Train vs Flight vs Road Trip: How I Decide

Road, Rail or Sky?

Whenever I start planning a trip, there is one question that comes immediately after deciding the destination:

How are we going to reach there?

For many people, the answer is simple. If the destination is far away and flights are available, they book a flight. If they want to save money, they check trains. And if the place isn't too far, they might consider driving.

My order is almost completely different.

If travelling by car is reasonably possible, my first thought is always, “Can we make this a road trip?”

If the answer is no, I start checking trains.

And flights?

Flights come last.

It isn't because I'm afraid of flying. I don't dislike flying either. I simply find flights a little... boring.

For me, travelling isn't just about reaching a destination as quickly as possible. The journey is also part of the trip. Sometimes, it becomes one of the best parts of the entire story.

And that is exactly why, for me, it usually goes:

Road Trip > Train > Flight.

My First Choice: Give Me a Car and an Open Road

Road trips have always appealed to me, but they have become even more exciting recently because I started driving only a few months ago.

And now I love driving myself.

There is a completely different feeling when you're not simply sitting in the passenger seat watching the road—you are actually driving through it.

You see a beautiful stretch of road ahead, mountains appearing in the distance, fields on either side or clouds suddenly changing over the highway, and you're part of that movement.

Of course, being a relatively new driver also means I don't want to turn every journey into some heroic 14-hour driving challenge. Long drives need proper breaks, and sharing the driving with another experienced driver is always sensible when required.

But whenever the distance and road conditions make sense, travelling in our own car is my favourite option.

Why Road Trips Feel Like Freedom

The biggest advantage of a road trip is one simple word:

Freedom.

Suppose you're driving somewhere and suddenly notice a beautiful viewpoint.

You stop.

Nobody announces that you have three minutes.

Nobody tells you that this isn't a scheduled halt.

You simply park somewhere safe and enjoy it.

Maybe you find a small roadside tea shop.

Stop.

Maybe everyone is hungry.

Find somewhere to eat.

Maybe you've been sitting too long and want to stretch your legs.

Take a break.

Maybe you see a beautiful place that wasn't mentioned anywhere in your itinerary.

Explore it.

That unpredictability is part of travelling for me.

With a flight, the journey is designed to eliminate these interruptions.

With a road trip, those interruptions can become the journey.

Your Car Becomes Your Little Private Space

There is another reason I prefer road trips: personal space.

You're travelling in your own car.

You decide what music is playing. You decide whether you want music at all. You can talk, stay quiet, keep snacks with you, adjust your seat and organise your things the way you want.

And there are no strangers sitting a few inches away.

That matters on longer journeys.

Obviously, a car isn't a bed and the driver should always remain properly seated, alert and belted. But as a passenger, you can settle into your own familiar space much more naturally.

It feels less like transportation and more like carrying a tiny piece of home along with you.

The View Is Part of the Road Trip

This might be my favourite reason for choosing a car.

You actually get to see the journey.

Imagine travelling from the plains towards the mountains.

The roads gradually change.

Buildings become fewer.

The first hills appear.

Then the road begins twisting.

Trees change.

The air changes.

Small towns appear and disappear.

Maybe it starts raining.

Maybe you stop for tea somewhere overlooking a valley.

By the time you reach your hotel, you feel like you have actually travelled from one landscape into another.

A flight can transport you between those places much faster.

But it skips most of the transformation in between.

And sometimes, that transformation is exactly what I want to see.

Then Comes My Second Choice: The Train

Of course, travelling everywhere by car isn't practical.

India is huge.

There are destinations where the drive would be too long, too tiring or simply unnecessary.

That is when I start looking at trains.

If I have to choose between a train and a flight for a journey where time isn't a major issue, I will often prefer the train.

Why?

Because trains still allow me to feel that I'm travelling.

You board, settle into your seat or berth and gradually watch one place turn into another.

Cities disappear.

Fields arrive.

Stations come and go.

Sometimes you wake up the next morning and the entire landscape outside the window has changed.

That is something I love about train journeys.

Trains Give Me Something Flights Don't: Space to Move

A comfortable train journey gives you freedom that you simply don't have inside an aircraft.

You can sit.

You can stand.

You can walk around when appropriate.

On sleeper accommodation, you can lie down properly and sleep.

You can talk with your family, look outside, eat something and then return to your berth.

For a long journey, that freedom makes a huge difference to me.

Yes, a train can take many more hours than a flight.

But those hours don't always feel like hours spent waiting to arrive.

The journey itself can become part of the holiday.

Train Windows Have Their Own Stories

I love looking outside while travelling.

And trains are wonderful for that.

You might begin the journey surrounded by city buildings. A few hours later, you're watching farms. Then rivers. Then another town. Then an unknown station where the train stops for a few minutes before continuing.

There is something very old-fashioned about watching India through a train window—and I mean that in the best possible way.

Generations travelled this way before cheap domestic flights became common.

And there is still something special about it.

You aren't flying over the country.

You're moving through it.

And Finally... Flights

Now comes my last choice.

Flights.

I know what the obvious argument is:

“But they're so much faster!”

Yes.

Once you're in the air, they absolutely are.

For very long distances, flights can turn a journey of more than a day into a few hours. If I have limited leave, an urgent commitment, an international trip or a destination where driving or taking a train simply doesn't make sense, of course I'll fly.

But if all three options are realistically available?

I'm checking the road first.

Why Flights Feel Boring to Me

My biggest problem with flying isn't flying.

It's everything around it.

First, you have to reach the airport well before departure.

Then there is baggage.

Check-in.

Security.

Waiting.

Boarding.

More waiting.

Finally, you take off.

And inside the aircraft, there isn't much freedom.

Your seat is your little territory for the next few hours.

If I get a window seat, things become much better. At least I can watch the clouds, cities, mountains or landscape below when visibility allows.

But if I'm sitting in the middle or aisle?

Well...

There are only so many times I can admire the seat in front of me.

Eventually, I'm mostly looking around the cabin or at other people's faces.

Not exactly the travel scenery I had in mind.

I Miss Being Able to Move Around

This is another reason trains win for me.

Aircraft cabins are compact. You're expected to remain seated for much of the journey, particularly during take-off, landing and turbulence.

You can't simply decide, “I'm tired of sitting like this; let me go somewhere else.”

You certainly can't lie down comfortably in a normal economy seat.

Compare that with a train berth where, depending on the class and time of day, I can sit, stretch out or sleep.

Or compare it with our own car, where we can stop somewhere safe when we genuinely need a break.

The flight wins on speed.

For me, the other two usually win on the experience.

And Then There Is the Price

Flights can also become expensive, particularly when booking close to the travel date, travelling during holidays or paying for several family members.

Of course, road trips aren't free either. Fuel, tolls, parking and sometimes an overnight hotel can add up quickly. Trains also vary significantly depending on the class.

So I don't believe that a car or train is always cheaper than flying.

But when I compare the overall experience, I often feel I'm getting more from the journey with a car or train.

With a road trip especially, transportation itself becomes one of the activities of the holiday.

How the Three Feel to Me

How I Actually Decide

Despite my preferences, I don't blindly choose a car for every journey.

The destination matters.

The distance matters.

The condition of the roads matters.

The weather matters.

How many days we have matters.

And now that I have started driving myself, I also have to think realistically about how much driving I'm comfortable handling.

My decision usually looks something like this:

For Me, Reaching the Destination Isn't the Whole Trip

I think that is ultimately where my preference comes from.

Some travellers want to reach the destination as quickly as possible so the holiday can begin.

I understand that completely.

I just see it differently.

For me, the holiday has already started when we leave home.

The highway dhaba where we unexpectedly stop for tea is part of it.

That beautiful stretch of road where we slow down and look around is part of it.

Watching changing landscapes through a train window is part of it.

Waking up in a train and realising we're now hundreds of kilometres from where we slept is part of it.

These are not the boring hours between home and the destination.

They are travel memories too.

And now that I've started driving myself, road trips have become even more special. There is something exciting about holding the steering wheel and knowing that the road ahead isn't simply taking me somewhere.

The road itself is part of where I wanted to go.

So yes, I'll take the flight when it makes sense.

I'll happily take the train when driving isn't practical.

But give me good weather, a beautiful route, enough time and our own car?

I'm choosing the keys.

Every single time.