Fly or drive? Tool helps compare costs

Sometimes it's hard to know which way to go -- do you fly or drive to your destination?

Kiplinger's Personal Finance found a new online tool at the site befrugal.com that helps you figure out which is more economical.

For this trip calculator to work, you need to provide some specific information about your car, such as the make, model and year.

Will you need a hotel room along the way? If so, how much will it cost?

How many hours a day do you plan to drive?

How will you get to and from the airports?

Do you have luggage to check?

The site automatically figures the average cost of a ticket.

I decided to compare flying or driving to Eugene, Ore. The befrugal calculator put the cost of flying at $378. That includes taking at taxi to and from the airport. The cost of driving was $100.That includes gas and wear-and-tear on my car.

It also gave me the time for each option. Drive: 4 hours and 52 minutes. Fly: 3 hours and 48 minutes. The fly time includes check check-in at the airport. I put down 90 minutes, plus 30 minutes to leave the airport in Eugene.