If anything says summer, it’s a good old-fashioned road trip. And according to some calculations from the Car Care Council, a non-profit that educates consumers on the importance of proper vehicle care, driving can save you a bundle on your next family vacation.

If you’re looking at a trip of 500 miles or less for a family of four, the Car Care Council’s Rich White says driving is a far more cost-effective and convenient way to travel than jumping on a plane - even if you’re driving an SUV and gas were to hit $5/gallon this summer. White estimates that a family of four traveling on a 500-mile trip would save at least $1,000 by driving, maybe more.

Read on for White’s thoughts on why driving kicks flying’s butt, what to do before you head out on the trip and how to stay safe and happy along the way.

Other than saving money, what advantages are there to driving?

Travelers have so much more control over every part of their vacation by car as opposed to by plane. When you go, when you arrive, when you stop to eat, if you want to change your itinerary - that costs you nothing. Try to do that by plane, there are fees. Even if you could find an alternative flight, you’re at the mercy of someone else when flying, and you have very little flexibility and no options. Now they’re charging for a second bag. You’re going on vacation, and you can only take one bag – if you pack your car, you can take a gallon of facial lotion if you want.

You’re based near DC. Would you rather spend two hours stuck in traffic around the Capital Beltway or two hours stuck at the airport waiting for a delayed flight – and why?

I think because you can control when you’re driving, you can avoid the beltway during rush hour, you have alternative routes. You can go down 181. You have no choice when you go to the airport. If you take an hour to get to the airport, and you get there an hour and a half early, and you stand in line and then you leave, get to the other end, and then wait in line to go get a rental car, for a 500-mile trip, you’re spending almost as much time as you would had you driven. And then you have none of the other advantages of driving.

More after the jump….

Are there any key steps a family should take to prepare vehicles before heading out on a road trip this summer?

You can easily do a simple driveway inspection. You can check all the lights, turn signals, wiper blades. You can get a $1.50 tire gage and check the tire pressure. Make sure your oil has been changed recently. And you can always have your local shop give your car a once-over.

Then you have peace of mind that the brakes are fine, that the hoses and belts are fine, that you’ve checked the coolant and that the battery’s not corroded.

Some you can do yourself if you wish, otherwise just take the car to the shop and say you want a once-over.

But if someone checks all the fluids, belts and hoses, then you’re ready to go. And you have that peace of mind that you’re not going to break down.

What’s your advice for drivers who break down while they’re traveling away from home?

There are a couple of good indicators of quality service, and one would certainly be AAA-approved auto repair facilities. The other would be to look for travel facilities that have ASA-certified technicians. Those are two recognitions that have dependability and trust behind them.

Do you think there any misconceptions Americans have about driving these days?

I think now there’s like a panic mode, and oh my gosh gas costs so much. It is expensive, but comparatively the advantages of driving far outweigh an extra $50 or $100 for gas. People just think it’s more expensive than it really is. It’s going to limit people, but it shouldn’t stop people from driving and taking the family on the vacation. When you’re comparing it with other ways of traveling, it’s still the best bet, most economical, most convenient and probably most fun.

Where did your last road trip take you?

On my last road trip, I went from Leesburg, VA to Charlotte, NC, and picked up my son along the way. That was probably seven hours, maybe eight hours. And it could have taken maybe an hour and a half by plane, but it would have cost four, five or six times as much.

What’s your favorite stretch of road or highway?

I enjoy going from the Virginia/Maryland area west on 70 out through western Maryland. They call it the Nation’s Highway. It’s a nice route.

What item or items would you never leave home on a road trip without?

I think you should always have bottles of water, just in the event that you happen to break down. Some snacks, healthy snacks. These days, you definitely want to have your cell phone charged. You can always get the little emergency kits, but on a typical 500-mile trip, you’re not going to be too far away from services.

What other tips can you give us for road trips this summer?

Try to plan as much as you can. Try to plan a break where you can get out, stretch your legs, roll out the picnic and let the kids run around and the dog run around while you sit there and chat. Have a road map or atlas.

Do you have any great tips for travelers on summer road trips? Leave ‘em in a comment on the blog. Or you can always reach me directly at lsanders (at) kayak (dot) com.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Interviews, Tips, Travel Industry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.