A former colleague of mine lived (and still lives, as far as I know) only a few minutes from the airport on foot. He had a habit of cutting it very close, would amble over at the last possible moment, go through security and head straight for the gate, getting there when boarding was already in process. One he realized he had forgotten his passport just as he was about to go through security. He ran back home like a bat out of hell to fetch it, and somehow still managed to catch the flight.

Your pragmatic choice has plenty of advantages, but I've opted for rural serenity instead. That comes with consequences which I happily accept, such a travel time of at least 4½ hours to the nearest airport that's of any use to me (the five closer commercial ones are not). That limits my flight options and leads to occasional airport hotel nights, but so be it.

Johan