IO540 - If you are regularly doing 800 nm trips in your own aircraft I'd suggest that you may have an income sufficient to fund an Instrument Rating. Having an IR and the appropriately equipped aircraft makes the requirement to fly "VFR on top" superflous (which is where this thread started), obviously subject to ice. The priviledges of the rating will also allow greater certainty of using your aircraft to get from A to B. And then if we compare IFR to VFR, especially in controlled airspace then I honestly believe that there is no contest! Having reasonable experience of both, IFR is by far and away the easiest method of getting from A to B.