If I’m going somewhere in the continental US, my choices are to fly or drive. I’ll be traveling the same number of miles either way, so the relevant comparison is indeed per mile.

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kccqzy 18 hours ago | parent [-]

That doesn't explain anything. Specifically it doesn't explain why in our comparisons the destination is fixed. You could decide for this weekend trip we're going to budget a max of 3 hours on transportation. Should we take a three hour flight to a different state or should we drive for three hours to a closer destination?

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rogerrogerr 17 hours ago | parent [-]

This just isn’t how normal people behave. They are starting with a destination (relatives, national park, etc.) and then choosing how to get there.

	▲	kccqzy 16 hours ago \| parent [-]
		That's not how normal people behave. If people choose a faraway destination first they are implicitly assuming they will fly there.