meeting locally vs an hour drive away... whats actually less stressful

every couple weve really clicked with has been at least 45min away which i think isnt a coincidence, but logistically its a pain in the arse. sitter for longer, hotel cost, driving home knackered at 2am... vs the few local couples weve met where its been "see you at 8pm see you at 11pm home in time for a cuppa". but the local ones have all been just OK and the further away ones have been the magic ones. is everyone else experiencing this and just sucking it up or are we missing local gold cos we keep getting distracted by interesting profiles further afield