I think it depends on how long is a "long" drive. My parents always LOVED driving trips, so we often drove when possible just because they liked it (plus we could get out to stretch, etc.) We even drove across the country (and not a very direct route - 30 states in 30 days!) for FUN. Of course, I was considerably older than 3

I think it comes down to preferance (for us) and how much time you have to travel. I think if the drive could be made in a day, we usually would drive. Any longer and we'd be much more likely to fly.

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