Driving from VT to Boston Logan in the winter? (Revere: hotel, costs)

[leadingedge04]

There is an option to fly out of Boston Logan Airport for a holiday trip. We'll be leaving Dec 19th and getting back Jan 2nd. How are the roads Vermont-Boston in the winter? Is it worth paying more to fly out of Burlington?

[ScituateAl]

Yes, it just might be! The drive is approx 4hrs and you have the risk of driving that in snow. Rt 89 is not a forgiving drive...its long, dark, and remote. In order to compensate for that, you'd need to leave Burlington early to ensure safe travels AND to get in to the Boston metro area..that could all easily add 8hrs to your trip home. Gain the extra day and fly out of Burlington. It all depends on your level of comfort driving that distance in potential bad weather. On the flip side, the weather could be just fine and traveling on Saturdays will certainly have less traffic that during the week.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by leadingedge04

There is an option to fly out of Boston Logan Airport for a holiday trip. We'll be leaving Dec 19th and getting back Jan 2nd. How are the roads Vermont-Boston in the winter? Is it worth paying more to fly out of Burlington?

It's mostly highway, so no, they're not terrible. Obviously if you get a major snowstorm during one of the days you're driving, it'll be slower, but again... the highways are the first roads cared for.

There's not enough information here to tell whether or not it's worth it to go to Boston. What's the difference in cost for the ticket from Boston and the ticket from Burlington? Also, what's the difference in cost for parking in Boston vs. Parking in Burlington (Boston likely costs more to park). You'll also have to factor that in with the cost for gas and tolls.

However, while I don't know where you're going, I would be willing to bet that Boston had more direct flights there. This means a few things... 1) you're more likely to have fewer stops out of Boston to wherever you're going and 2) in case of delays, missed flights, bad weather, etc... you will have more opportunities to get an alternate flight out of Boston.

You may want to drive to Boston the night before and hole up in a hotel. I know that the Comfort Inn in Revere allows you to park for FREE (check their park and fly packages here) at the hotel during your vacation with a free shuttle to the airport (very close by). This will allow you more wiggle room for your drive down in case of weather, and it gives you the option of early morning flights out of Boston too.

I'd go with Boston if you can make the cost close... it's just a safer bet in case of an issue with a flight or weather. You're more likely to be able to get on another plane to where you're headed than you would be out of Burlington.

[leadingedge04]

Thanks. We are fllying to Germany and thinking Boston-London-Hamburg with British Airways. This would allow us to check out bags through all the way. If we fly out of Burlington we'd have to pick up our bags in Boston or New York. I prefer flying British Airways. We are an hour north of Burlington so it would be an hour to Burlington or about 3 hrs from there (according to the GPS).

[shiver]

Highways are usually in good shape. The only concern is if you're driving in a major storm. But as long as your schedule is flexible the day before, you can probably plan around bad weather.

My friends drove back to Boston from Killington in a pretty decent sized snowstorm last year. The driver has a Grand Jeep Cherokee and grew up in Vermont and is comfortable driving in snowy conditions. It obviously took longer than normal, but he said it wasn't too terrible. I probably wouldn't do it, but it's doable even in poor weather.