Car Miles and travel

There were almost 600 miles on my car this week.

See, this week we not only drove my husband down to meet up with a ride to New York, we actually drove down to join him the next day. And then drove back.

I don't always know what to do when it comes to travel. Whenever possible, I suppose, one should not travel. That's what would be best for the environment. But not traveling does not always work. We are greedy people who take distance for granted. We can work in places fifty miles from our homes. We expect to take vacations each year, many times hundreds and hundreds of miles away. And if we have family in different states or countries, they tend to get upset or disappointed if we don't see them during the holidays.

So what do we do? How do you make a choice on how to travel when you can't or aren't willing to give it up?

I make most of my decisions based on cost. We drive to New York instead of taking the train. It would cost almost $350 for our family to get to NY. And that's one way. And doesn't include the hassle of getting to and from train stations. Much less than parking for three or four nights. But taking the train is, I think, the more environmentally friendly choice.

Next week I go to Tennessee. It's much further than New York. It takes much less time to fly. This trip is a grown-up visit, so I go alone. So I'm flying. But the last two times I've taken the kids, I have driven. Yes, it's a long trip. Yes, it's two days in the car listening to kid music and stopping for small bathroom brakes and eating too much Burger King. Because the flights are about $400 each. And when you add four of those up, it costs a LOT more than gas and a motel room. Not to mention the fact that every single time I fly to Nashville I end up with a nightmare situation of flight delays and cancellations and end up with security personnel patting down my five month old while I hold him at arm's length I'm not even kidding this was two years ago and I'm still so mad UGH.

Anyway... I'm not sure which is better pollution wise - the drive to Tennessee or the flight. I mean, if everyone drove everywhere, it would have to be worse than some mass distance flying, right?

Is there a place to go to look this sort of stuff up? I'd like to get an answer, but I also don't want to be told I'm bad for visiting my relatives.