Spring Break: Drive or Fly?

If you're planning a spring break fling in the continental US and haven't bought an air ticket yet, worth considering is whether driving or flying is more economical. Let's look into it, using a few student travel planning tools.

Assuming you have a spring break hotel room reserved, the next steps are calculating and comparing costs to find the cheapest way to your spring break destination.

1. Calculate Gas Prices

Getting a road trip gas cost is something you can easily finalize with your own variables (gas hog or Kia?), but remember: add in meals and drinks for a road trip total -- and if your drive requires an overnight, a motel could set you back some substantial scratch. Gas costs are soaring right now; CNN Money reports that gas may hit $4/gallon before spring is over -- using today's terrible gas prices may give you a shocking total, but do see ways to find cheap gas:

• Learn how to calculate gas prices
  • More about road trips: Road Trips 101 | American Road Food | Top 5 Money Saving Road Trip Tips | Photos: Roads Less Traveled

Got a cost? Note the total, and let's check some airfares next.

2. Calculate Airfare Costs

Check student airfare discounts

Start by checking out some student airfares -- a few companies specialize in student airfare discounts which you can grab if you fit the age and enrollement requirements (generally, you should be 16-26 and seeking accreditation at a university).

• Read up on and find student airfare discounts
• See current student airfare deals

If you can't find a student airfare discount to your place in the sun, try searching the major farefinders using an air aggregator (like Kayak.com).

• Learn about aggregator airfare finders

Fare you found at the nearest big airport too large? Try Budget Travel Guide Mark Kahler's tip: find a great deal at a smallish airport. He uses a Cincinatti-Birmingham example -- by driving 100 miles to Lousiville, KY, instead of using the Cincinatti airport, he saves $218 (from $306 to $88 round trip). Wow - drive a little and save a lot. Calculate your gas costs if you've got a guzzler, though -- make sure you're really saving money by the time you pay for fuel to a faraway airport. Remember to factor airport parking costs into your figures no matter which airport you choose, too.

About last minute airfares

Still didn't find the fairest fare? Peruse a few spring break deals from student travel agencies --you may still find an air-only deal (getting late for packages). If not, consider flying standby (only Airtran airline offers standby). Caution: you may not ever get a flight going standby... but it's an el cheapo option if you score. Look into Student Universe's Go Deal, too; frequent student airfare deals for the continental US. Go Deal flip side: you won't know which airport is on sale until midnight-oh-one each day.

• Learn about Airtran last minute standby fares just for students
• Student Universe Go Deal

Compare Travel Costs

When you've finished the research, compare the gas cost you calculated with the best airfare you found -- and, if your flight is less than an hour's duration, you may want to take into account current air travel security hassle, which is time consuming and makes a short trip easier by car -- and it's decision time. Make it and forget about it -- it's time to get away from the books and to the beach. The best tip: don't let the travel get you down -- it's all good once you're on break!

_{Related: Spring Break 101 | Top Spring Break Hot Spots 2008 | Spring Break Spots You Can Visit Without a Passport | Volunteer for Spring Break | Gay Spring Break | Spring Break in Florida | Spring Break Ski Trips - North America | Driving in Mexico | How to Get Ready for Air Travel -- Etickets, Packing, Lost Luggage, Airport Rules}