Drive or fly from LA?

So long story short next year we will be flying into San Francisco, staying for a few days, then renting a vehicle and driving to LA. Having never been to CA before would it make more sense to fly or drive to Vegas from LA? I understand that there will be fees associated with dropping the car off in Vegas. For 4 people flying Delta, that's the only airline my mom will fly, we are looking at around $400 to $500. The first time we were in Vegas we drove from Michigan to Vegas and then back again so driving distance isn't an issue. Just looking to make the best of time and money. Any suggestions on which would be the best option. Oh and we would be driving in on a Monday morning if that makes a difference... Thanks for any information!

 

If time is not a concern then driving would save some money for you, along with seeing some sights you would miss when flying. Another option is to see what the cost difference would be by flying in to Las Vegas and then renting a car there upon arrival. Of course depending on where you are staying a car may not be needed in Las Vegas. If time is at a premium then flying would save several hours. Depending on when you are going, you can sometimes find some very low rental rates in Las Vegas. If there happens to be a large convention or event going on during your stay the last statement would not be true.

 

Time is not a concern, though obviously we prefer to not waste any valuable Vegas time. A rental car is not really necessary once we hit Vegas, as when we leave we will be flying home.

 

we're making the same trip in Aug (land in SF, drive to LA, fly to LAS), and the extra charge to drop the rental car off in Vegas was waayyyy to rich for my blood and a massive ripoff in my opinion (the quote we got had an extra $300+ 'recovery' fee to drop it off in another state). We're flying Virgin America out of LAX for $67, and it's a quick hop.

Never done the drive, but form what I understand its nothing but desert and traffic.

 

drive unless weekend

As a solo driver going between LA and LV I would drive almost every time unless you need to be traveling:

from LA to Vegas from Friday after 10am until Saturday 2pm or
from Vegas to LA from Sunday at 6am until Monday at 10 pm

The drive isn't particularly scenic but I find driving in the high desert (the stretch of the drive from Barstow to Primm) oddly serene and pleasant as long as traffic isn't too bad.

Have you priced out the rental with drop off charge in LA versus the extra days and drop fee in Vegas? I'd wait to see an overall price difference once you add in the flights to make a final decision.

While a car isn't needed in Las Vegas it does give you more options.

 

I would fly if it is $400 for 4 people. There's not much to see on the 15 freeway on the way there. If you get stuck in some crappy traffic, you'll really regret it. An average drive for me takes about 4 hours, but I think my worst drive took over 11 hours. It was maddening.

 

Depends on whether you're willing to walk or pay up for a cab while in Vegas. If you're willing to do either, I would recommend flying, since you don't have to deal with the drive or with parking. If your mom is only willing to fly with Delta, that's too bad, since you can get pretty cheap flights with JetBlue from the Long Beach Airport.

 

Yes to both,we are willing to walk and/or pay for a cab. Yeah, I wish she would budge on the airline. It has taken me almost my entire life to finally get her on a plane. The first time we went to Vegas we drove, 3 days there, 3 days back. So as long as I can get her on a plane this time it doesn't matter to me which airline it is.

 

No, I have not done a full price comparison yet. Though from what I have been reading it will run us anywhere from a few hundred up to $500 and that is on top of the daily rental fee. The flight would run us about $400, give or take.

 

To save money, drive. You are already paying a drop off fee in LA.

Do you drink? if you do not drink liquor, then drive.

My Vegas lifestyle is drinking and gambling. I would rather pay the cab fare than risk being drunk behind the wheel. An extra $100 bucks in cab fares is well worth not having whatever a DUI/wreck etc would cost.

I have never rented a car in Vegas. I have cabbed, walked, shuttled, and limoed.

 

The drive from LA to LV is approximately 4 hours. For a flight, the trip to the airport is about an hour, checking-in and waiting is over an hour, flying is an hour, and getting from the airport to the hotel is less than an hour. So it's almost 4 hours if you fly. The cost of a roundtrip flight on Southwest not on a Friday there or Sunday back from there is typically less than 150 per person. I remember the days not too long ago when I paid 60 on their "wanna-get-away" specials. Delta may be a different story. For three or more people, it would be more economical to drive.

I typically fly only because I just pay for myself, and I hate driving back with very little sleep and too much alcohol the night before. The times that I do drive, my activity on the night before the drive back is usually limited.

 

Here is today's news on the drive...

http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20150329/cajon-pass-crash-fuel-spill-force-lane-closures-on-15-freeway

 

Haven't driven in years now because flying jet blue out of LB is so easy and cheap and I feel way better after flying vs the drive. It's a no brainer for me at least.

 

As a native SoCal who visits Vegas 4 -5 times a year for the past 18 years, (and once or twice a year before that) I NEVER DRIVE.

I'm 10 mins from John Wayne airport. Arrive 1 hour before flight. Flight time is 47 minutes. Getting to any strip hotel never takes an hour, always less. (BellTrans VIP Shuttle)
That's 1 hr, 57 mins, plus time to get to hotel.
I can't drive to Vegas in that time.

Besides, the drive is a bitch, it's boring as all hell, and especially if you're coming back home on a weekend, it's gonna take 6 hours, more if you throw in an accident or two.
Lastly, driving is for sober people.

 

Well even though everyone seems to be 50/50 on this topic I think we have decided to fly. We are planning to stay at Aria in the Sky Suites so taking advantage of the limo service is definitely helping to sway our decision though. Plus I would rather have a guaranteed arrival time vs. guessing with traffic. Plus it will be easier to return the rental to the airport vs somewhere on the strip.

 

I'm driving from LAX to Mirage soon, and look forward to it!!
Driving on your roads is waaaaaaaaay better than ours, so the drive becomes appealing!!!

 

I'm in LA this week and will be driving to Vegas from here. It's not to save money, in fact it costs more. I also had to say thanks but no thanks to the limo pickup. Not sure why that would sway you, it's a 10 min ride in a completely unimpressive car.

Like Stuart said the drive seems appealing to me. Driving on one road through the desert isn't my norm. I think we will also stop along the way at dumb places. Big deal if we get to Vegas a few hours later or even several hours later. Vegas is easy to go to and you will always be going there, but how many chances will you get to see some shithole town like Barstow?

 

I have made the trek from LA twice (Once Santa Monica and the 2nd time Anaheim). It's actually not a bad drive and we find it enjoyable. We usually rent a convertible, flip the top down, cake on the sunscreen, and grab a case of water! being from the east coast of Canada the terrain is drastically different, and a change is always good...right?

We are actually heading to San Fran at the end of June, renting a car and going to do the PCH down to the beach cities again, most like stay a night or 2 in Hermosa (one of our favs). We are on the fence about the drive this time also, due to the fact we are taking some time in San Fran to check out the city and of course the NAPA region (GULP WINE)!

My recommendation for you, if you have never done it before....DRIVE!

Cheers & Enjoy either way!

 

looks like there are a couple of us in this thread doing this this year.
cool.

 

We haven't done it for about 8 years now, but we used to fly into San Diego, rent a car and stay there a few nights, then drive to Vegas. Then we would fly home from there. I always thought the one way drop-off fees with Dollar were really reasonable. Maybe it's changed in that time, just like all other fees.

BTW, we did that 4 times and we always enjoyed the scenery and drive. Nothing spectacular, but high desert much different than what we are used to.