Vacation Time (Maybe)
So I'm taking a couple days off this week just because I'm back at the cap for paid time off at work. Whee!
And then there's a possible trip to out to Binghamton, NY at the end of September. The logistics are somewhat daunting, though it would be nice to have an excuse to take a "real" vacation. There's some appeal in making this a road trip with gabefinder, though it's almost as long as my drive back from southern Florida. That may not be practical, though. Plus, she may not be able to go at all.
Flying there from Durango is about $500 a person. Depending on transporation options there, a rental car may be all but required as well (for about $100 Fri-Mon). Plus food and lodging (I'm not relying on crash space at this point), and you get... well, a good amount.
Driving... well, let's see. It's a little over 2000 miles each way. With gas at $3.50-ish average and maybe an estimated 20 mpg efficiency (my car usually shows 19.5 or so, but gets higher with actual highway driving). That's a very rough $700 in fuel alone for the trip. Split between two people, that's cheaper than the plane tickets, but then you add in the extra days of food and lodgings on the road. And the fact that we're talking probably three days and change each way. That's not the cheapest way to spend ten days away from home to spend two-and-change at a destination. It's also a lot of time to be cooped up with someone, and even moreso it's probably longer than I want to spend solo on the road if it comes to that.
I picture this as leaving Tuesday and getting in Friday sometime, then leaving Monday and getting back Thursday sometime. Though with two people, it's certainly possible to split 30 hours of driving into larger chunks and shave off a day (or more), I'm not sure how comfortable that would be.
Mentioned flying one-way, then renting a vehicle to drive the other. That's probably a little over $500 for the rental for a week, $350-$400 each for the flight, plus the roughly-estimated $350 for gas. So about $600 per person before food/lodging.
A coworker suggested possibly travel by train - not something I usually think about. We'd still have to drive to Grand Junction or Gallup to get to an Amtrak hub. It's an interesting option, but I think it prices itself out of competition. From either point to Syracuse (which seems the closest stop at the other end, but still roughly 70 miles away), runs about $970 round trip for 2 coach seats, so right around airline costs. Springing for even a little two-person roomette with fold-down beds adds more than $500 each way. And even if public transit is awesome out there, I think the distance between Syracuse and Binghamton pretty much necessitates a car rental for the time there.
It would take a lot of personal stress out of the long distance travel without being quite as dizzying as flying. It would mean traveling each way over about two days rather than 3-4, and we wouldn't be looking for places to sleep - with the trade-off of sleeping in coach seats. So some of that might balance the cost a little, but it isn't enough to make me want to jump at the option.
Buuut, this could work out. We'll see...
And then there's a possible trip to out to Binghamton, NY at the end of September. The logistics are somewhat daunting, though it would be nice to have an excuse to take a "real" vacation. There's some appeal in making this a road trip with gabefinder, though it's almost as long as my drive back from southern Florida. That may not be practical, though. Plus, she may not be able to go at all.
Flying there from Durango is about $500 a person. Depending on transporation options there, a rental car may be all but required as well (for about $100 Fri-Mon). Plus food and lodging (I'm not relying on crash space at this point), and you get... well, a good amount.
Driving... well, let's see. It's a little over 2000 miles each way. With gas at $3.50-ish average and maybe an estimated 20 mpg efficiency (my car usually shows 19.5 or so, but gets higher with actual highway driving). That's a very rough $700 in fuel alone for the trip. Split between two people, that's cheaper than the plane tickets, but then you add in the extra days of food and lodgings on the road. And the fact that we're talking probably three days and change each way. That's not the cheapest way to spend ten days away from home to spend two-and-change at a destination. It's also a lot of time to be cooped up with someone, and even moreso it's probably longer than I want to spend solo on the road if it comes to that.
I picture this as leaving Tuesday and getting in Friday sometime, then leaving Monday and getting back Thursday sometime. Though with two people, it's certainly possible to split 30 hours of driving into larger chunks and shave off a day (or more), I'm not sure how comfortable that would be.
Mentioned flying one-way, then renting a vehicle to drive the other. That's probably a little over $500 for the rental for a week, $350-$400 each for the flight, plus the roughly-estimated $350 for gas. So about $600 per person before food/lodging.
A coworker suggested possibly travel by train - not something I usually think about. We'd still have to drive to Grand Junction or Gallup to get to an Amtrak hub. It's an interesting option, but I think it prices itself out of competition. From either point to Syracuse (which seems the closest stop at the other end, but still roughly 70 miles away), runs about $970 round trip for 2 coach seats, so right around airline costs. Springing for even a little two-person roomette with fold-down beds adds more than $500 each way. And even if public transit is awesome out there, I think the distance between Syracuse and Binghamton pretty much necessitates a car rental for the time there.
It would take a lot of personal stress out of the long distance travel without being quite as dizzying as flying. It would mean traveling each way over about two days rather than 3-4, and we wouldn't be looking for places to sleep - with the trade-off of sleeping in coach seats. So some of that might balance the cost a little, but it isn't enough to make me want to jump at the option.
Buuut, this could work out. We'll see...
I am jealous. Not only can I not go 2000 miles for just $500 by air, but I also can't really road trip to anywhere. I really should move to the contiguous US. My jealousy aside, I hope you do take a vacation, and I hope you have a great time doing it! *hugs*
ReplyDeleteI'll totally road trip with you! ^_^
ReplyDeleteMuch as I appreciate your willingness, and I'm well aware of your eagerness to do anything with friends, that certainly doesn't make things any more likely. :p I mean, one of the biggest factors right now is affordability, and adding another person only hurt that, unless they have money. Nevermind that you're in the opposite direction.
ReplyDeleteRough cost analysis: Assumptions (these are very estimate-y): 2000 miles (each way) $3.50 per gallon 20 mpg $75 a night hotel $30 per day food per person None of these hypotheticals include a room there, under the assumption of staying at April's, so that's a possible additional cost if we want the room/privacy/pet-avoidance (does she have cats?). I do, however, assume wanting a car on that end rather than relying on someone else to do the driving. Drive: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday / Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday $700 gas $450 hotels - 3 nights there and back, Friday-Monday at April's $600 food - 10 days total - $1750 total This is perhaps the most flexible. We could potentially drive longer and shave off a day, or even find a spot to sleep in the car. On the other hand, there's possible car maintenance too (I could easily sink another $200 into my car to make sure it's fully ready for the trip), and the worry of anything bad happening in the many hours of driving. Fly: Fly in Thursday, back Tuesday $1000 airfare $360 food - 6 days total $340 car rental - $1700 total Quick and dirty. Plane travel isn't much fun - it's cramped and uninteresting. But it gets you there with relatively few variables. Even flying out of Durango seems like the cheapest overall way to go. Train: Drive to GJ/Gallup Wed, arrive Fri afternoon / leave Tues, arrive Thurs 2 hour drive on our end each way, about 1 hour on the other end $1000 coach fare / $2000 $2700 sleeper fare $540 food - 9 days total / $260 food (travel days mostly paid for) $340 car rental - $1880 / $2600 $3300 The most interesting is, of course, the most expensive. Not having to worry about possible missed turns, mechanical failures (could still happen, but it's not our vehicle), or hitting someone else on the highway is a plus. Coach train travel is comparable to airfare in price. It has the benefits of being more roomy/comfortable, but also takes a lot longer and means sleeping in chairs. Frankly, I don't feel like that's worth it. Getting a "roomette" on a sleeper car is notably more expensive. It includes meals in the dining car, but that certainly doesn't make up for the whole thing. A roomette isn't roomy by any means, but it does offer a private two-person space, and fold-down beds at night. That little bit of luxury makes the option sound like an appealing little adventure rather than just a trial to get somewhere. Most of the reviews I've read seem to agree that sleeper car travel is a positive experience while coach is a neutral/negative one. Well fuuuu... Looks like I was only pricing a room for one leg of the trip in each direction, so the sleeper car fare is higher still than I was thinking.
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