I'm with post #7 . It's a situational decision. I wouldn't drive 3 hours to an urban center with good public transport. I won't drive more than one day (say 8 hours behind the wheel time) to a rural area if I can rent a car there. I will drive any length of trip if the journey itself is a major component of the trip (eg a road trip from Minneapolis to Spokane), though I may fly to and from the termination points from my home in NorCal. And put the wear and tear on a rental.