Driving home for the holidays is a sure way to make the family happy. For a family, driving is often more affordable than buying plane tickets and since 9-11 it’s also sometimes faster and less of a hassle than flying. Here are 10 reasons why renting a car rather than driving your own or flying is the way to go.

1. A family of four will spend roughly $750.00 in airplane tickets, food, bags and car storage for a 1.5 hour flight that actually takes: .5 hours to park, 1.5 hours to get there ahead of time, 1 hour on the other end to retrieve bags and get picked up for a total of 4.5 hours if the plane isn’t delayed. Driving the same distance will take a total of 11 hours and cost about $125.00 in gas. Why not buy the kids an iPad for the trip?
2. That ping-gurgle-ping-gurgle your old car keeps uttering won’t manifest itself into a monster problem in the middle of nowhere.
3. Most rental cars come with a fabulous no hands navigation system that is much safer and more reliable than the one in your own car or on your phone.
4. Enjoy a little luxury! Rental cars these days can come with Sirius XM Satellite radio and leather seats. For a little extra per-day you can enjoy driving a new car without the gargantuan bills of owning a new car.
5. Driving lets you see the scenery and enjoy your family in a quiet, private, unhurried way. In many places you might not even have a cell phone connection and be forced to actually talk to one another!
6. Once you get where you’re going you won’t need to rely on the driving skills of Aunt Bessie to get you around to see the things and people you want to see.
7. Want to bring a little luggage? Go right ahead!
8. You can eat at a real restaurant whenever you want to without paying a fortune and many of them even have real silverware.
9. A road trip is about the only place a grown man can get away with eating gummy bears.
10. Mohammad sheik ala Moran isn’t likely to be sitting next to you with a bomb in his underwear.

BIO: Jason Hall is Social Media Manager for Budget Rent a Car, Australia’s leading car hire company.