Crystal07

I will be going to visit my mom for the holidays. But I hate to fly. I have to get from either Boston or New York to Carolina Beach, NC. Any ideas??

I am open to (pretty much) anything!!!

-Will maybe simply drive.

-Anyone ever gone south by bus or train?

-Any boats? (You never know).

Thanks! Any suggestions appreciated.

doug_stallings

Of course there are trains. It's a long slog, but it's doable.

There are several trains that stop in North Carolina. You can take a direct train to Raleigh, but I suspect that's as close as you can get to the coast. But you could rent a car there and seriously limit your driving.

No ships. But yes on buses, but I just wouldn't recommend it, though it's obviously the cheapest option.

suze

Sure you can go by bus, train, or car instead. If you really hate to fly enough to make the extra time it takes worthwhile.

MikeT

Maybe it's time to analyze why you hate to fly and how it is impacting your life.

TravelGram

My husband also hates to fly, but we love to go to Maui. We purchased a DVD player (we don't have a laptop) that has a 12 hour battery. It helps take his mind off the flight and really helps through any turbulence. We also took it on our trip to Yellowstone Park. There isn't any tv in the rooms so we used it in the evenings.

emalloy

DS was at UNCW and we visited him from CT by car when he lived at Carolina Beach. The trip took us about 14 hours (he did it in less) and was not a fun ride on nasty 95 to 40. Train/bus or just bus will probably involve at least one transfer and maybe more to get to Wilmington. If you can get the courage to fly, there probably will also be a change to a smaller plane to get to Wilmington then car to Carolina Beach.

bigbomoho

agree with poster--take train to Raleigh then rent a car to Carolina Beach.
For me Id drive--looks like a good 12 hours--but break it up,stop along the way,maybe take one of the rural roads once you get past DC,get your self a GPS--could be fun

suewoo

I'd just drive. Done it a bunch of times. It's boring but better than flying during the holidays.

gail

We drive several times/year Boston-Burlington, NC (about an hour from Raleigh). It is NOT a 12 hour drive, despite what mileage and mapping programs may tell you. There is always something - construction, a traffic jam in one of the 3 major metro areas (Boston, NY, DC). Also, driving in the winter you only have about 8-10 hours of daylight. We do the trip in 1 day with 2 drivers and we are both totally fried when we arrive - I would not drive the trip in 1 day alone unless you are really comfortable with long distances alone.

There are several non-stops/day from Boston - RDU on JetBlue, Delta (American is going to stop flying that route shortly). JetBlue is great with seatback TVs - very distracting. I also hate to fly, but this makes it tolerable. I would consider flying to RDU and renting a car - or possibly flying into Norfolk, VA (also non-stop from Boston) and renting a car.

I think a bus would be torture. Train a bit less so, but make sure you are not changing trains at 2 AM in NYC or something equally hateful.

christabir

Ick - travelling (traveling?) at the holidays sucks. Take legal or illegal drugs, fly to/from small airports (providence, Hartford, islip) and enjoy the time you are with your family. No way would I drive during the holidays on I-95. The stretch from mid-Connecticut to DC is a nightmare. The train would be my next best option, but expect delays. If it snows, well.... good luck. But really - enjoy the time in
Carolina. It should be beautiful while the NE is "chilly".