SAU vacationers use different transportation

March 24, 2005
By Lisa M. Larranaga
Staff Writer

With traveling, the options are endless.  From cruises to road-trips, there are vacations available for almost all income levels.

Dave Ryan took the road well traveled.  He and three friends drove to Florida via car.  It took them 14 hours to travel from the Quad Cities to the beach, 11 extra hours compared to taking a plane.  They say it was time well spent. 

“It’s a heck of a lot cheaper,” Ryan said.  “I would rather spend less money to get to my destination so I can spend more money there.”

To drive 28 hours it cost each student $50.  Since they stayed with his grandparents, they didn’t have to spend extra money on a hotel and only spent $200 on the trip.

Apparently, most U.S. travelers agree with Ryan and friends.  According to a 2003 survey conducted by the Travel Industry Association of America 78 percent of travelers got to their destination by auto, truck or RV.  Sixteen percent traveled by airplane, three percent by rental car, two percent by bus or motor coach and the remaining one percent by train, ship or other transportation.

For Jon Glos, time is valuable.  Him and eight friends traveled to Las Vegas by plane.  Their flight was direct from Chicago O’Hare and since they didn’t come across any delays they were there in three hours. 

“I would rather fly,” Glos said. “Time’s a big factor.” 

Glos spent $250 on his round-trip ticket, stayed at a hotel and rented a car.  All-in-all he spent about $1000 on his trip.

Amy Chatterton was only with one percent of travelers when she and Amy Kline decided to take a cruise.  They went to the Bahamas, but before they could leave dock they had to fly into Orlando, FL.  Despite getting seasick on her last day on-board, Chatterton raves about the perks of a cruise. 

“It was way fun,” she said.  “There’s so much to do!” 

On the cruise, all meals, non-carbonated and non-alcoholic drinks were paid for.

The food was delicious, said Chatterton, and each meal was four courses.

They planned everything out and participated in scuba diving and other warm-weather activities. 

The cruise was smooth, she said, but during the take-off the boat rattled and swayed a little bit.  It stormed their last day and the boat was swaying more rapidly, causing her seasickness.

For five days and four nights on the cruise, it cost Chatterton and Kline about $900 each.

  “I would do it again,” Chatterton said.  “It was like staying at a five-star hotel.”

The main factor for most spring break trips are money and convenience.  With all the options laid out on the table -- go ahead -- start planning for next year.

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