If you were in Vegas and needed to get to San Diego, would you fly or drive? (edit - or do something else?)
I am going to Vegas for a conference in June, then will go join my wife & kids in San Diego afterwards. I have never driven that area of the world. Is it worth renting a car and driving? Or should I just fly? (Personally, I kinda like driving and seeing the country. But if it looks like northwestern Oklahoma, forget it. There’s nothing to see there.)
On a side note, if anybody will be in Vegas from June 9-13 or in San Diego/LA from June 14-18, let me know. We can schedule a meet-up. (This includes you, Magician.)
in terms of time. flying is much better. its a 2 hr flight add about 1.5 hr for your wait times vs a 6 to 10 hr drive (assumes non stop). traffic plays a role.
in terms of cost it can go either way, it depends on number of people and when you book.:
a flight would cost 60 to 120 bucks per ticket. so it depends on the number of people you have and when you book.
a car trip would be 340 miles. 50 cents per mile so 170 bucks.
im down to meet. you should prolly check out the la beaches. san diego has nice ones too.
I’ve taken the 15 a few times from Vegas to SoCal: lotsa sand, rocks,and scrub brush. It’s probably just as spectacular as NW Oklahoma. Once you get close to San Bernadino, civilization starts.
Nerdy has a point about traffic: it’ll likely be heavier on the weekends going in and out of Vegas.
Both LA and SD have lots of stuff to see, so have fun!!!
Given that it is 5 hours drive, I’d prefer to fly. Additionally, consider all the road rage BMW 3 Series drivers who will tail gate and cut you off continuously on the way.
With kids I don’t know though. Maybe you prefer to just put them in the back and drive.
no train but busses are like 25 to 45 bucks. i’ve never done it before though. i imagine its mostly old people. not sure on quality of busses. if its comfy it actually sounds like a great deal.
I would fly. The only thing you will see on that drive is brake lights on the weekend unless you are departing like 4-5 AM. Edit: Just checked your dates though, and if you are leaving Vegas for SD on a Friday then you will probably be on the favorable side of traffic. Use the saved time to hang out in SD. The beach is awesome that time of year.
I love road trips out west but the drive on the 15 between LA and Vegas is boring. This part of the desert is mostly flat, scattered rocks and bushes. As others said, it takes twice as long as what google maps says cause of constant traffic and one lane is always blocked by trucks.
There are ways to make it an interesting road trip if you have time. I’ve driven through the Mojave national preserve instead of the 15 - small two-lane road, random semi-abandonded settlements along old Route 66, cool landscape and no traffic. If you are heading to San Diego you can cut further down through Joshua tree which is spectacular, check out Salton Sea which is man-made zombie apocalypse area, and go through Anza Borrego which is one my favorite state parks in SoCal, just amazing desert landscape. But that’s at least 2-day road trip so if your goal is to get to LA/SD relatively fast and maximize time on the beach/hit da club with Nerdy instead of exploring the desert, you should definitely fly.
