People need to travel. The recession may have stunted to travel somewhat, but people will always need to visit family, go to work, or just go on vacation. The one thing the recession has changed is the decisions on HOW to get to our destination. Costs have risen across the board even with the dramatic decline in oil prices. Part of the decision lay with how far the destination is. If one was travelling across country perhaps air travel is the most cost effective way of getting there. If the destination is closer possibly the train or a bus would be a good manner. I'd like to offer an in depth look at the cost-saving benefits of each travel mode.

Airline travel has long been criticized for causing the high price of a barrel of oil. If the millions and millions of gallons used for air travel were saved it would decrease our dependence on foreign oil an incomparable amount, but the benefits outweigh the negatives. In the days of cross-country travel taking days to months the airplane has revolutionized all of that. Indeed we even take for granted this quick necessity. People expect quick travel but are entirely unwilling to pay the cost, however cheap it may be. News articles expound upon a measly $10 rise in a routes price but little is said of the fact that the cost of a ticket is relatively unchanged from the airlines' heydey in the 70's. Where else can you go from one end of the continent to the other for only $200? Even a short flight, on Southwest Airlines, could cost less than $100. Compare that to the cost of gas and you're talking about only spending $40 or $50 more but saving countless hours and boredom on the road. When you're complaining of the cost don't forget that the cost has hardly changed in 30 years, and you're saving HOURS, if not days.

Airlines have gained some notoriety in these days for safety issues. With the recent crash in Buffalo by Continental Airlines, the FedEx crash in Japan, and the crash in Montana Airlines have been given what I believe to be a bum rap. When you consider the countless number of airplanes in the air at any one point the comparative lack of accidents is mind-boggling. Plus the FAA has kept a tight eye on airlines recently because of those accidents. So safety is certainly better than it has been.

With major airline headquarters all around the country (Houston, Newark, Los Angeles...) travel is funneled through these cities via a "hub-and-spoke" system. This method has been used for around 30-40 years now. While probably not the most efficient, as Southwest has proved, it is easier. Planes go from a remote city to a headquarters city and from there to the destination. It's easier and could save time. It's also cheaper for airlines. With these headquarters everywhere the ease of airline travel has never been greater.

If you're looking for a way to get where you need to go quickly but want to pay the most of the three modes reviewed Airplanes are you way.

Trains have been on the decline for many years now. Though the tickets are cheap the time-effectiveness of this travel source is certainly lacking. In my own experience it can take a full 24 hours of a train ride simply to travel a 6 hour car-ride. While this may depend on your proximity to a big city this cannot be overlooked. Trains are safer, cheaper, but certainly not quicker.

If you want to pay less but take a little more time trains are the way you want to go.

Buses are the most interesting mode I've studied thus far. Again, in my experience buses can take a MUCH longer time to get where you're going due to the need to stop at nearly every town along the way. The buses can be nice, with TV's and such, but the length of time outweighs nearly every benefit. Tickets are CHEAP but the distance travelled in the amount of time is ridiculous. It can take DAYS to get a mere 150 miles. Also, the buses are prone to breaking down far more than any other transportation. The bus drivers, also, get tired easily and thus more is dependent on a person rather than systems. Safety is a much more important issue with buses than any other.

Travel may be lessened at times but will never disappear. Safety is an important issue, but in these times people are looking to save money. A dollar needs to go a lot farther, and how much farther could that dollar go than an airplane, and faster too.