Help me plan!

[la79al]

It looks like we are heading to DW in late 2012 or early 2013. It's a girls only trip and it looks like there will be 4 or 5 adults and my 2 girls who will be about 2 and almost 5. We are staying off-site in a condo. We talked briefly last week and I am the only one in favor of driving versus flying. I figure with so many of us able to drive (our minivan), no one should get there tired. Then someone pointed out that they would not be able to take off more than M-F so if we drive (from PA) we would lose that first day in DW. I looked into hypothetical van rental prices, airfare, amtrak and it looks like hypothetically my girls and I could do the autotrain for about the same price as air/van rental. I figure that way we would not have to worry about lugging carseats through the airport or paying to rent them, plus no one would have to worry about luggage fees. The only thing that I am worried about is being in charge of 2 small kids by myself on the autotrain, not behavior-wise but I would be too worried about them to sleep. And getting a room would make it cost more than the flying/renting combo. So what are your thoughts? Are my hypothetical numbers probably way too high and we should just all fly? Am I being paranoid and my kids will be fine on the train?

 

[deakam]

I think you are a little ahead of yourself. A Lot of things can and probably will change between now and 2012 or 2013. I don't think you can even price out a plane ticket for then yet. Relax..it is a vacation. It will all work out in the end. By the time you go some may drop out and the whole plan could change.

I have been planning a Sept 2011 trip since Oct 2010. The plan has changed 3 times. I think it is pretty much set now but I still have 1 person not sure if she is going and another that has no plane ticket yet. I am sure that before too long it will all settle into place. Wait a few more months and check rates again.

If gas prices keep going up, renting a gas guzzling 7 seater could be really cheap. And if people stop traveling due to increased costs, airfares could drop. Anything can happen between now and then.