So the long story is DH's grandfather isn't doing too well, and he lives in Lake Placid, NY. If he makes it to Thanksgiving we were tossing around the idea to go (when we lived in NY we went every year!) to see him and the rest of DH's family. But, we don't have the money to pay for three plane tickets (DD is over two, so she needs a seat, boo), so we would ::clearsthroat:: drive. It is about 31 hours. Would you drive 31 hours in the car with a two and a half year old and an eight month old? Are we nuts? Will it be that bad? What is the longest drive you ever took with your LO and how did it go?
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Have you added up what it really would cost to drive?
Even if you just look at cost of gas, at least one meal/day on the road, the extra time off work, and possible extra nights in hotels.
It may not be that much cost different if you look at all that.
Would you drive 31 hours straight? I know my parents did a 22 hour drive with us as kids and we would sometimes have to stop for the night.
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I think anything is possible, and while it's not ideal it's totally possible and to see an ailing family member I would do it. I might consider renting a minivan (if you don't have one). I feel like that would give everyone more room to move around (if you or your DH needs to go back and check on the kiddo's or tend to them. On our vacation this past summer, at one point we were driving on the bridge from PEI back to New Brunswick and LO was loosing her mind. I eneded up crawling into the back seat and leaning over her carseat to nurse her. Not my finest moment, but it calmed DD down and saved our sanity when we couldn't pull over.
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@thehistoryofus I totally said the same thing to my husband, but he doesn't care. Apparently slowly shelling out the money is better than one lump sum. We talked about it a little and thought the huge chunks of driving would be done in the middle of the night while the little ones are sleeping.
@prettylizy I love the idea of renting a van, we should look into how much that would cost. When DD was just 4 months old we drove 8 hours from Buffalo NY to Long Island, and that was pretty miserable, I had to do something similar to get her to calm down.
My husband seems to be more resolved about going the more we talk about it.... I'm just a little nervous. That's a LONG time in a car for two little kiddos....
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@prettylizy: Ive totally done that too lol. Matter of fact I did it like 3 weekends ago in the back seat of our SUV driving from Syracuse back to NYC when Liv was hysterical and we were stuck in traffic. Luckily we have those sunshades on the back windows lol.
Anyways, to OP, I wouldnt do it. Call me selfish, but Liv HATES the car. HATES. 31 hours in a car would be an eternity for her. As it is we have to leave at her bedtime so we drive while she is sleeping, even for short trips to my parents (3-4 hours.) But pp did have a good point. factor in total cost of driving versus flying. With gas, it could be very close cost-wise.
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I probably wouldn't do it, but I'd make DH get on a plane and go see his grandpa.
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Nope! My brother and SIL drive 12 hours each way down every Christmas and that is hard enough on my nephews. The drive down they do over night since it is a better shot the boys will sleep the whole way. They usually never do though. No way I would do 31. Is that each way? Or round trip?
While I understand it is a lot of money to fork over all at once, given the circumstance I wouldn't question it. For you DH to spend time with his grandfather one last time is priceless. I would give anything to spend another day with mine.
I also agree wear and tear on your car or rental, gas, foods, hotel, is going to add up fast. You probably will spend just as much as flights.
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I would absolutely do it. I would regret it if we didn't. Family is too important. Money doesn't mean squat without family
Sorry if that sounds harsh but having lost too many family members I realize the importance of family. Your kids might surprise you and do much better than you think.
Does Amtrak go near you to somewhere near Lake Placid? Would that be an option?
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I would say yes it's a little crazy to consider this
I've made those kinds of drives myself, but I don't think I would dream of it with kids in town.Based on driving 3810 Miles, that's approx 152.4 Gallons of gas for a family sedan. That would cost about $559.62 in Fuel, plus any lodging expenses.
For $239 each, you can get to Hartford, CT via Delta Airlines which is a 4 hour drive away. I'm guessing if you manage to catch a good sale, you'd be able to pay that to get to Burlington, VT which is an hour away.
I'd hold out for a fare sale!
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I would do it. But I spent a lot of time in the car growing up. One other option may be the train? We did Amtrak from SoCal to the bay area and it was perfect. My sister drives from Vermont to utah every year with her kids.
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I don't have LOs, but there is no way I could ride 31 hours in the car. I would go crazy. In this situation I would buy the plane tickets. If the whole family couldn't go I'd definitely get one for my husband.
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@blackbird: I think this might be the best suggestion short of just paying to fly. It totally sucks to have to have your husband away from you, but honestly, it will be so stressful for the whole family if you drive.
We are doing the New York to Indiana drive to see my family at Christmas, but with only a 7 month old and a bulldog and I'm kind of dreading it. We have done it several times without the baby, but never with her. It's about 12 hours each way, so not nearly as challenging as your drive.
The other thing is, is there any chance your family might help you out with the cost? I know every family is different and some are more willing than others to do this sort of thing, but maybe if your husband's parents could split the flight cost and maybe count that as your Christmas gift or something? I don't know, it just seems like it would be worth it since I'm sure they want to see your family as much as you want to see all of them.
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Wow 31 hours sounds like a long time for kids, unless you plan to do stop and sleep in a hotel half way there. I agree that I would look for a deal on plane fare
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We did 16 hours one way this summer (plus additional extensive travel) when DD was 2, and DS was 3 months. We did it all in one chunk ( a few stops for bathroom, gas, food, etc...) and it wasn't bad at all. Fwiw, we priced out renting an RV for the trip, and the cost would have been much higher than just flying. We have a 7 person SUV, so renting a van would not have made sense for us personally, since we already have plenty of space.
In your situation, I think it would be doable over a longer period of time. Say, 2 days/nights of travel instead of one (like we did). My best advice is to leave after lunch and drive through the kid's naps. Stop for playtime/dinner/bedtime routine, and then drive through the night until they get up for the morning. Using this strategy, we were able to drive almost through and the kid's slept the majority of the time.
I've made those kinds of drives myself, but I don't think I would dream of it with kids in town.Reply
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