I was toying with the idea of going to the NRA’s Annual Meeting in Pittsburg this year.  I found that a nonstop roundtrip ticket on American can be had for $236.70.  I was surprised to find it that cheap.  I was considering driving, but according to MapQuest it’s a 2506 mile roundtrip.  Considering that my Avalanche gets 17MPG on the highway, that’s 147.4 gallons of gas.  At an average cost of $1.60/gallon (I can get 89 octane for $1.49 or so here, but I expect it to be higher out east), that would be $235.00 in gas alone.  Flying would also get me there in about 3.5 hours versus 20 hours driving. 

Of course, the intangible benefits of the freedom of your own vehicle and seeing the country are harder to figure into a calculation.  There’s also the hassle factor of having to be scrutinized by the TSA.  You can’t put a price in time or money on dignity.  Further, I’d be more secure on my own (I wonder how long it takes to turnaround an out-of-state application for a carry permit in PA; there are a few sherrifs there that will issue them without a lot of hassle).