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My home town is around 50 minutes passed Buffalo so I've done the I-90 route my entire adult life. First when I moved to Rochester, NY after graduating from college in 1973 and then moving to New England in 1986 after I got married. Currently, door to door going from CT-->WNYS should take 6.5 hours but that doesn't account for stretch/pee breaks and the occasional visit to the Waterloo Premium Outlets. It also doesn't account for an impromptu stop at my brother's in Liverpool, NY. With no "side trips" it would take me 7-7.5 hours to get there which is tolerable.
I've done this trip so often I could do it in my sleep. I really don't mind the drive because New York is really a pretty state. Yeah, from Albany to Utica it can get boring but I actually like the rolling hills and wide open spaces. As I approach my old haunts I tune in to my favorite radio stations all of which play Classic Rock (i.e. they've never changed their formats from the 70s and 80s ) and honesttogod some still have the SAME DJs! It's an especially scenic ride in the fall when the leaves start changing colors.
When my daughter was going to SCAD in Savannah, GA I did the "fly down/drive back" routine. Picture driving in a car in the Summer with no AC and getting lost in DC. By the time we got to CT tempers were so frayed that SHE was ready to drive us off a cliff!
My wife and I drove to Williamsburgh, Virginia and Greenville, NC, about a 6 and 8 hour drive, respectively. The time in the air would have been an hour and a half, give or take. But considering an hour to the airport, two hours with the TSA, then 30 minutes to get a rental car, and then roughly an hour and a half drive to the destination....I guess the tipping point would be 12 hours.
Can't get my car to travel over the Pacificwaters...those waves get me every time!. So I choose flying. (;can't stand ocean boats).
If within the continental. Beyond 500 miles. ...I take, train, or plane.
My family takes frequent drives from San Diego to Phoenix. It takes 6 hours point to point. We've considered flying but when it's all added up, it's about the same as flying for our particular case. Here's our calculation:
- Uber to airport = 30 minutes
- Prep time at airport (time buffer, security, boarding, etc) = 1:30
- Flight time = 1:20
- Deplaning and securing rental car = 1:00
- Drive to final destination = 0:30
- Total = 4 hours and 50 mins
So only about one hour saved by flying but not worth the added cost of Uber/flights/rental car (unless I get a $450 speeding ticket and have to pay for traffic school). This assumes the flight is not delayed as well.
Anything that can be done in six hours or less is driving. More than that is flying, unless it's a road trip, or the flights are unusually expensive and/or inconvenient.
Flying there takes 2 hours in the air and another 4-6 hours of miscellaneous stuff at the airports for a total of 6-8 hours travel time door-door.
What are you doing at the airport for 6-8 hours? Except for when a flight is delayed, I don't think I've spent more then 2-3 hours in total at both airports combined.
Since the airport will typically add about 2 hours to travel time, I wouldn't fly anywhere that is under a 5-6 hour drive. Past that, it depends on the destination and how much time will be spent there. I'm not going to drive for 10 hours for a weekend getaway, but might consider it for a longer week.
It depends where I'm going, what's to see along the way, how much time I have, and how much a plane ticket is.
I like the freedom of a good road trip but sometimes a plane ride is more logical. I've taken 5,000 mile road trips and also flown all over the country. When I go to NYC I fly. No need for a car there. Montana? I wouldn't want to be stranded without a car or miss the opportunity to see the sights along the way.
My tolerance for driving changes if you put private plane options in the mix! I just did a 600 mile trip in 24 hours (300 each way, gone one day). Flying commercially was not an option (no direct flights) so I drove.
If I had access to even a Cessna Caravan I would have flown!
We live in the NYC suburbs, which means that getting to and from the airport can be stressful, time consuming and expensive. For us, the cut off is generally around a 6 hour drive, which can be adjusted depending on how trafficky the route is and how expensive the flights are. We're driving 500 miles to Quebec City this summer, which is usually well outside of our comfort zone, but non-stop airfare to Quebec for 3 people was astronomically priced. Since the drive is largely pleasant and away from major metropolitan areas, we decided to drive to Quebec with an overnight in Vermont on the way up and in the Adirondacks on the way back. So no drives of more than 5.5 hours or so, and 2 extra nights of roadside motels were WAY less expensive than 3 airplane tickets, airport transportation/parking, and baggage fees, etc. Your mileage may vary, however.
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) and honesttogod some still have the SAME DJs! It's an especially scenic ride in the fall when the leaves start changing colors. 
