Should your family fly or drive this Christmas?
Enter trip details below (miles, MPG, gas price, tolls, parking, airfare, baggage fees, number of travelers, and value of your time). This calculator estimates total monetary cost and travel-time cost for both options, computes a break-even party size, and gives a simple recommendation. Results are estimates only.
Drive — Total Cost (incl. time)
$0
Fly — Total Cost (incl. time)
$0
Break-even Travelers
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Quick Recommendation
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Calculator
All fields are editable. Hover/tap the small text under inputs for assumptions. Time is valued per person; monetary totals include both out-of-pocket and time cost.
Enter the straight-line/route miles one-way. Round-trip is calculated automatically.
Enter your car's average MPG (combined). Used to estimate fuel gallons.
Average gas price you expect to pay (USD per gallon).
Sum of tolls for the round trip.
Parking fees at destination (hotel parking, event parking, etc.) applied to driving option.
Includes maintenance, depreciation, tires — default: $0.10/mile. Multiply by round-trip miles.
Average ticket price per traveler for the trip (round-trip) during peak holiday pricing.
Checked baggage or carry fees per person for the round-trip.
Cost to park at the departure airport while flying (round-trip).
How many people are traveling (affects airfare, baggage, and time valuation).
How much you value each traveler's hour (used to monetize time spent traveling).
Average sustained driving speed for the trip (used to estimate drive time).
Includes drive-to-airport, check-in, security, boarding, and transfers (domestic peak). Adjust if your airport requires more time.
Results include both out-of-pocket costs and monetized travel time.
Detailed Breakdown
| Item | Drive | Fly |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-pocket (fuel + tolls + parking + operating) | $0 | $0 |
| Per-person travel time (hours) | 0h | 0h |
| Monetized time cost | $0 | $0 |
| Total cost (incl. time) | $0 | $0 |
| Per-person cost (incl. time) | $0 | $0 |
These are estimates for planning only. The flight time estimate assumes cruise speed and a user-provided airport ground time. Adjust inputs (airfare, baggage, MPG, etc.) for more accurate results.
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Last updated • Travel planning & cost guides for families.