Your trip
28 pre-set US routes, including park drives with no useful flight — or pick Custom and enter your own miles.
Round trip is calculated automatically.
14 vehicles. EVs are priced in kWh: home power for the first battery, then DC fast.
Most trips over 600 miles need at least one overnight stop each way.
$35/bag each way, average 2026.
Fill in your trip — we'll run the drive vs. fly numbers side by side.
Free
Get the Starter Pack — free.
I'll email you the Vacation Math Starter Pack (a printable 13-page PDF on hidden trip costs, how to fund a trip without debt, and what points are actually worth) plus the Tuesday brief: one real trip with the math worked out, every week.
How we got these numbers
Gas price uses the AAA national average for October 20, 2026 ($4.28/gal). MPG is the EPA combined rating by class. Wear & tear uses $0.10/mi — a conservative subset of AAA's full $0.45/mi non-fuel ownership cost, stripping out fixed costs you'd pay whether you drove or not. Midway hotel rates average $145 from STR/Smith Travel data. Bag and rental car fees are 2026 industry averages.
Road Trip vs. Flying — Common Questions
Is it cheaper to drive or fly?
It depends on distance, number of travelers, and vehicle. Driving is usually cheaper for trips under 500 miles or with 3+ people sharing costs. Flying wins on long hauls when you account for wear, hotels, and food on the road. The calculator runs both sides with 2026 data and tells you the real winner for your route.
What costs does this road trip calculator include?
Gas at the October 2026 AAA national average ($4.28/gal), vehicle wear and tear ($0.10/mile), midway hotel nights if needed, and food on the road. On the flying side: airfare, baggage fees, airport transfers, and any rental car you'd need at the destination.
How accurate is the IRS mileage rate for road trip cost?
The IRS rate ($0.76/mile from July 1, 2026; 72.5¢ for the first half of the year) is a blended cost covering gas, wear, insurance, and depreciation. This calculator uses a lower wear-only rate ($0.10/mile) since fixed costs like insurance apply whether you drive or not — giving a fairer apples-to-apples comparison against flying.
How does the EV math work?
An EV is not a flat cents-per-mile guess. The first battery of range (about 270–280 miles, depending on the vehicle) is priced at about 17¢ per kWh, a round home rate. Miles after that are priced at about 48¢ per kWh, a midpoint for public DC fast charging, and the result counts the stops. If you could charge only at home, the electricity line drops. Wear stays at 10¢ per mile. Copy the trip link on the result to send the same route, vehicle, and party.
Does driving or flying have a bigger carbon footprint?
For a solo driver in an average gas car, flying is usually greener per mile. With 3–4 passengers, driving emits less CO2 per person than a commercial flight. EVs and hybrids shift the math further toward driving. The calculator focuses on dollar cost, but the passenger count factor applies to both.