As I was chatting with my sister about upcoming travel plans this summer, a common theme emerged: we both agreed that driving to our destinations, despite the added distance and time, was the better route. In our minds, road tripping came with more potential benefits, like the ability to bring our luggage, pets, and take necessary breaks when we wanted.
Of course, not all destinations are possible with a road trip, but those that do offer the chance to create a journey, not just embark on a trip from point A to B. If you’re still wavering about adding serious travel time, here are a few reasons why road trips can be > than flying.
In this article
1. Anxiety Sufferers, IFYKYK
Shelby Vincent, an assistant librarian who travels frequently for her husband's job, prefers traveling via her own car because she suffers from anxiety while flying. Unfortunately, flights—with their confined spaces and no sense of "escape"—often trigger panic attacks for her, so a road trip alleviates that particular stressor and helps her better enjoy the travel experience. Plus, she finds unexpected bonuses along the way, especially if she's able to take along a travel companion.
"I prefer scenery, conversation, music, and stopping for food at obscure places in nowhere towns," she explains. "I like being able to stop and pull over and stretch and walk in a park whenever I feel the urge."
2. Furry Friends Can Come Along
In an upcoming cross-country trip, Vincent also elected to drive for one very important reason: she and her husband's beloved dog has cancer, and as her husband is stationed for work in another state for months, she wants to bring the dog to visit him before he passes.
Due to the symptoms his cancer is causing, the dog requires frequent rest stops as well as room to move his limbs and be comfortable, making driving the best choice for him. And even in times of health, Vincent still prefers traveling via road trip with their pets.
"I love traveling with pets and letting them explore new places and smell new smells," she says.
3. Traveling May Be Easier With Kids
I don't have pets to travel with (minus one very precarious chicken who insists on coming for walks with me), but I do have five children, so road-tripping is often preferable to flying for our family, based on sheer logistics. Organizing seven people's tickets, paperwork, luggage, food, entertainment, and other essentials for a flight can feel much harder than having more space in a car.
I'm definitely not the only parent who sees the advantage of a road trip with kids.
"I love road trips and always have!" gushes Hana LaRock, who lives in Bogota, Colombia, and founded Roammies, a travel community for digital nomad parents. "When we were living in Portugal with our daughter, we did them all the time."
LaRock found road tripping benefits when traveling with young kids especially included scheduling nap and waketimes to the drive, having more space for baby and children's gear, like play yards, high chairs, and strollers, utilizing rest stops for diaper changes and feeding, and of course, making the ride part of the journey.
4. Let's Be Real: Money Talks
Speaking of kids, you saw the part where I mentioned I had five of them, right? One obvious perk of our family choosing to drive is that it can be significantly cheaper than flying, especially when you consider luggage fees, airport food, and parking. However, any group of travelers can save money by driving instead of flying.
Even taking into account fuel price increases, loading up one vehicle that fits multiple people can be a major cost-saver over several tickets. Plus, you don't have to pay extra to get the seats you want and there's no risk of flight delays or cancellations, which leave you at risk of spending even more money.
I learned this the hard way after an unfortunate spring break flying incident when our plane broke down. My family was left stranded and forced to travel to a remote airport and rent a car to get home 17 hours away.
5. Bring All The Stuff
With her love of travel, Chiechi sees the first perk of road trips as "the freedom of luggage, definitely."
"I’ve chosen to drive dozens of times specifically because I love not having a weight limit or having to edit my wardrobe down to a single suitcase," she adds.
From a practical standpoint for any travelers who come with a lot of extra baggage (literally), such as kids with strollers and car seats, or those with mobility aids, having a vehicle to store belongings in nearby and the ability to keep your items in your sight at all times can be a major plus too.
6. More Spontaneity
Road trip enthusiasts cite the spontaneity and flexibility that road trips offer as major benefits. "When you’re in a car, you have the luxury of pulling over for a scenic vista or a hidden local gem that you’d otherwise fly right over," says Chiechi.
"Unexpected stops can be the star of the show," agrees Amanda Green, a parent who's driven from Florida to Canada. "Like the time we realized we were less than an hour from the headwaters of the Mississippi River, so we spontaneously decided to stop there and swim in the headwaters. We laughed so hard, and it's such a special memory."
7. International Benefits
Vummy Kihaule, who operates a safari company in Tanzania, notes that road trips aren't just for domestic travel, they can work in international settings as well, especially if the countries are located relatively close together, such as from Belgium to France or England to Ireland.
Kihaule cites "continuity" of travel as one potential international travel perk. "It offers the traveler the opportunity to experience a gradual change of the landscape, culture, and social classes in a way they don’t feel they have 'jumped' from one destination to another," he explains.
Another unexpected road trip bonus, adds Kihuaule, is that international borders can be ripe with traveling experience. Border towns, he notes, can contain easy accessibility to off-the-beaten-track attractions, local accommodations, and experiences.
The Shortcut
In the end, there is no right or wrong answer for how you choose to travel.
But experts like Kihuaule encourage you to consider driving if you haven't road tripped before.
"Road trips allow changing sceneries, local cuisines, and the experience of smaller communities and cultural interactions to be part of the continued experience and adventure of the destination rather than the actual final destination."
Road tripping can have many benefits over flying, but it's not just for domestic travel.
International country-hopping can also be accomplished via a road trip.
Road trip enthusiasts tout benefits such as flexibility, spontaneity, and practicality (hello, bathroom breaks) as the road well-traveled perks.
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