IX attracts me simply because I can do more damage in less time for obvious reasons. I've only made the long trip to the States once and have since kept myself closer to home so to avoid those boring moments of waiting. Though in GWX I haven't got past March of 41 yet, so things could change my decisions in the future.
FYI, if you use SH3 Commander, one of the many options you have is to assign yourself any patrol grid you like, so to avoid taking the long trips just to get that extra renown for doing your 24hr patrol.
