Drive or Fly When Moving Long Distance: How to Decide

Should you drive or fly when moving long distance?

There is no single right answer to whether to drive or fly when moving, but four questions settle it for most families:

1. How long is the drive? One day on the road is easy to justify. Two days is manageable. At three or more, flying starts to look better for everyone except the car
2. Who is traveling? Two adults can share the wheel. One adult with toddlers, or a household with an older relative, has a harder trip
3. What has to come with you? Pets, plants, valuables, and items the movers cannot take all ride more easily in your own car
4. When do you need to be there? A start date at a new job or the first day of school can decide it for you

Start with the calendar. If your movers have given you a delivery window, you need to be at the new home by the first day of that window, however you travel.

The real cost of driving vs flying

Driving looks cheaper until you add everything up. Compare the cost of driving vs flying with a full list on each side, using your own numbers.

For one or two people on a long route, flying and shipping one car can come out close to driving once hotels and time off are counted. For a family of five, driving one vehicle usually wins on price. Time is the cost people forget: a four-day drive is four days you are not unpacking.

When driving to your new home makes sense

Driving to your new home is usually the better choice when:

• The trip can be done in one or two days
• You have a dog or cat. Moving with pets long distance is far less stressful in your own back seat than in an airline cargo hold
• You want your car the moment you arrive
• You are carrying things you would rather not hand to anyone: documents, jewelry, medications, a laptop, family photos
• You have houseplants, cleaning supplies, or other items on the list of what movers won't move
• You have enough drivers to trade off

A drive can also be a decent way to say goodbye to one place and arrive in the next, especially for kids who are nervous about the change. Let them help pick a stop or two along the route.

When flying to your new home makes sense

Flying to your new home is usually the better choice when:

• The drive would take three days or more
• You have a hard deadline, such as a job start date or a closing appointment
• You are traveling alone with babies or small children
• Someone in the family has a health condition that makes long hours in a car hard
• The route crosses mountains or northern states in winter
• Your car is leased or older and you do not want to add the miles

If you fly, pack as if your luggage is all you will have for a week or more. It may be. Book direct flights when you can, since a missed connection is harder to absorb in the middle of a move. Then decide how the car follows you. Our guide on how to ship a car when you move covers that step.

Options in between: split up or ship the car

You do not have to pick one way for the whole household. Common combinations:

• One drives, the rest fly. One adult takes the car, the pet, and the fragile items. The other flies with the children a day or two later and arrives rested
• Fly now, drive later. Fly out to meet the truck, then fly back and drive the second car when life settles down
• Ship one car, drive the other. Useful for two-car households with one confident long-distance driver
• Bring a helper. A relative or friend shares the driving and flies home afterward

How to plan a moving road trip

A moving road trip is not a vacation. The car is full, everyone is tired, and you have a deadline. Plan it that way.

1. Set a realistic daily distance. For most families, about eight hours of driving is plenty for one day. Less with small children or pets
2. Book hotels ahead, especially in summer, and confirm they accept pets if you have one. Ask for a ground-floor room so you can keep an eye on a loaded car
3. Service the car first. Oil, tires, brakes, wipers, coolant, and a working spare
4. Do not leave valuables in the car overnight. Bring them into the room
5. Carry a paper road atlas and printed directions along with any GPS, and keep your mover's phone number where you can reach it
6. Stop every two to three hours. Kids, pets, and drivers all do better with regular breaks
7. Leave a cushion. Plan to arrive a full day before the first possible delivery day, so a flat tire or a storm does not make you miss the truck

What to keep with you, whichever way you travel

Some things should never go on the moving truck. Keep these in your car or your carry-on:

• Identification, birth certificates, passports, and closing or lease papers
• Prescriptions and a basic first aid kit
• Cash, checkbooks, jewelry, and small valuables
• Phone chargers and your mover's paperwork and inventory
• Several days of clothes and toiletries for each person
• School and medical records
• Keys to the new home

Tell your mover how you are traveling and how to reach you on the road. When you are ready to plan the household side, read about our long-distance moving service or request a free quote, and use our moving checklist to keep the travel plans and the move on one page.