MBS International Airport (MBS) serves Michigan's tri-cities region - Saginaw, Midland and Bay City - a mid-Michigan area built around manufacturing, agriculture and Great Lakes access, and a rental car is the practical way to move between the three cities and the surrounding countryside, since they sit far enough apart that walking or relying on limited local transit is not realistic for most visitors. The airport is a modest regional facility, with rental desks run by international and local operators, and the lower passenger volumes here typically mean a quick, low-hassle pickup compared with larger Midwest hubs.
From MBS, Midland, home to a major chemical-industry presence and a well-regarded downtown, is roughly fifteen to twenty minutes southwest, while Saginaw lies a similar distance to the south along connecting state highways. Bay City, sitting where the Saginaw River meets Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron, is around twenty to twenty-five minutes northeast, offering a different, more maritime character than the inland tri-cities core. Many visitors combine all three in a single day trip given how compact the region is by Michigan standards, and the Great Lakes Bay region's flat, well-signed roads make that kind of loop easy to plan on short notice.
Driving is on the right throughout the United States, and the roads connecting the tri-cities are generally well-maintained state highways and local routes, flat and straightforward for the most part, with light to moderate traffic outside rush hour. Michigan has no toll roads in this part of the state, so the drive is toll-free throughout. Winters here bring real snow and ice typical of the Great Lakes region, so a vehicle with good tires and a bit of extra caution between roughly November and March serves this stretch of mid-Michigan well, particularly on rural roads outside the three main cities.