Fly or drive? HELP!

[lovemy3girls]

Hi everyone! We are going to Disney Oct.1st to the 7th. (Me, DH, and 3 DD's). We have been planning on driving, but with the cost of gas these days, I have been looking into airfare. We would be flying out of Philadelphia, and I found 49$ one way, which I think is pretty good. It adds up to $585.00 total to fly. Do you think it would be a lot cheaper to drive? Stopping one night in a hotel each way, plus all of the eating out for the 2 days of driving, and tolls, could be close pricewise. Plus, our minivan has 86,000 miles on it and that makes me nervous, too. What is everyones opinion on this? I just don't know what to do!

 

[Tara]

Guessing on expenses:

Gas - $250 (2200 miles, 25mpg @ 2.79/gal=$242)
Hotel - $150 ($75 each way)
Food - $200?? (could vary greatly depending on whether you pack snacks, how old your girls are, etc.)
Tolls - I honestly have no idea...$20 each way? $40 total?

Don't forget to factor in parking in Philadelphia if you fly. Would you use Magical Express when you arrive or rent a car? If rental or car service, factor that in as well.

Personally, the cost savings to drive would have to be much bigger than what you're likely facing here to convince me to ever make that drive!

 

[gabbysmom04]

my husband and I were planning on driving from ny until we too found airfare for $49 each way. We are not buying our DD1 a seat, hoping for the best. It will cost us a little over 200 to fly. We figured that we would spend more on gas alone. Then we would need a hotel for a night on the way down and back. Meals while we are driving! And on top of all that the stress of having to drive 20 something hours. Flying is the way to go! Now I just have to figure out how to pack!

 

[airplane]

Time is money!
Fly and relax, it's vacation.

 

[maxaroni]

Howdy Neighbor...

We are driving and live very close to you. However, our situation is a bit different as my dh can use the company vehicle and has gas & tolls pd by the company for pesonal use. Also, my mom is seriously ill and for us to fly, I didn't want non-refundable tkts. Therefore, it really is inexpensive for us to drive. However, if that wasn't the case, I'd fly.....

Whatever you decide, have a great trip! Perhaps, i'll see you around the neighborhood!!

 

[lovemy3girls]

Thanks everyone, for your advice. We are still not sure what we are going to do. I am leaning towards flying, my husband is leaning towards driving (mainly because he had a bad experience with losing his bags one time, and he is afraid our bags will get lost and it will ruin our vacation). We have also talked about amtrak, but I don't think it is much cheaper than flying. Guess we have a little bit more time to think about it.......Thanks again!

 

[sunnygirl]

If he's worried about losing his bags, just make sure you each bring a carry-on with the basics in it (just in case). Last Dec my sister and I each had smallish bags on wheels that fit under the seats - and that's it. We didn't check anything, although that was only for 4 nights.

I also read a tip somewhere that you should spread everyone's clothes out in all the bags so if one bag gets lost, it doesn't mean that one person doesn't have any clothes.

Just wanted to share some ideas with you to help convince your DH. Whatever you do, have a magical trip!