging. It might take you four or five days to cover the whole continental United States, and do you really want to drive that far and that long? Even if you are a very skilled driver and enjoy doing it, that might prove to be too much for you.
You Might Not Be an Extremely Confident Driver
Your driving confidence is one more potential consideration. Some people enjoy driving and are very good at it. If you’re in this category, you may like the idea of getting behind the wheel and spending a couple of days driving through unfamiliar cities and states.
Other people, though, don’t like driving much at all, and the thought of navigating the car through unfamiliar territory might seem like a nightmare to them. It can induce anxiety, and if there’s no one in your family who’s an enthusiastic driver, that might be the main determining factor when you’re figuring out which transportation method makes the most sense to you.
You will have to carefully weigh which of these two options seem right to you. There is also the possibility that you can lure the relatives you want to see to come to you instead. Maybe you can convince them if you tell that you’ll cook them a lavish dinner or put them up at a hotel.
This way, you don’t have to either fly or drive, and you can stay safely away from the general public. In this time when the coronavirus continues to exist out in the world, this might be preferable to any kind of traveling.
