I have an irrational fear of flying. I am visiting a friend of mine in Chicago for about a week, traveling from Gainesville, Florida. I can rent a car and drop it off in Chicago. How much am I looking at in gas prices? Anyone know of a budget rental car company? The roundtrip Southwest flight would be $116. I'm thinking I should just get drunk before I get on the flight?

It's hard to guess how much you are looking for in gas prices without knowing what type of car/mileage you'll have. You are looking at at least a 16 hour drive to Chicago v. a approx. 2 hour flight and by the time you rent the car and gas it up, the price will likely be close. For the time and money, I'd suck it up and fly.

Figure in meals and snacks for 16 hours. Gas plus rental fee and a motel if you break the trip up.

Then figure out how you will feel after a 16 hour drive. Shucks you could get drunk on real expensive booze before the flight and still come out ahead.

You could always take drugs.

I have done this both ways and also in a 7 day timespan. 10 days makes a driving trip on this route more doable and fun.

You will not experience your destination the same way if you drive.

You will experience the places you drive through as much, if NOT more than you will your destination with a host- if you drive, IMHO.

A one way drive with a drop off car is much more doable in 7 days. And flying the other leg. Some rental agencies love these as you are getting the car up/back for them and it might or might not have a cheaper fee because of this. At different times of the year they may have more cars to be returned North verus South.

In that kind of time frame you probably will need to bite the bullet and fly.

Get hyponotized or learn some simple relaxation techniques before you go, as well- because it will help you, it will.

What time of year? You do not want to make the drive Dec. to early March, IMHO. People do it all the time, but in 7 days and in bad weather, it just isn't relaxing and it's more chore than fun.

Thanks for all your comments ... JJ5, I would be driving simply because I am afraid to fly. I'm not interested in scenic drives and whatnot - as a child, my family always drove to the Carolinas or Tennessee for vacation, and I couldn't stand it. I prefer the big city atmosphere, which I think is because I grew up in a small, quiet town in Florida.

I have to be in Chicago for a concert on August 31. If I drive from Florida to Chicago, I would do it in one day and drop off the car the next day.

Suck it up and fly. It's 1000 miles between Gainesville and Chicago and you have to go through Atlanta, which hardly has the freest flow of traffic in the nation. Add lots of time waiting for the usual back-ups and accidents. If you get 25 mpg in your rental car, that's 40 gallons of gas. At $2.60/gal (and I'm being optimistic all around, here), that's $104 right there, and it doesn't include rental or drop-off fee. Plus add your food along the way. Definitely cheaper to fly, but the aggravation alone with traffic, would make my decision.