A road trip or by plane- which would be cheapest? Which would be more reliable? Help!!?

Question

I'm 17 years old and I live in New York, not too far from Buffalo. Next summer, I want to take a vacation to Colorado, in a city near Denver. Technically, I'd be celebrating my 18th birthday in Colorado...

What should I do?! Should I purchase two one-way tickets? Or one roundtrip? Non-stop or connecting? And then there's the whole 17 age barrier to worry about because of domestic flights and unaccompanied minors. Do I have to worry about that or can I fly as an adult? Are there certain airways that condone that?

Or should I take a car and drive myself to Colorado? Would that be cheaper? Would I even be allowed past state borders because I'm not 18?! And what about gas prices? And motel prices? I don't want to stop more than once along the way...

I'm not going to have a lot of money by that time, and I'm planning to stay with a... friend in Colorado so I don't have to worry about motel prices there.

Please help me... my whole life is riding on this trip!!

Answer 1

You're way too worried about all of this. Calm down...it will be fine! :-)

Here's my 2 cents...

1) Driving alone is not fun or safe. Road trips are fun when you have someone with you, but even then, NY to Colorado - you're looking at nearly a week of driving. (if you do it safely). Wouldn't you rather spend that time in Denver? And then you'd have to drive back. And there are so many things that could go wrong with the car, with being in motels alone, etc etc.

2) So fly. :-)  Go to www.southwest.com and start looking at travel dates. If you book in advance you should be able to get a good deal. Don't worry about connecting flights - they're a piece of cake. And if you're worried, just walk up to a flight attendent - they're happy to help.

3) Travelling alone at 17 shouldn't be a big deal. I see much younger kids travel unaccompanied. I think it will just mean that the flight attendents will look out for you. If you're really concerned, just call Southwest and ask them what their policy is for someone under 18.

4) Purchase a roundtrip. Southwest will probably have flights with stopovers (where the plane lands but you stay on it). Again, not a big deal, takes longer, but is cheaper - and wouldn't you rather spend that money on some fun souvenirs? :-)

5) make sure your friend in Colorado is trustworthy, on board with this, and willing to pick you up at the airport. Make sure that person's parents know all about it.

6) You might talk to your parents about getting an emergency credit card - just in case. maybe you'll get homesick in Colorado, or have a fight with your friend, who knows what, but both your parents and you will feel better if you have a good "escape plan" for emergencies.

You'll have a great time!

Answer 2

By plane would of course be much more expensive and more efficient. However, the advantage of road trips are that you have a car to drive around in. If you take a plane, you do not.

Answer 3

here are some pros and cons for both

Air trip, faster trip time you'll get to colorado in no time, while road trip takes several hours even days

Air trip only get you to see clouds and the picture of the city below the clouds, while road trip gets you all the sceneries you want to take a picture of.

air trip doesn't really get you to meet people, maybe a percent out of a hundred. while on road trip, you get to meet dfifferent kinds of people.

air trip does not give you space, not unless you get a first class seat. while on a road trip, you can stop and get a big stretch.

you may get chances of spending a lot of money, just be sure to secure and balance of what you've got.

anyways, most important of whatever trip you may go through are the memories. try to bring an adult or a friend atleast 18 yrs of their age to avoid hassle on your trip. this friend will held more responsibility if any uneventual situation could happen. have fun on your trip!

Answer 4

grey hunt

Answer 5

Plane will be cheaper, gas may be 6-8 dollars a gallon by that time. Mass transit is a fine replacement for a car. You can fly unaccompanied on domestic flights, i just think that you can not be the ones to buy the tickets. I think.

Answer 6

Considering the distance, you would do well to take the flight, and be done with it.  You would spend far more on gas and motels than you would on your tickets, AND you would be there faster, feel better when you got there, and not need to sleep for three days to feel human again.

Driving that distance would require a number of stops I would imagine.  It's got to be at least 24 hours of drive time.    

If you decide to drive it, you should be able to cross state lines without too much hassle.  If your car is up to snuff and you are a fully licensed driver, I can't see why you would have problems.  The only thing I would worry about, would be you traveling on your own.  The world isn't always the warm and fuzzy place we like to think it is.

You would probably get a good deal on a return ticket, but check around with various carriers and see what they have available.  You can also check online with Orbitz, Expedia, etc and see if they their pricing for round as well as one way tickets.

Take Care!