ouch!

[quietann]

Just made my reservations for my usual holiday trip to San Diego to help my dad celebrate his Xmas Day birthday (#81 this year!). Over $500 for the plane ticket and nearly $200 for the car rental for a week. Not too many years ago, Ben and I *both* flew for about $500, but this time it's just me, because Ben will be busy being Mr. Arisia. Car rental is from Fox, the really cheapie car rental place in San Diego. The next lowest price was about $275 for the same kind of car.

Ouch. Yes, dad will subsidize the cost of the plane ticket -- it's really a present to himself -- but yes. Ouch.

Comments

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I'm looking at the same situation flying from Seattle to a small town outside Dallas (Seattle-Dallas is about $400, puddle jumper on to said small town is about $150 more). But a two-hour drive to pick me up in Dallas is more than my 83-year-old mother can do, and the alternatives (rental car, van shuttle) are at least as expensive, if not more.

Not much to be done about it...

I would much rather travel at non-holiday times of year, but Mother would be alone at xmas otherwise (so would I, but that's my preference [wry g]).

[quietann.livejournal.com]

ahhh. Well, I'd probably go see my dad in December even if it wasn't his birthday, because Harvard gives us the week between Xmas and New Years' off. The way I have the trip structured, I will be gone for seven days but only have to take one day of vacation, and then only if I really, really need it.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

That's always an advantage. When I was working, it was harder for me to get time off at the holidays than any other time. When most of your job is working a public desk, and there's only so many of you doing it, you have to take turns taking the priority times off.

So that was always my excuse for not traveling on the holidays. I miss that excuse...

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

"Ben will be busy being Mr. Arisia."

And "Mister Mom" for the critters.

[adamek.livejournal.com]

Fuel is one of the biggest expenses for airlines and getting bigger. Crude oil's hit $80/barrel. Ticket prices have to rise.