Flying Offers Convenience and Amenities

Let me preface my argument by stating that I am well aware that I am fighting a losing battle.

Everyone from Boston College RVs to South Bend to watch our Eagles square off against our biggest rivals. That's how it has always been and that's more than likely how it always will be.

But allow me to play devil's advocate for a minute and tell you why flying is a better idea.

The No. 1 reason that flying is always the better idea is time. Flying from Boston to Chicago takes about two hours. A two-hour trip means leaving on Friday, having all day Saturday to enjoy the pregame festivities, and not having to worry about getting back to BC by Monday.

Driving, on the other hand? If you drive the 900 miles between BC and Notre Dame at 60 miles per hour, you're looking at a 15-hour trip. To put that in perspective, you can almost fly to Chicago and back to Boston four times in the time it takes to drive to Notre Dame.

Fifteen hours also means almost certainly missing classes on Friday and potentially Monday and probably not having much time to relax while in South Bend. Flying relieves the stress and the hassles of taking a long road trip and allows for a much more flexible schedule.

Another big advantage that can be found in flying is the overall value of what you get. The cost of getting to Notre Dame by flying and then taking a train may end up being a bit more expensive than RVing, but you get more for your dollar.

A round-trip plane ticket to Chicago will cost around $300 and a round-trip train ticket to Notre Dame will cost $45. Add in a cheap hotel for around $100 and you're looking at a total cost of about $445 per person.

On the other hand, a $2,000 RV split between five people will cost $400 per person. But the cost alone is not what should divide this debate.

By flying, you get to travel in relative style compared to an RV. You also have the benefit of sleeping in nicer beds and more options of what to do during the day by staying at a hotel. So while an RV may be cheaper, you end up getting what you pay for in the end.

Reason No. 3 for flying instead of RVing is a matter of safety. We've all heard about the studies showing that it's statistically safer to fly somewhere than to drive somewhere. Those studies also assume that the vehicle in question is a car. An RV is a lot more difficult to maneuver than a car, and there's a good chance that a very low percentage of BC students actually know how to drive an RV.

The other difference between the drivers of these studies and the students who will be RVing is all the distractions the RV can present. For starters, most RVs are likely going to be packed with a wide variety of alcoholic beverages. And even if the driver has not been drinking, it can still be a dangerous situation if others have.

Add in the distractions of loud music blasting and the possibility of a driver getting tired after a long day and there are serious risks to RVing. Flying is clearly not without risks, but there are so many less than taking an RV.

The time, the bang for your buck, and the safety that flying offers make it a very appealing option when compared to driving all the way to South Bend. History and tradition may be against it, but the benefits of flying may outweigh those of driving. It may not have the same allure, but that does not mean that it isn't the better choice.

Now, everyone, have fun RVing.