help out a first time flyer

[loriandmatt]

we normally drive 16 hours each way - not bad with an older child, a DVD system and a hotel break each way

well, DD (13 months) does not travel well (have given her some test runs of 2 hour trips and 6 hour trips.) some times good, some times......horrible.

you can see where i am going with this...we have huge fears that she will flip out on that monster drive and make the trip a living hell for everyone involved.

i (a chick who has only flown once) am now looking into flying (with all my crap for a 10 day trip). What elements do i need to remember. flight, rental car, parking at our home airport...what else am i forgetting that might be an item i have to pay for?

also - DH is concerned because if driving, we don't need to have those funds in hand until we pull out of the drive way. with flying he and i are assuming that you need to pay for everything in full when you book it.

is that true? can i book any element of my travel expenses (flights, rental car, parking at home airport) with a credit card and then pay for them in cash when i check in?

- lori

 

[Tara]

If you book your flight ahead of time, you'll have to pay for it at booking. Your car rental can be guaranteed to a credit card (although most companies don't even require this) and nothing is charged until your rental is complete. You can elect to pay cash when you drop off your car. Unless you do a pre-paid deal for parking (our local park & fly offers a discount for reserving and pre-paying), you will pay for your airport parking once you return to the airport and retrieve your car.

Also factor in cash for any snacks/meals you'll need in transit, or cash for baggage handling tips if you use skycaps or curbside check-in.