Travel Planning

Right now, we're tossing around the idea of getting to visit some of his family, in southern Texas.

We're in Omaha, and the closest airport to our destination is McAllen.

Simple enough, then, to log on to any old travel site and pop in those airports.  Tonight I am using travelocity and saying that my travel dates are flexible, so it will show me the best rate available any time between now and June.

$636, round trip, per person.  

It's results like that that make vacation planning difficult!  There's no need to panic, though, or to assume we can't take a vacation.  This post will be a bit about the process I take as I decide how much I think this trip should cost us.

OK, the ideal travel plan, flying from the airport that is 3 miles from my house to the closest airport will run us $1272, assuming we only take carry on bags or use an airlines with free baggage.

Travelocity recommends I fly from Sioux City, Iowa to Brownsville, Texas, instead.  Plane tickets for that trip will run me only $238 per person.   However, Sioux City is 90 miles away, which means I will need to plan my travel TIME carefully.  I'll also need to park at the airport......  a quick Google search, and I know two things.  1) Parking will run me $7 per day.  Depending on our trip, this will be $21 to $49 cost. 2) the code for this airport is SUX.  Which has no effect on anything, but makes me laugh.   Since Brownsville is also an hour away from the end destination, we would also want to rent a car.  Another quick search, this time on Priceline, tells me car rental rates in Brownsville are roughly $22 per day.  (Although mid-size cars are oddly the same price as compacts...)  There's $30-$50 of taxes and fees to consider, as well.  Not to mention gas to consider ~ 300 miles, round trip, between the two airports.   As of this moment, (according to Mapquest), gas prices here are $3.50, and at my destination they are $3.40.  So, 300 miles at $3.45/gal, and I am looking at roughly $41 in fuel costs.     Overall, then, the least expensive airline ticket will cost us $700.

That still seems like a lot, considering we're not even looking at food, lodging or entertainment!  Plus, there's a lot of inconvenience factors to consider.  He doesn't love traveling, so 2 hours in a car, followed by 2 hours sitting at an airport, the flight itself, THEN picking up a rental car AND another hour in the car before we get to our destination better save us significant amount!

The next option one would always have to consider is driving.  In regards to convenience, see above.  Although I wouldn't mind a 20hour drive each way, I am not sure we want to spend 40 hours in a car together and call it a vacation.  But for the right price. . . .   Currently, using that $3.45 average price, and his car (a Nissan Cube, which gets 30mpg), we would be looking at $140 each way for gas.  We would also be looking at doubling his annual mileage!  An oil change before he leaves and one when he gets back would be another $50.   There are also tolls in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas to consider.  With two drivers, we can certainly drive 20 hours without getting a hotel room, but we would need to take at least one extra day off work to recover from the trip, and I would also be sure I had budgeted at least $100 to cover a roadside motel if needed. I would also have to figure foods and snacks for two or even three days of travel . . slightly more even than the above option.  Overall, my notes put the driving expense at $500. . .with a close eye on gas prices.  In terms of personal preference, I would put this option at slightly better then the driving & flying & driving.  Your own car, for me, is always a bonus, especially when it comes to packing.  You also have more freedom, when driving.  Less waiting around and NOT moving.  But driving is more tiring than sleeping on an airplane.

** Note:  If we used MY car, instead of his, the estimated gas cost would be $100 more than it is with his on this trip. For me the hurt of putting miles ON his car is out weighed by the benefit of his improved mileage.

The cost of a rental in Omaha would run me $80-$100 after fees (depending on how long we were gone & what size car we got).  If we got an Aveo, which is posted at 34 mpg, we could reduce our overall fuel costs to $250.  I wouldn't need to pay for the pre- and post-trip maintenance, so my costs would be less then $350.  Add the same meals and possible hotel room costs, and I would put the rental at the same $500, roughly, as driving his car.  No wear and tear on our car, though, I am not sure I want to roadtrip in a compact car.

After looking at all this, my next step would be to work on WHEN I want to travel, and getting $500-$800 set aside for our trip.  When I got to within 6 weeks of the trip, I would want to KNOW I would have the money (ie, have 80% of it already saved), then I would start my hard core bargain hunting.

First, I would recheck airfares.  Assuming they are unchanged, I would then priceline a flight, maybe for $200 each, round trip, Omaha to McAllen (That is the $600 flight normally.)  Afterall, if we CAN fly, we SHOULD.  

When that didn't work out, we would have to weigh time off from work, and look a bit closer at the Sioux City to Brownsville trip, and times.  Convenience is IMPORTANT on your vacations!   At the same time, I would be seeking car rental deals and sending off for MyPoints gas cards.   I would be aiming for a mid-size car for $50/week. . . if we decided we were definitely driving I would priceline something along those lines, because you just never know.

** Another note.  He just asked me, as I was sharing the results of tonight's initial research, about renting a car, turning it in when we got to Texas, and then picking up another car to drive back in.  This isn't always available, and is often MUCH more expensive.  However, every so often it is a good deal, so be sure to check.   For example, in the summers it seems a lot of people rent cars in Boston and drive to the coast of Maine. . . and stay there all summer.  So, renting a car IN Maine and returning it to Boston is doing the car rental company a bit of a favor. . .and is LESS expensive then simply renting from Boston.

Now. . . to convince him that saving over $700 is worth 2 days in a car. . .