Long road trips can be a lot of fun or total torture. Usually they're a little of each, hopefully tipping more towards the fun. Flying often seems like the much simpler choice, but buying plane tickets is a Big Decision when you have a Big Family. How do you know when to drive, and when to fly? It's almost always cheaper to drive, but occasionally the length of the trip is so long that flying can actually be a better option (think about all the meals you will have to pay for while on the road and how many motel rooms you'll be staying in, not to mention extra days of work may be missed). The cost can be hard to calculate when ticket prices keep fluctuating. Then if you do decide to fly, how do you get a good deal on plane tickets when you buy them?
I personally haven't flown with my kids since my third was my youngest, and I had a 3 year old, a just-turning-two year old, and a 6 month old. We wanted to visit my parents, and at the time I couldn't fathom making the 12+ hour drive alone with my kids. What if they cried while I was driving? How would I ever deal with it. *Gasp* Flying seemed to be our only option, so we flew. And it was fairly expensive, and kind of a nightmare. Flying itself wasn't terrible, but it got a little crazy when my almost-2 year old wanted out of his carseat exactly when my baby fell asleep and now I couldn't reach the fun things I'd brought to keep the toddlers busy (I'm sure the passengers nearby loved us). And getting through security alone with three kids, two carseats, a couple of carry-ons and a stroller is a special slice of hell.
In fact, it was so difficult that when Christmas came, only a few months later, I opted to drive. I convinced my sweet sister to drive up with us, and my husband flew there and drove home with us, so I wasn't alone. And even though it was just about as challenging as I thought it would be (think snowstorms, little kids sick of their carseats, and an 8 month old too young to be entertained by things like crayons or fun snacks), it was actually not that bad. In fact, it was kind of... fun?
And it was definitely cheaper, which as you know, is a huge consideration. And thus began a decade of road trips, culminating in our drive across the country two summers ago when we moved to Boston.
And now we find ourselves with the same kind of situation as that one more than 10 years ago: I have a baby, a bunch of kids, and a drive that seems impossible. Boston to Oregon with six kids? Not really a recipe for sanity. So although after telling you this story just now, I just got a little bit excited about the prospect of driving, I will walk away from the crazy and go back to my plan for buying plane tickets. This time, driving just isn't going to work. It's a five-full-day drive (each way!), and my baby will be about 8 months old - once again too old to just sleep all day and too young to be distracted by fun snacks and toys.
So. How do I decide when to fly, and when to drive? I guess it boils down to two things: am I capable of making the drive, and do I have enough money to fly? This year, as hard as it is to admit (because I am Super Road Trip Mom), I'm just not up to making that drive. And more importantly, this year, we do have enough money to buy seven (thank-goodness-for-lap-children-or-it-would-be-eight!) plane tickets.
If we hadn't saved up enough money, we either wouldn't be going at all (just like last summer... we were so sad) or we would be driving, no matter how difficult it would be. I cannot tell you how glad I am that neither of those is the case this summer.
On to the next question: how do you get a good deal on plane tickets? I'm sorry to say, I don't have many tricks. Probably because of my lack of experience here. If my husband traveled more for work, and we had more frequent-flyer miles, we'd use those. As it is, we have enough for his ticket, which is great, but still only a small fraction of an eight-person trip. What I've really done is to just type all the trip information into a couple of those travel-search sites (www.orbitz.com is my favorite so far), every few days, and watch the prices. If it's cheap enough, I'll buy. Actually, I had some big-purchase-anxiety hit me, and I may have missed the best price. Luckily there are still some good prices still available.
So now I'm going to say something a little bit out of character here: It's important to remember that a good price is good enough. Sometimes we get so caught up in getting the best price that we forget it's only money. Yes. I just said that. It's only money. It's not a contest to see who can buy the cheapest plane tickets.
Is it worth the stress to haggle and worry and search? Maybe. Sometimes. But not always. If I can afford it, and have decided it is something we are going to buy, then it's okay to spend the money. If I can't afford it, then the price isn't right no matter how low it is. For me right now, the Best Price is the one I can afford on the thing I need.
If you are trying to find lower prices on plane tickets, there are a few simple "tricks" to try. I didn't make them up, so I'm not going to take credit for them, but if you want to see them you can click here: Find Cheaper Flights. Good luck, and enjoy your trip! I know I will. ;)
Kate
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