How will you get there?
Distance, group size, and what you plan to do on arrival decide this more than price does. Start with the mode, then pick the provider.
Train
Downtown-to-downtown travel with no security lines and real luggage allowance. Excellent under 400 miles, slow beyond it.
- $29 to $120 one way
- 3h 15m for a 300 mile corridor
Rental Car
The right call whenever your trip includes trailheads, small towns, or more than two stops per day.
- $39 to $95 per day plus fuel
- Door to door, no transfers
Flights
Unbeatable above roughly 600 miles. Below that, airport overhead eats most of the time advantage.
- $89 to $340 one way domestic
- 4h 30m door to door for a 2h flight
Bus
The cheapest intercity option, and better than its reputation on busy modern corridors.
- $15 to $55 one way
- Roughly driving time plus 20 percent
Driving
Your own car is cheapest per additional passenger, and the only option that scales with gear.
- About $0.24 per mile in fuel plus parking
- Pure drive time plus stops
Airport Transportation
The leg most travelers underestimate. Rail links beat rideshare in about a dozen US cities.
- $3 rail to $65 rideshare
- 25 to 50 minutes
/The Modern Rutter may earn a commission when readers book, subscribe, or buy through some links on this page, at no additional cost to the reader. Not every brand we cover has an affiliate relationship, and affiliate compensation does not determine our recommendations. Full disclosure.