We typically try to avoid them. However with that being said we quickly realized if we intended to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time in the Northeast we had to pay the tolls. Considering how far we went they really were not as expensive as we thought they would be. On the flip side of the coin we took a toll road in Houston which I believe was HWY 1960. It cost a fortune to travel a short distance. It did not take long for us to jump off and find our own route.