Our family never travels on the airline because it is much cheaper for us to drive ourselves. Yes, it does take longer on the road, but the prices of 4 airline tickets, luggage fees and airport parking is just nuts. This year was a little different and we chose to fly because my husband was invited on a very nice hunting trip in South Texas that he just couldn’t pass up. The kids and I went on to visit family, while my husband went to his hunting trip in a private plane. Sounds exciting, huh?
So much nicer than the United Express plane that the boys and I took. Our plane was cramped with 2 seats on one side and one side across the isle. Check out the inside of the private plane!
This hunt consisted of deer, javelina, hogs and Nilgai Antelope.
Javelina Photo Credit: arlenemourier.wordpress.com
Nilgai Antelope Bull Photo Credit: AllAboutExotics.com
My husband had lots of fun, and hopes he will get another chance to visit the ranch again. Once his hunt was over, he was flown back home and then he headed out the next day on United Express to meet the kids and I in Kentucky where we spent our Thanksgiving. It was nice to be able to catch the plane and be home within 2 and a half hours instead of a 14 hour drive, but Christmas time is a bad time of the year to pay for such an expensive trip. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t change a thing because this hunt was amazing and without the invite, my husband wouldn’t have been able to have that experience because hunting trips like that cost way more than our airline costs.
Back to our airline costs, we were adding everything up on our way back home and the airlines were “dipping in” every which way possible. I knew there would be a $25 suitcase fee so the kids and I each carried on 2 small bags and left the rest of our stuff with Michael to bring on the suitcase when he came. I was thinking a flat $25 fee, but I was wrong, it was $25 fee each time you boarded, so the one suitcase cost us $50 to pack along with us. If a family of four were to each bring a suitcase, that would be a total of $200 there and back just in baggage fees. It would be much cheaper to just buy enough small bags for everyone to have carry on luggage. This requires more organization and sometimes means leaving a few “liquid” or are-sol items behind, but you can always buy them when you get there if need be.
Now that we had paid the $50 extra in luggage fees, we headed to airport parking where the parking fees totaled $85.00! Driving on vacation is a hassle, but with all the added fees, it is just the best policy unless you are traveling alone. How do you travel: road trips, airlines or by bus?