Planes, trains, or automobiles?

I'm thinking of traveling cross country. So many new things to worry about. Which mode of transportation do you prefer? When was the last time you traveled more than 100 miles or 160 kilometers?

I like all three.

Driving is relaxing (unless it's traffic), and a good way to unwind and sort of get away from things. Always nice driving a 30-60 minutes out to the ocean, parking and then having some coffee or lunch or going for a hike.

Planes are super convenient and more or less the only really efficient way to get somewhere far.

I love trains, but my experience is only with the really awesome Japanese trains and the almost-as-awesome European trains. I wish the US got its head out of its ass and built a great system as well, but it's definitely on my list to travel to some states via train.

I feel like if you ask this question, you're not from the US 😂😋 Not making fun of you or anything, but a 100 mile drive is like....a relaxing Saturday drive for us.

Yes, we are part of the problem 😐

Coach, train - I really enjoy both when it's somewhere I haven't seen before. It's nice just to switch off and watch the landscape hurtle by.

Flights are fine for getting to a destination quickly but there's not much to do or look at. Usually I fall asleep within 20 minutes of boarding.

People literally do that daily 🤣

@mrbojangles25: Eh, going twenty miles can mean a ferry ride. I don't really like ferries. Still faster thAn when our one bridge is raised for a submarine or something. At any rate 100 miles for me would a big deal.

Yes I am American. Have lived in the South, and an American territory out in the Pacific, the Midwest and the West Coast.

My brother in law did a commute of 130 (round trip...it was like 65 there, 65 back) multiple times each week.

That was pushing it, though, and he eventually quit. But still. He and many many many others do it.

I wish they didn't have to, though. Not saying it's right, but the US is a commuter culture.

Got some friends in agriculture that put some insane miles on their truck, too, just from driving around to various fields and lots. 10 miles here, 20 there...do that for a 12-hour day, you get some pretty insane miles put on those poor trucks. And all at 12 mpg, too 😬

Completely agree. My commute is literally 3 miles. I would bike to work but it's so dangerous to ride your bike around these parts (no bike lanes, no bike route/trail, etc).

I couldn't imagine commuting. YOu'd have to pay me a lot more than I currently make to do so.

I know better than to travel through rural America for shits and giggles.

@lamprey263: Good point. I'd have to drive through the mountains too. So my options are by plane or train.

Planes. Just wanna get from A to B as fast as possible.

If I was in Europe, I'd definitely consider trains, though. I've ridden British Intercity. I've ridden French TGV. I've ridden Italian Frecciarossa. They're all excellent.

F*** cars.

@DEVILinIRON: none of the above, do the whole trip on a Segway imo.

Unfortunately those aren't even road legal.

Planes is probably is the safest, even though it's a giant bomb where you could die in 2 seconds, even landing, on the ground you could very easily die.

Trains have a lot of annoying youths.

I love train. The area where I live has a train that connects with Lisbon, and a big part of the journey is seaside. At the end of the day you witness the most glorious sunsets over the Atlantic. Totally worth it, just chilling on your journey back from work, listening to some cool tunes. Years ago I went from Oslo to Bergen via train and that was magical!

Car is cool too, as you have autonomy to explore as you wish. It can be relaxing too, but my back is starting to acting up as I age and it can get really annoying.

Plain is efficient for long distances. But the air quality suck, I get gassy and you lose way too much time after and before the flight. Security, luggage, waiting involved in a lot of steps, etc. Bah! I don't care for it.

I've done all of the above on a single trip + hitching a ride on a ship to sail across a sea. What an adventure that was.

Overall it really depends what your intentions are and what you're trying to get out of a trip.

I think planes in particular, are good for beelining to a destination you're trying to get to in a quick manner, but if you're into road trips I can't imagine why you'd need a plane at all if you're trying to soak in the scenery; unless, you plan to road trip in a different country and go across seas.

Trains are a fun option, because they may give you access to breathtaking vistas that vehicles otherwise have difficult or no access to.

I guess the question to ask yourself: are you more concerned about the destination or are you more concerned about the journey?

If you're more into the destination, then hop on a plane, and if you're more into the journey, take a car or a train.

you'd generally want to avoid trains for any kind of cross country travel in england

In this case the piss take isn't through the roof but under the sky.

Oh, so you are that gassy guy!

I guess my problem with flights is other passengers. Getting your chair kicked continuously sucks. Sitting next to a talkative braggart is absolutely no fun. The seats are confining and I get claustrophobic.

Five hours cannot go fast enough.

I have ridden on the rails in the EU. Not bad. Though I wonder about price and rude passengers and even whole families of annoying people.

Not too sure about this vacay to be honest. May have to stay close to home on this one. Just not a good time to travel, what with Doge and jobless traffic controllers.

guess it depends on what kind of experience you're going after.

obviously if you just want to get there, plane is the option.

if you just want to chill for a few days in decent comfort trains are good.

if you want to have the freedom of schedule, route, stops, detours, etc.. and don't mind physically having to do all the driving, go with the car.

I've always had an enjoyable time on trains, but I've been fascinated by them since I was a kid. Flying is the fastest but I hate the beyond your control situations that come with them like delays and the general layout of some airports. Driving is just an everyday chore for me since I work in the city, and it's hard to absorb sights when you're behind the wheel.

I prefer the freedom of driving, despite the longer travel times. Flying is always miserable. I enjoy trains, but it's rare that they make sense for my travel plans.

Generally if it's a far trip, I'd fly. However, I currently don't plan on getting on a plane until competence comes back which might take four years. Haven't really used trains much except when I lived outside Boston. Driving is my most used mode of transportation.

The last time I traveled more than 100 miles was about 5 years ago. My cousin got married and he had his wedding in Detroit. I love Michigan; I've been there many times. Michigan has lots of friendly people, lots of good places to shop and lots of good restaurants.

I've decided travel is a bad idea for me, at this time.. Good luck to any who decide to make a trip.

Trains for long distance travel.

Bikes for mid distance travel

Walking for short distance travel.

Ah, sorry. Last long train and plane journeys were last night and this morning.

I'm going to correct that part about there being nothing to look at on the plane. I got a window seat this time, flying south, and perfect visibility the whole journey.

Normally, bound for the UK over Europe, they might as well just have painted the windows grey for the best part of three hours. This was gorgeous though - constantly shifting terrain and skies. Weird blobby little islands, dense green hills, martian red cliffs all side-cast into dramatic sharp relief by the sun climbing up into the morning sky. Even the few clouds we got were constantly varied. Some looked whiffled, others plucked, sprouted or spread with a big wobbly knife. Never seen rainbows shimmer through clouds like that either. Must be to do with the time of day. I didn't sleep a moment this time.

Slept through most of the train journey though. Fifteen minutes shy of sleeping through my stop actually. I forgot... night time rail journeys might as well be cloudy flights.

500 miles or less, car. Over 500 miles, plane. Only use trains locally, like in a city for example.

@DEVILinIRON: But I never fart on my sit. I take my fart breaks on the toilet, then I'll unleash them.

Trains -> cars -> plane. However, travel by train is not convenient and is expensive in comparison to the other modes.

Yep. And takes longer to get there. If you want to see the countryside in a leisurely way, they'd probably be fine.

Oh. That's better.

If I'm travelling alone - Train

If I'm travelling with friends or family - Car

If I'm travelling abroad - Plane

Trains rule

Didn't realize Gatwick to Venice was so cheap... But the train to Gatwick might cost almost as much as the fight itself.

I prefer trains. They're moderately comfortable and provide ample opportunities to enjoy the ride and scenery.

I'm a bit lazy in regards to driving long distances by car. Even as a passenger it can grow tiresome fairly quick. Planes are the fastest option but I don't enjoy the hassle of the airports.

I think a bus or train or car is fine, I've flown but about now I don't really want to get on a Boeing