I want...no i NEED a vacation. its been a few years since I was able to head south and visit my family. yes, they are all a PITA, but I still get so much out of my visits south. I am thinking about spending Christmas there. I have plans to rent a small cottage near where most of them live, and that will give me privacy and a space to do what I need to do, without having to sleep on a couch, or someones twin bed or a blow up mattress.

My dilema is...do I drive or fly? I LOVE driving! I have made this trip so many times I cant count them. I love seeing the country side and visiting many small towns, and soaking up the USA road trip feel along the road, BUT since the whole copaxone thing took such a large bite out of me, I wasnt even making local trips to the grocery store. During the last few months I have been driving again, and doing great, but I worry that a drive of that length would take such a bite out of me I would take my whole trip to recover.

If I fly, I am stuck with certain dates. You MUST arrive this day and MUST leave on that day.

If I drive I can arrive when I want, and leave when I want. its saves a truck load of money on rental car fees.

Driving and flying are about the same cost. Gas vs a plane ticket is about equal. pop in hotel room for one night and its still about the same. no real difference.

Whats your vote?

I voted Drive! That way you can call me when you get to my little town and we can have lunch (or dinner) together!

Dej - I don't know. I don't know how far you are going (which for me would be a deciding factor as I can't sit for too long). Like you, I love seeing the countryside and there is a sense of freedom that goes along with it. But long trips in the car does me in. I don't what your capabilities are, spasms, vision, cognition, etc., so it's hard for me to say go for it or not. However, I do know that you are capable of the best decision for you and will do so confidently.

I don't if that helps any.

I vote for fly because I would worry about what would happen if you started out driving and it got too be too much before you even got there.

its a two day trip driving about 9 to 10 hours each day. I would drive from Winchester NH to Winchester VA on the first day. Then from Winchester VA to Asheville NC area. I have driven it many times, but sitting in a car for that long, and fresh out of my copaxone prison...I worry.

i also worry about flying. The crowds at the airports, the crammed security lines, and the sniffling, sneezing, coughing passengers. You MUST be at this spot at this time...What if I am sick that day? what if my cog fog is so bad that I simply cant function well enough to make my flight? If I am in a car i can stay one more day at the hotel.

one of my other thoughts was, if I fly I must stay the amount of time I decide on my ticket. If I am ready to go home at one week, too bad! you must stay till the date on your ticket. I can get a changeable date on the ticket, but its expensive to do that, and you have to fly standby. I dont mind standby but it would be the 2nd/3rd week of December, meaning high holiday travel time.

Im so torn! I want to drive, but dont know if I can, and I want to fly to save myself the wear and tear of the road, but dont know if I can handle the crowds and forced dates.

Grrr...maybe a nap will help.

I just checked and your name is on the Do Not Fly list so I guess you are driving, LOL. J/K obviously but anyway, I vote drive. I won't fly anywhere again. Driving is SO much better.