Monday, May 26, 2008

summer vacation

we're going on a vacation this summer to aspen, colorado, and i've been running the numbers as to whether it makes financial sense to drive rather than fly. given the cost of gas and airfare these days, it's probably going to cost a lot either way.

here's the breakdown:

flying:
airfare to neighboring vail for 2 - ~$700
car rental for a week - ~$200
-----
~$900

driving:
gas (~2000 miles @ 25 mpg * $4/gal) - ~$320
2 overnight stops (lodging & meals) - ~$400
-----
~$720

it's only a difference of $200 -- but the trade off is two nights on the road and hours of driving. of course, i'm not accounting for the new cost of baggage handling on flights or other incidental costs associated with flying (i'm assuming that will come out in a wash).

i was pretty set on driving, but now that i see the numbers in front of me, it's really hard to refute them.