WWYD: fly or drive with 2 little kids

[janine]

A friend invited us to their beach house. Thing is it is NC, 10hrs away. I'd love to go - we are lacking for summer vacation options and need a change of scene. They have kids same age,etc.

Our problem is the drive is 10hrs. Our kids are 3.5 and 8 mo's (will be 10mos when trip happens). That's a long way for one week vacation. If we split it, that's still 5hrs and 2 days lost each way.

We could fly, but then we'd need to rent a car once there - which means traveling with 2 carseats and all the other usual gear.

WWYD - or would you take a pass all together.

[AnnieW625]

Anything more than 7 hr. drive is flying time for us, and thankfully we don't have to do it that often. I would be tempted to do a 10 hr. drive if you left after dinner when the kids will sleep all night or if you leave at 4 am if the weather is nice, but seriously when you only have a week and you are already losing two days minimum of traveling the added expense and even traveling with baby gear via plane makes it all worth it to me (esp. if this is your only planned vacation).

I am not a huge fan of roadtrips though so please do keep that in mind when making your decision.

[wellyes]

Fly without a doubt.

[weech]

Fly without a doubt.

:yeahthat:

[ErinMC]

I would drive, but we are used to road trips here. We drive from MA to OH a few times a year to see my family, and that's a 9 hour drive. All 3 of my kids have been around 6 months old the first time we did the drive. And sometimes we've done it for long weekends if we had family weddings, etc that we couldn't take more time off for. Yes, it's exhausting to drive with little ones, but a week at the beach would make it worth it for me!

[buddyleebaby]

We've driven 12 hours with three little ones several times. The first time they were 11 months, almost 3, and just four.
It's a long trip but it really was not bad. We stopped for potty breaks as needed and for a long lunch halfway through, which really helped to break up the trip.
The kids entertained themselves for the most part.

[khalloc]

I would go. I might be tempted to drive and just do it in 1 day. 10 hours is not that much in 1 day. You and your DH could do it at night and split the time. I wouldnt do 5 hours each day for 2 days. Thats a waste of time.

If you can afford to fly and rent a car then thats a good option too. But if you cant afford it I would just drive.

[deborah_r]

Considering the age of your youngest, I might do the first day 7-8 hours, plan where you will stay the night, leaving only a short drive the next morning and not wasting that whole day with travel. That would be if you think the diaper change and feeding stops will be too much for one day. However, if they will sleep for a good chunk of it, I'd leave early and do the whole 10 hours in one day.

[cuca_]

Another vote for drive. But we've done several 20+ road trips (in 2 days). I think you can definitely drive 7 or 8 hours and then do 2 or 3 the next day. We usually leave really early in the morning (around 5 am), and the kids tend to sleep for a while in the car. For some reason, this seems to work better with our kids, we recently tried to drive at night and it did not work well at all.

[TwinFoxes]

Is 10 hours the "with kids" time or the "without kids" time. If it's actually 10 hours on the road, I would try driving it, especially if I could tack on travel days at the beginning and at the end of the trip. But if 10 hours is the Google maps time, I'd probably pass. We have to stop a LOT with the girls. They always have to go to the bathroom or eat or something, where if it's DH and I we can just plow on through.

ETA: I should say that both DH and I love road trips, and not everyone does. We like to go on random adventures and get off the interstate. So if you're not inclined to like road trips, flying might be best. Skipping it shouldn't be an option! ;)

[wellyes]

If you can afford to fly and rent a car then thats a good option too. But if you cant afford it I would just drive.

I voted fly, but yes, if price is an issue then I'd drive rather than skip it!

I'd also only fly if you can get a direct flight. A 10 hour drive is less than 2 hours on a plane. I have flown with my kids several times when they were around 3-4 and 12-18 months. It was really no big deal, and I was without DH. The older one loved, loved, loved the airplane and still talks about it.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'd drive. It's nice to have all of your stuff for the beach. Towels, chairs, toys, umbrellas... We do 10 hours every summer- ds2 was 6m old when we started doing it.

[Pear]

Drive

We went to a wedding in NC and the plane into NC was small. There was a storm. It was really bad. So bad we decided to rent a car and drive home to Pennsylvania.

If I am flying with kids I try to avoid flying on small planes. In addition to motion sickness issues, there is less overhead space and often everyone is forced to check their standard appropriately sized bags because the planes only fit purses and briefcases.

[AnnieW625]

I voted fly, but yes, if price is an issue then I'd drive rather than skip it!

I'd also only fly if you can get a direct flight. A 10 hour drive is less than 2 hours on a plane. I have flown with my kids several times when they were around 3-4 and 12-18 months. It was really no big deal, and I was without DH. The older one loved, loved, loved the airplane and still talks about it.

:yeahthat: Granted much of my flying has been just to Sacramento with out my DH (so 90 minutes on plane, 60 to 90 minutes in the airport, we live 3 miles from the airport so we take a taxi), but seriously it is soo worth it. We contemplated driving to see my ILs in SW Wyoming, which without major stops is a min. of 17 hrs. and would require an overnight hotel stay flying is just worth it for us.

[Binkandabee]

I would drive as well and do the 10 hours in one day if possible. We frequently do 12+ hour road trips, so I think 10 is definitely doable. Flying is so stressful for me and you have to get there so early, it's easier and more enjoyable for me to just drive. We are on our own schedule that way and I like that.

[misshollygolightly]

Drive it in one day--totally doable, IMO. Flying for us is a pain: no major airport in our town so extra time/$ just to get to/from airport. 10 hrs isn't that bad, esp. if you and DH can share the driving.

[larig]

I'd drive. We drive 24 hours from Seattle to Phoenix every year for xmas, though. DS has always been an outstanding traveler.

[brittone2]

We usually drive. We go to see my parents every few months and that is 9 hours. We just did an 8 hour trip to the OBX a few weeks ago. My youngest is 2, but we've been doing this for a while.

DS1 and DD weren't as great in the car. (eta: until they were over 1 or 1.5, but we managed back then). In the last year, DS2 has been a better roadtripper than the older two, LOL. We get them up early, and then he'll nap midmorning and again later in the afternoon. WIth a few stops to break it up, he usually does fine.

With flying, it can still be time consuming to drive, park, get through security, wait around, etc. Sometimes it doesn't seem all that much easier or faster to me. If we were going more than 9-12 hours max, I'd consider it more seriously. But for under 9 hours, I just think flying ends up being a long day too.

[buddyleebaby]

We usually leave really early in the morning (around 5 am), and the kids tend to sleep for a while in the car. For some reason, this seems to work better with our kids, we recently tried to drive at night and it did not work well at all.

YES. This. Leave early and drive during the day.
We once tried to drive overnight. The kids would.not.sleep. No matter what. The end result was us stopping at a McDonald's drivethrough at 4am to feed them and two very exhausted parents the next day!

[belovedgandp]

Drive. I'd load them up at 4 or 5 am in their PJs and take off. Definitely a one day thing. I hate unloading for an overnight. With kids there's so much gear involved that packing for flying is much harder than packing for driving.

[infomama]

Fly without a doubt.
:yeahthat:

[tribe pride]

Another vote for drive. But we've done several 20+ road trips (in 2 days). I think you can definitely drive 7 or 8 hours and then do 2 or 3 the next day. We usually leave really early in the morning (around 5 am), and the kids tend to sleep for a while in the car. For some reason, this seems to work better with our kids, we recently tried to drive at night and it did not work well at all.

:yeahthat: This is exactly what we do. My parents live a 15 hour drive away. When kids were infants (like 7 weeks old), we did it in two days because we had to stop so often to nurse. But once they were older (ages 3 and 15 months), we did it in one day. We left at 4:30 am, and drove straight through, only stopping 3 times to take a 1 hour break each time. Ate, changed diapers, got gas, and got back on the road. We made sure to pack plenty of books and just kept tossing graham crackers to them for a snack. Yes, it was a long day, but really it wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. And I much prefer the one long day to traveling over 2 shorter days in the car.

I definitely wouldn't fly if I were in your shoes. Between getting to the airport 2 hours early, checking so much luggage and dealing with carseats, strollers, etc, and then actualy flying time, it just would be a lot easier, IMO, to drive.

[gatorsmom]

I'm editing my first response to say my first choice would be to fly, but I would drive if flying absolutely won't work. I wouldn't skip the trip. It sounds like fun!

[sunshine873]

Drive. I'd load them up at 4 or 5 am in their PJs and take off. Definitely a one day thing. I hate unloading for an overnight. With kids there's so much gear involved that packing for flying is much harder than packing for driving.

:yeahthat: Whether you fly or drive - it's going to be a long day & you'll be tired when you get there. Driving is a ton cheaper & then you can have everything that you might possibly want. For a week at the beach? Totally worth it! I've driven longer for shorter trips. Mind you, I'm used to it. I grew up driving on road trips & have continued to do so. Since DH & I have been married, we've never lived closer than 16 hrs from family.

[okinawama]

I think it depends on your family and the temperament of your kids. For us, it would be a no brainer, we'd fly. I say that though because I have a 14 month old who has hated the car seat since the drive home from the hospital. The longest road trip we've ever taken has been three hours and he cried/ screamed 99% of it. However, if your LO's would self entertain for a bit and sleep some, I think it's totally doable and would be totally worth it!!!

[hillview]

Fly without a doubt.

:yeahthat:

[jammytoast]

I'd drive. Here's why:

-the logistics and time to schlep kids and gear through an airport and back home again. Depending on how far from the airport you live, driving, parking, unloading, security, boarding, landing, finding luggage, getting rental car, takes a LOT of time. Ify ou're going to the Outer Banks, there' no easy close airport to there anyway, so you'll be doing at least 2 hrs of driving to get there anyway.

-driving means you can bring whatever beach toys, baby gear, etc you need. ALso can bring your favorite foods and reduce tourist prices for food (and reduce time shopping!!!!). AND diapers which I always find to be insanely priced at the beach

-you can leave when you want.

[rin]

I would drive, but I don't know how your kids do in the car. Frankly, flying is so stressful these days (and I say this as someone who has flown, w/DD, at least a dozen times a year since she was born 2+ years ago) that I wouldn't want to fly for a beach vacation only 10 hours drive away. Especially if you've got a layover, the flight could easily take up almost the same amount of time (2 hours early to the airport, probably 2-3 hours in flight time, plus any additional layover, plus finding a rental car at the other end, picking up checked baggage, all the stress of security, schlepping baby gear through the airport, the added cost . . . )

I'd plan to do it in 1 day & leave either super early or late at night, hope that they sleep, and bring lots of snacks, bottles, drinks, books, maybe movies on an iPad/DVD player, and just plan to stop every 2-3 hours for diaper changes/leg stretches/etc. I think a beach vacation will be much more fun if you can bring everything you want to have a smooth trip!

[roseyloxs]

I think I would drive. I would leave after work, hopefully around 5 or 6pm. Drive until we got tired... hopefully getting in a good 6 hours and end around midnight. Which would leave a little less then half the trip the next morning meaning you could easily make it to the beach for a late lunch.

I would do the drive back in one shot leaving at lunchtime to maximize the beach time. This way also the kids will probably sleep for most of the second half of the trip.

[janine]

Drive. I'd load them up at 4 or 5 am in their PJs and take off. Definitely a one day thing. I hate unloading for an overnight. With kids there's so much gear involved that packing for flying is much harder than packing for driving.

You know I just had a convo with a co-worker who went last year..he said the same thing. Thanks!

[♥ms.pacman♥]

FOr 10 hrs, i would drive, hands-down.

I have done both flying and driving (~8 hr trip) with 2 LOs. We only fly when there really is no other choice..eg flying would be 20 + hrs, take multiple days, etc. One main reason is that it's $$$ to rent a car for an entire week in the summer (hundreds of dollars), especially for one that is big enough can accomodate 2 RFing carseats, luggage, etc.

Also, going thru airports with 2 LOs and all their gear is a PITA, in my opinion. IMO with 10hr driving distance, flying would not make the trip THAT much less shorter or easier, especially if you end up dealing with last-minute delays/cancellations (BTDT; instead of a direct flight we got bumped to 2 connecting flights, the first flight was delayed... we literally spent the entire day traveling, adn the flight should have only been 3 hrs..it was bad).Like PP said, unless it's halfway across the country, flying isn't easier w/ kids bc you have to get there early, then deal with possible delays/cancellations....scramble to feed kids at an airport, deal with naps (my kids don't really nap in strollers but they nap well in cars), etc.

[lmwbasye]

I'd drive for all the reasons given. But I'm also sitting here working on whether to do the 30 hour drive alone with two boys in three or four days, LOL!

[4stheCharm]

its a toss up, I would see what the flight costs are like and if you can go direct.

IMO, that would help me make the choice.

10 hours is tough!

[SnuggleBuggles]

The early morning drive would suck for my family. I hate starting a trip sleep deprived! Plus the kids would not sleep. If you aren't morning people, don't stress about the early start. We take off on our 10 hour drives at 10-11am. Everyone is happier. :).

[brittone2]

I already voted drive, but yeah, I didn't even think about the fact that you need to drive two hours anyway once you land. SIL flew to OBX when we went a few weeks ago. She could only go thurs-sun so she flew. But her flight was delayed, and she got in an hour late, plus there was a 2 hour drive from Norfolk to OBX. Wilmington is probably about the same, but I"m not sure. I don't think it is any closer than 2 hours.

[hellokitty]

Definitely drive. For a 10 hr trip, it's doable. I agree with the pp who said to get up super early in the morning and take off before daylight.

[scrooks]

Another drive...we have done the 12 hour trip to Hilton Head three times since DD was born and it has been ok. We typically break the trip down up into 2 day (ILs live about 2 hours closer or we drive 8 hours and rest for the night). For us, I can't imagine not driving because of all the crap we take to the beach...

[LMPC]

Depends....if their house in on the OBX then I would drive because there's no airport close to there and you are going to have to drive some of it anyway. I would do it overnight or wake up early in the morning as others have suggested. If you tell me that their house is closer to Wilmington then I would say fly. Even if you flew into Raleigh, it's only about a 2 hour drive....and it's an easy easy drive. Straight highway.

[BabyBearsMom]

We opted to fly this summer rather than drive 16 hrs with our 2yo and 2mo DDs. This is mostly because DD1 is a rotten car traveler

[Pear]

We never do the early morning start. It just doesn't work for us. Insead we try to leave right after lunch. We will even work a half day. If we leave after lunch the odds are good we can get 4 hours without stopping because DD will fall asleep. Then we stop for an early dinner, drive a few more hours, then stop at a hotel to swim and sleep. We get a huge chunk of the trip done and then the second day isn't so bad.

[sweetsue98]

I don't think 10 hours is a big deal but I drive 10 hrs a day sometimes. I would leave at night and drive straight through.

[Simon]

Drive and go all night, if possible, or start super early and break it up with fun vacation-y stops along the way. Our family would do something like this.

Night before: Dh goes to bed around 9pm and sleeps to 3-4 am.
3-4am put sleeping kids into car drive
7-9 am: stop for breakfast; drive 45 min or less to first "fun stop"
by 10 am, stop at a park, zoo, beach, etc and play 2 hours, then eat lunch.
noon-1 pm start driving and kids nap about 3 hours (fingers crossed)

At this rate, we've completed 6-7 hours of the drive by 4 pm. We stop for a play break and dinner, then complete the drive after dinner. Pull into destination and go to bed.

[cntrymoon2]

This should be a poll! I'd drive it, in a heartbeat. I agree that at the beach, you want to be able to pack as much as you need to and not worry about baby gear on a plane. I'd decide the overnight vs. early morning departure based on when YOU are the most comfortable. I'm a night owl, so I'm perfectly find driving until 3 in the morning. I wouldn't recommend a late night start if you will be dragging a few hours into it. I think you can do it in one day. We did 15 hours just before DDs 2nd bday and she did so much better than we thought. We didn't even have to stop as much as thought we would. She was content. We had a big bag of new toys and they held her attention wonderfully. She also slept more than she normally would have during the days, which we were excited about since she's a terrible car sleeper.
No matter what, find a way to go! This is the stuff memories are made of :)

[elephantmeg]

I'd drive. We routinely do 12 (14 hours with kids) with our 2.

[edurnemk]

Fly without a doubt.

:yeahthat:

[MontrealMum]

Is 10 hours the "with kids" time or the "without kids" time. If it's actually 10 hours on the road, I would try driving it, especially if I could tack on travel days at the beginning and at the end of the trip. But if 10 hours is the Google maps time, I'd probably pass. We have to stop a LOT with the girls. They always have to go to the bathroom or eat or something, where if it's DH and I we can just plow on through.

ETA: I should say that both DH and I love road trips, and not everyone does. We like to go on random adventures and get off the interstate. So if you're not inclined to like road trips, flying might be best. Skipping it shouldn't be an option! ;)

:yeahthat:

Our main trip is 12 hours - adult time - back home to visit my parents who have wonderful access to Lake Michigan cottages. We've done it in one day although we prefer to do it in 2. But having that motivation of a beach vacation...1 day looks good :)

Also, I think there's an age-related window of push-through time. When DS was really little, we certainly pushed through, though at times I did sit in the back with him. Between 2-3 it was really awful and there were TONS of stops, and screaming. And then he started to become a great traveller! My preference now is to do approx. 9 hrs. of driving on the 1st day and 3 on the 2nd. He's totally cool with that. I did it alone with him both last Fall and again just a few weeks ago.

[klwa]

I'd drive. Depending on the airport you'd fly into & where you're going on the NC coast, you're still looking at one to several hours in the car. (Picturing flying into RDU & then heading out to the coast.) So, you'd have gone through all of that hassle, jsut to still end up driving a good bit.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Direct private flight into one of the beach airports - fly. Anything else, just pack up the car and hope for the best. Go with whatever time of day suits you best. We like early, early morning drives that get us somewhere in the early afternoon.

ETA: I'm in a NC beach house right now looking out at the water :)

[AnnieW625]

The early morning drive would suck for my family. I hate starting a trip sleep deprived! Plus the kids would not sleep. If you aren't morning people, don't stress about the early start. We take off on our 10 hour drives at 10-11am. Everyone is happier. :).

I completely agree with this, unless the destination is a hot place. We are driving for about 7 hrs. tonight because I would rather just get on the road almost as soon as I get home from work vs. waking up at 4 am and being out the door by 5:30 at the latest. We would have considered leaving tomorrow morning, but it is suppose to over 100 through most of the CA Central Valley tomorrow so I wanted to avoid that. If it was winter and we weren't pressed for time then yes leaving during daylight makes lots of sense (esp. due to fog). Plus seriously we'd probably sleep through our alarms and leave late so there is no reason to set yourself up for defeat. This kind of thing only worked with me when I was a kid if I knew we were going skiing or going on the plane somewhere when I was a kid say younger than 12.

[peanut520]

Fly! I don't do road trips. My cut off for road trips is 4-5 hours but dd is a really good flyer so my answer might be different if she wasnt. We were planning to do one (8 hours) this year to see family and I was able to convince dh to fly. I booked the flights that night.

[vonfirmath]

A friend invited us to their beach house. Thing is it is NC, 10hrs away. I'd love to go - we are lacking for summer vacation options and need a change of scene. They have kids same age,etc.

Our problem is the drive is 10hrs. Our kids are 3.5 and 8 mo's (will be 10mos when trip happens). That's a long way for one week vacation. If we split it, that's still 5hrs and 2 days lost each way.

We could fly, but then we'd need to rent a car once there - which means traveling with 2 carseats and all the other usual gear.

WWYD - or would you take a pass all together.

Go!

We just came back from a week long trip to the grandparents. kids were 4y10mo and 10mo old. Austin to AZ. About 14 hours driving broken over 2 days. (For only 10 hours? I'd do it in one long day, especially if you have 2 drivers, and avoid the expense of a hotel! It offers its own complexities!)

BTW the way our trip worked out? We had about 8 hours driving time the first day each time. Baby is not NEAR As good a car tripper as DS was. So she slept for 30-45 minutes at a time when we got her to sleep. I sat in the second row next to hear and handed her toys and found other ways to interact with her. DS was in the third row middle. We had videos/a built in DVD player in the car but never needed them. The BEST thing in our bag of tricks was a book of finger rhymes that would get DD giggling when none of her toys would and DS wanted to play with as well! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0688108059/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i02 The Eentsy Weentsy Spider: Fingerplays and Action Rhymes. We had a GPS and would find a rest area to get out at and play when the kids were getting too restless. Make sure DS went to the restroom at every opportunity (Even "watering a rock" here and there). And thankfully DD started sitting up a week before we left -- so she could move around in the shaded areas of the rest area at least.

When we stopped to eat at a place with play equipment, we encouraged DS to play and let him eat in the car instead. We left the grandparents at 8:15am and got air in our tires so actually didn't get "on the road" until 8:45a. Changed (two) time zones and still got to our hotel at 8p or so. (so 10 hours on the road for a 8 hr driving time).

[maestramommy]

I'd drive. I'd break it up if you think 10 hrs would be too much. We did a 12 hr and 15 hr once, when Dora was 3 and Arwyn was 18 mo. But it was not planned that way. It took extra long because we drove our SUV towing a Uhaul, during Thanksgiving traffic coming and going, with rain on the return trip. Fun times. :tongue5: The following year Laurel was months old. We flew;) Since then though, we've driven and have visited NOT during a holiday, so it's only an 8r trip, with a lunch break in the middle, quite doable.

Flying is more convenient, but $$$, then we still have to rent a car. And trying to find a good option for 3 across is a hassle, so we like to drive when possible. Plus we can pack more stuff. Whereas with flying we have to be really sparse, since we'd have to schlepp carseats through security as well. And we just prefer our own car.

[Tanya]

We always drive. I can pack whatever I want.

I will say that we now have 4 kids. I have flown with the two oldest years ago and I survived just fine and even took our own carseats and installed them myself. I have not flown with 4 kids.

I am an experienced driving traveler with kids though. We take a summer vacation every year and sometimes an additional smaller trip as well with my mom. We always have a condo with laundry, so I know how to pack. From experience, what works best for us is to travel about 7 hours the first day and the balance the second day (never more than 7 hours though if we can help it). 7 hours usually takes us closer to 10 hours to actually get there with stops. With babies, we work a little harder at taking our breaks/stops/meals. For example, last year, the babies weren't quite crawling, but we ate lunches at rest stops on a picnic blanket, so they could stretch. This year, they are walking, so we may do the same thing or we'll have to stop at rest stops to let them walk/run around a bit. A restaurant stop isn't the same thing for them as it is for us.

We do not drive at night. I understand why some people do it, but it would put us at a major disadvantage. I'm fairly certain our kids would sleep, but I'm not sure dh or I would trust the other to stay awake while driving and we'd end up exhausted and the kids would be ready to go destroy the world.

So, in your situation, I'd try to drive 6-7 hours the first day and get there early the next day so you shouldn't lose much of your vacation time that way.
By driving, you can pack all your beach stuff, a feeding seat for the baby, have your own carseats and vehicle. Pack fun stuff for the 3.5 year old in the car, including snacks and games and dvd's. My babies generally nap in the car well.