Drive or fly with kids?

[koima]

We're planning a trip to DL next spring with our two kids, who will be 4.5 and 18 months. We live 8 hours away and haven't decided if we're going to fly or drive.

Flying has the advantage of being faster, of course, but with kids, there is a lot of stuff to bring along - stroller, two carseats, and obviously luggage. Wrangling the kids and the stuff makes it not so appealing a process!

Driving would cut two days off of our vacation, one in each direction, and our car doesn't have a huge trunk so we'd still need to pack light. It would be cheaper than flying, though, and we'd have our own car for site seeing in the area.

What would you suggest?

 

[Queen Elisabeth]

We live about the same distance away, and we always drive when we need to go down to that area. We make sure to go to bed really early and then get up early at about 3am or so, throw the kids in the car in their jammies, and head out. That way we only miss about half of the day and the kids sleep for half of the trip. It's way less fuss than flying, plus with the little ones around I feel more secure having my car close just in case we need it.

 

[ORMom2Four]

If we were only an 8 hour drive away, we would for sure!

 

[disheadz]

If its fly and have 5 days in the parks or drive and have 3- fly!

 

[abouley]

I'd drive. We are about 6 hours away and always drive! It's so much easier to have your own car, not have to deal with carseats, the airport, the stroller, etc! Plus, it'll be much less expensive. We usually leave super early as well (3 or 4 am and get part of a day in that first day even if it's just at DT disney or at the pool)!

Alison

 

[koima]

Queen Elisabeth, we're in Palo Alto, so probably not terribly far from you in the Bay Area. I like the idea of driving down with them in their jammies! Just transfer them from bed to the car and avoid the morning meltdown and slow starts, fights over breakfast and what to wear.

 

[Queen Elisabeth]

Exactly! It generally goes really nicely for us. Just make sure to get those little travel pillows for them to avoid sore necks, and bring something non-messy for them to munch on whenever they wake up.

 

[blackssrider00]

We always drive its much easier don’t have to deal with TSA and the rules and regulation that come with flying. We live in San Jose what we do is usually drive at 5pm get there around 1030 we don’t hit any traffic at all in LA it just works for us. Plus having your own car you can make stops if you forget something.

 

[jenpace]

Another vote for driving The other thing to remember about flying is that you have to get to the airport way before the flight takes off, deal with airport parking and then when you arrive deal with the shuttle or rental car. All of that can be stressful in of itself for little kids.

BTW, a portable DVD player can be a real lifesaver on long car trips with kids if you don't have one built in to your car already

 

[mechurchlady]

I agree with Jenpace. You spend so much time in the airports that you almost could have been at the hotel if you drove.

You do not need luggage and can stuff diapers, kid clothing and lots of stuff in the trunk if you use duffle bags. Iron is small if you must have wrinkle free clothing.There is space under the baby's feet to store stuff and under the passenger seat as well. You can bring things you need like a toaster or iron, toys, and food that would cost you way more. You might also look into a luggage rack and there are some that attach temporarily.

 

[blackjackdelta]

We are about 17-18 hours away and have never flown. Even when the kids were little like yours, eight hours is really nothing and it allows you to bring what you want with you.

Jack

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We live about the same distance away and always drive. We consider flying every time, then we think again... Here are the advantages we have come up with to drving:

-Cheaper. Once you factor in cost of parking at the airport, transfers too and from the hotel or rental car, it is way more expensive.
-We can take our own food for breakfast's, snack's or lunch's. Yes you can have it delivered but you usually need to be there and it's more expensive.
-Pain in the neck to take kids and all their stuff on a plane.
-By driving you have the freedom to run to Target or dinner.

 

[peppermint]

Definitely drive! Flying is a hassle with little ones; and having a car and being able to bring everything you need is really convenient. Mine isn't so little anymore, but I still like to drive. I'm only 6 hours away, but by the time you deal with the airport and transfers it's not really much faster to fly.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I wanted to jump back in and share that we have decided that if we can get reasonable airfare for our annual December trips we will likely fly. Only because last time we got stuck because the grapevine was closed. We had to go around and a 6.5 hour trip turned into 12 hours. Thank goodness we didn't have the kids, I can't even imagine how miserable that would have been.

 

[rmom]

Queen Elisabeth, we're in Palo Alto, so probably not terribly far from you in the Bay Area. I like the idea of driving down with them in their jammies! Just transfer them from bed to the car and avoid the morning meltdown and slow starts, fights over breakfast and what to wear.

We are in san Jose. We were just down there last week and drove. It took about 6 - 6 1/2 hours,(left at 7:30am- we go I-5 (101-152-5) - 2 stops), and one tank of gas. It saves us money, we have our own car and can take more. I figured with having to drive and park at the airport, get there 1 1/2 hr early, fly, wait for luggage, get a car - it is almost as long as driving.

catherine

 

[PinkBudgie]

We are in Sonoma County and it is an 8 hour drive for us. I have both flown down and driven down. Both seem to take the same amount of time because it takes so long at the airport and then you need to wait for a bus from the airport to the hotel. At least with a car you can bring what you want- case of water, etc. And have room to bring things back without worry if it will fit in the suitcase. It is just easier to drive. We leave at 6am arrive in the afternoon.

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

We live in AZ - it's a 7 hr drive. We have a DVD player, we got about 3 movies in & we brought all our food we wanted/needed. That was the advantage. Now when we go we like to bring our dog (beach NOT DL!) so that's another reason we don't fly.

When we've traveled to CA & our DS was younger (@ 7 mos & 23 mos) we had to stop more often. We didn't bring lunch or eat in the car, we stopped & ate. Plus my DS for some strange reason was never a car sleeper!

Our gripe about flying is paying for it, lugging carseats & stroller, getting there, waiting, flying, keeping kids happy, more waiting & lines, freeways....by the time all the airport stuff is done we've wasted 4-5 hrs of our day! I'd rather be in MY car w/ MY family listening to MY music or movies. I'll fly to Oregon (drove there last summer!) ...but not CA.

For us driving is just easier. It depends on the family I think.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm so jealous.

I grew up in San Jose, and I don't know what was wrong, but that was an 11 hour drive. Back then airfare was SO much more expensive than it is today (not just by inflation, but in plain old dollars it was more) so driving was the way to go, and we rarely went b/c it took so long. This was only in the 70s and we had cars that went highway speeds, so I'm confused.


And what's even more confusing, is that on a bigger trip for my HS reunion in '07, we drove from Aptos to Anaheim. We started the "clock" from the donut shop right near the freeway entrance, and it took us TWELVE hours to get to PPH. We stopped for lunch and one or two bathroom breaks, and that's it.


So I'm jealous of people who can actually get from the Bay Area to Anaheim in the time it's supposed to take! Because we seem to have a black hole vortex effect goin' on...


And I would still probably fly if I lived 8 hours drive away (and managed to make it in 8 hours), because it's statistically safer and I now, ever since a BAD drive to Montana, hate most driving with a burning passion.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I'm so jealous.

I grew up in San Jose, and I don't know what was wrong, but that was an 11 hour drive. Back then airfare was SO much more expensive than it is today (not just by inflation, but in plain old dollars it was more) so driving was the way to go, and we rarely went b/c it took so long. This was only in the 70s and we had cars that went highway speeds, so I'm confused.


And what's even more confusing, is that on a bigger trip for my HS reunion in '07, we drove from Aptos to Anaheim. We started the "clock" from the donut shop right near the freeway entrance, and it took us TWELVE hours to get to PPH. We stopped for lunch and one or two bathroom breaks, and that's it.


So I'm jealous of people who can actually get from the Bay Area to Anaheim in the time it's supposed to take! Because we seem to have a black hole vortex effect goin' on...


And I would still probably fly if I lived 8 hours drive away (and managed to make it in 8 hours), because it's statistically safer and I now, ever since a BAD drive to Montana, hate most driving with a burning passion.

That's odd. Did you take 5 down? We make quick stops at reststops and maybe 20 min at one of them to eat lunch.

 

[ScrapperKimmyD]

We live about 6 hours away if you go in our car. About 8 hours away if my friend drives you. If you leave early in the morning, you can get there in time to settle into your room and check out DTD that evening. If you're up to it (my DH usually is) you could leave after spending the day in the park and drive home after while the kids sleep in the car. If one of you is a night owl (like my DH) it's very doable. If not, you could do a character breakfast on the day you leave, then drive home, which is my preferred way to go. That way, it doesn't feel like such a let down when you do head for home.