<p>On the T-day break, if you can afford it, many freshmen do like to come home then since it will have been their first time away. That said, I thought it important whether it was a week off (like my D's college) or just 2 days off (like my S's). Check your kid's college website for "Academic Dates" or ask kid for help finding it, so you'll first know that.</p>
<p>If it's only 2 days off and it involves flying all day, you must figure that 2 of the 4 days are spent mostly in airports and just 2 days at home. So that's worth thinking over if it's worth the money, I felt. I would have flown my guy home 3,000 miles had it been a week off, but not for the 4-day break.</p>
<p>Consider that the single busiest flight time in the country is the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, so factor that in to any plans. Also some highways gridlock that Wednesday night along the East Coast. The travel is all focussed on that one evening, since for most people Wed. is a work or school day, and they want to get somewhere else by Thursday morning. That Wednesday night is even busier than Dec. 24, because Christmas day has more build-up days before and after it, so the crowd can spread out a bit. Obviously, the Sunday following Thanksgiving is also a very busy airport day. </p>
<p>Alternatives might be skipping out on Tuesday night or earlier in the day Wednesday, but you can't know that (I feel) until you're sure he has no exams on Wednesday. That should be "knowable" after he gets his first syllabus (course schedule plan) the first week of classes or can ask his professor then. So, perhaps it's worth waiting to book until the second week in September.</p>
<p>My S was also eager to know if he'd fly home T-giving, especially since that's what highschool friends say to each other now, "See you for T-day." I explained the issues to him and he readily saw our view that the cost of plane tickets for a 2-day visit wasn't worth it.</p>
<p>We also phoned the college to make sure they didn't close down the dorms that weekend which they usually don't because of international and cross-country students. Some colleges close dorms over Christmas (cleaning, or to save heating costs) and some don't, but it's best to check by phoning College Housing office. They might close dorms for Christmas but stay open for Thanksgiving. Some colleges keep dorms open but only for International students, and ask them to move all to one dorm, again to save on heating costs.</p>
<p>Instead, we asked our S if he wanted to fly to some unknown (to him) relatives in San Francisco, a short shuttle hop away. He decided, after a moment's reflection, to try instead to make local friends and go to their homes. We agreed that if he found this wasn't happening, he'd let me know by late September so I could still get a flight to the relatives as his fallback. </p>
<p>We always try to explain the variables to our Kids and let them make a few choices from among what we can afford. (Since age 3 it's never been, "what do you want for lunch?" but "which do you want, tuna or cheese sandwich." Then he'll feel whatever he chose was partly his doing and not just imposed on him, and he won't feel as deprived when the others pack for home Thanksgiving. We also reflected that not coming home Thanksgiving was one of the "opportunity costs" of applying to a college so far away. He wanted to apply West Coast, so this is one of the downsides, along with all the upsides. </p>
<p>The emotional value of Thanksgiving, as I remember clearly from college days, is important to freshmen. That's when you touch base with family and realize how independent you've become on a practical level. You see some h.s. friends, break up with h.s. boyfriend. You return to college realizing life has changed significantly. For these reasons, some mellow families have tensions or small fights during Thanksgiving, in addition to the usual nice aspects of the holiday. So for your kid, all that might wait until the Christmas vacation.</p>
<p>I've read on CC that some families fly to or near the campus and celebrate Thanksgiving together that way, which is an interesting alternative if affordable.</p>