Holiday Travel Sucks

[TopHatFox]

I don't like traveling 1,300 miles one way to visit family during holiday season but I feel guilty if I don't. Do ya'll experience this?

[JamesR]

Between 18-22 during my university years I did travel home for Christmas, but I didn't pay for it. After that I probably travelled every other year or so. Basically I'd determine if your parents would cover your transportation costs if this is the main issue?

[Dragline]

You probably have to go at your age, but I agree you should not have to pay.

Today, I would only go visit on a holiday now if its short driving distance, and usually plan any travel for the morning of the holiday itself. I've not spent a Thanksgiving or Christmas with my parents in over 20 years (2000 miles away), and no one is bothered by that. We have telephones and know how to use them, and see them at other times. On the other hand, my in-laws are not too far away, so we see them pretty regularly. But usually they come to us.

As soon as we had a kid, I mandated that all our Christmases would be at our home -- anyone who wants to see us can come to visit. We usually go visit someone for a couple days afterward.

Holidays without travel are blissful.

[IlliniDave]

Yes, I understand your dilemma, although my commute "back home" is only about 600 miles +/-. Growing up virtually my entire family (every blood relative closer than second cousin) lived within 20 miles of us, and the vast majority of those within 2 miles. So to me holidays were never about travel--quite the opposite. Once I moved away and had kids, much like Dragline, I wanted Christmas at our home, although we lived close to in-laws and did some of the holiday functions there. We took summer trips back to Illinois to visit my family where we could visit longer and had a few more choices regarding how to spend the time.

Now that I'm an emptynester, and because my parents and their generation (my aunts and uncles, blessedly all living) are solidly in their 70s with a few nearing 80, I like to try to get up there over Christmas at least every second year. I refuse to fly on holidays, and from my home to my parents is an easy drive (as easy as a 10 hour drive can be) as long as the winter weather cooperates. Twice I had to cancel last-minute (one blizzard and one ice storm), and last year I (literally) slid most of the last mile to my parent's house, arriving almost simultaneously with freezing rain.

This year I'll probably stay home (one nice thing about driving is you don't have to commit in advance). I'll have less time off work than usual, and I had a longer than normal stay up there over the summer, and one or possibly two trips up slated for next summer. Being able to stay put for Christmas gives me a lot of peace.

[JamesR]

Oh, the other thing to mention is for a distance of 1,300 miles, you should fly it, not take a bus. It should be a paid RT flight if they want your presence

[BeyondtheWrap]

Sounds to me like you have the perfect excuse to avoid seeing your family for the holidays.

"I'd love to see you, but, unfortunately, I'm 1300 miles away, so no."