Am I crazy?

[4LowNGo]

So my wife wants to take the kids to Disneyworld. She wants to fly because she can't imagine a 14 plus hour drive with our would be then 9 and 4 year old's. I have no desire to fly and she jokingly says leave a day early and take the trailer, I laugh. Later I started to think about it and wonder if it's not a bad idea after all. Drive about halfway (Savannah GA possible) and find a place to crash overnight then continue on. Crazy??

[14george]

No your not crazy I would go about half way then drive the rest of the way

[Outback 325BH]

I live in IL and have done two trips to Orlando: one by car and one by air. Although I could drive straight through, with the family I got a hotel at the mid-way point. (Actually we drove 3/4 the way on the first day.)

Even gas and hotel stays, it was way cheaper than flying. This is especially true if you want a car.

For us, one drive day equaled a fly day... so in total, we only spent two extra days for driving vs flying.


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[theallde]

Let's see - flying with two children, TSA hassles, baggage hassles, etc. or TT. Nothing against children or TSA but the decision is a no brainer in my opinion, hook up the TT and go. Either way - enjoy Disneyworld.

[GaryWT]

Is the plan for you to drive and she is going to fly with the kids? Not crazy but I think it would be more fun with everyone. We took the train once, 28 hours Boston to Orlando. Glad we did it but never again...

[JRTJH]

I'd say hitch up the trailer, put the kids in the back seat with a couple of toys to occupy their time and head out with a plan to stop at a "full service" campground early in the afternoon so they can "run their energy out"....

Kids only are with us for a short time. I know it seems like "forever" during the "growing years" but looking back, it seems like only yesterday we were planning trips just like you're doing now. My daughter and son both still talk about some of the trips we made. Camping in Venice, in a grape orchard with bees in our breakfast cereal, being chased by a monkey (actually a man in a suit) at Universal Studios, even playing Operation on a rainy afternoon when we were stuck inside.

Their memories will more than make up for your "inconveniences" in years to come.

No, I'm not laying on a "guilt trip" but you've only got a few years to spend with them before they will be more interested in their friends than in "mom and dad"...... Spend it wisely !!!

[Ken / Claudia]

No not crazy.
Neighbor is leaving at Thanksgiving vacation taking grandkids and their parents. 14 in all to Dinseyland in his giant motorhome. He said they have a lot of fun and enjoy traveling that way. They drive straight thru. But, they have several drivers. I do it in 2 days.

[sourdough]

My vote is for the trailer. Not a big deal. Offers so many more conveniences. I quit flying when I was still working unless it was a short timeline and a long distance - TX > IL or NY.
14 hours isn't a huge trip and you could do it in a couple of 7 hour days or more and give yourself to look at all the cool stuff in between. And as John pointed out, you are in the golden years with your kids - they come and go very quickly....plus, the hassles of trying to fly anymore seem unending.

[Alpine]

Oh yah... no question about it, take the Travel Trailer! Your own bathroom your own beds, your own food, etc. etc.. Memories are Priceless!!!

[CaptnJohn]

Take the TT and kids! We did when there were no Xbox, cell phones or anything else. Girls are in their 40s now and still talk about those trips. In order to stay an extra day I did the return trip in 16 hours.

[busterbrown]

In our first year as new travel trailer owners, the DW and I took our 3 young boys, ages 1, 2, and 6 to Fort Wilderness via the I-75 trek from Michigan. We left around 9pm and drove to Lake City, Fl, stopping the next morning for breakfast right outside Macon, GA. The kids slept the entire night in their car seats with plenty of blankets and pillows on hand. The wife and I took turns driving (the Hensley Hitch made that possible) and we arrived in Florida with cooler temps than when we left Michigan.

We stayed overnight in a Lake City full service CG and finished off our journey the next day, arriving at the Fort around 1 pm. Only hiccup was a tropical storm threatening the area our last scheduled day. The resort was nice enough to refund our last night and we left 1 day early.

Rule of thumb for my family: if we can travel nocturnally, all the better as kids do what kids do at night: SLEEP.

We're in the planning stages for our big trip next summer to Yellowstone, G. Teton, and the Black Hills of SD. We'll end up doing the same thing.

[Desert185]

Avoid TSA, airport pain, folding table cooties and kids kicking the back of your seat in a cramped airplane seat. Take the trailer with the kids. A family adventure for all, and someone on that flight you didn't take may appreciate not having your kids kicking their seat.

Taking the trailer is my kind of crazy.

[Silver Britches]

I'm doing it in a couple of weeks with my and 7-year old and 3-year old. Leaving NE Alabama on a Friday, stopping in Valdosta, finishing up the next day. Portable DVD players help.

[Laredo291OH]

In the last 6 years my kids who are now 16 and 11 have traveled to 27 states (that includes the trip to Disney) with a goal of having them to the lower 48 before my oldest graduates. You have paid for the camper, why not use it? We have mostly traveled during the day, with all the electronics (ipads, kindles, iphones, laptops, video players, etc) any more you barely hear a peep out of the back seat. Just make sure you have an inverter to keep everything powered. What you do hear is me yelling at the kids to put down the electronics and look out the window.

[bsmith0404]

We have traveled all over the country with our kids, between DVD players, tablets, phones and such, we hardly hear a word from them. We've done the flying/hotel trips and we've done many RV trips. When it comes down to the differences, relaxing at night around a campfire vs cramped in a hotel room, eating home cooked meals vs restaurant or pizza all week, being able to take a day to relax and just hang out at the camper/campground, can't really do that in a hotel (the kids will drive you insane) are all reasons I would take the RV every time. It's a much more relaxing/enjoyable vacation.

[notanlines]

After you have experienced Disneyworld for a few days during the Thanksgiving crowd, the last thing on your mind will be the differences between flying and taking the trailer. If you haven't been there during that time you are in for the shock of your life. I hope you like crowds, serious crowds! And I vote for the trailer, by the way.

[byrdr1]

Don't have a dog in this show. BUT I would vote for the trailer.
We used too when the kids were young head out around 8-9pm and drive most of the night. Drove straight through to Kimmisee most times. MY kids flew one time with my mom and my wife and i drove we picked them up at the airport. We left that evening(not planned) while they stayed with her and they flew out the next morning. MY wife and I drove all night and met them at the airport. Nice trip.
MY kids still talk about our trips to Disney and Daytona Beach. They slept we drove. NOW I was much younger and not even sure I could drive all night anymore but with my camper in tow. split the drive into two days 7 hours each day. ITS very doable. You have got to stop and smell the roses along the way.
Heck I drove 1250 miles in 3 days this summer twice.. I did not split that up the way I planned but it all worked out.

Have fun.....
Randy
PS my baby girl will be 22 in two months and graduating college in May, They dont stay young long, believe you me!
RB

[BirchyBoy]

I routinely have my wife fly ahead and I'll meet her at our final destination. Then, the dogs and I hit the road.

[4LowNGo]

Yea I don't have a problem driving with the kids. Wife thinks traveling with the kids would be a handful. Not sure if she was joking or not about flying and me towing but I don't think it's that crazy of an idea if that's what she wants. If that's what it takes to stay in my camper over a hotel/motel room.....

[crash]

I would hook up and head out with the camper .Its best to stay in your own place instead of a motel room.JM2CENTS