Are there lessons only learnt the hard way?

It's not always that I am downright stubborn, spiteful, and refuse to yield to advice. Sometimes, I just think people exaggerate a bit, or that I may be a bit more flexible than they are, a bit more tolerant or willing to trade inconvenience for other benefits. I have different views about things compared to other people. Don't we all?

My dilemma comes in the form of airfare this time. We (Maryland/DC area) are graced with 3 different airports: BWI, DCA and IAD. I've never flown out of DCA/IAD, but the main one I use, BWI, is the best of the three. And according to people, it is the best of the three by more than 50 miles' worth of praise. Even when BWI is over $150 more expensive than the alternatives, people have told me to stick with it because the headache isn't worth it.

I am not looking to discredit people or to let my naivety show by saying that it can't be THAT bad. I could bite my tongue for a few hours, if that puts $150 back into my pocket. I'm still playing with this vacation idea, but I get the feeling that going against popular advice may make me regret things later. Or not. It could go without issues and be pleasant AND cheap.

I was wondering, are there things you do that make sense to you, against all outside voices of reason? Are there lessons you've been told about, but you just had to find the hard way?

I know I did. EFs sounded like a bright and fluffy idea, but after having my EF complete, it's like a weight off my shoulders that I didn't even know was there. I have no idea why I didn't listen to it earlier! Likewise, I've gone against popular opinion in some of my debt-paying endeavors, and had a much better result than if I had just listened. Guess it's a split when it comes to new things.

More moving for me this weekend, but hopefully by Saturday night I'll be somewhere with internet! SO excited. Have a good one, all!