yeah, driving is depressing as hell...I'd invest in a high performance folding bike (tern or BF) if I'm traveling often

Also, on tapering:
I tapered for a week before my first marathon, really though you just need enough time for your muscles to fully heal and to load up on carbs...3-5 days should be enough (2 days to overcome accumulated muscle fatigue/microtrauma, during which you can do light cardio, and 3 days to carbo load)