<p>Hello,
Love CC and the MT info - been following for a while but rarely post. I know that we are not the first people to be going through this process and dealing with travel issues so I am looking for thoughts/guidance/feedback - really just conversation regarding what is not an ideal situation.
We live in Hawaii and my D lives for, breathes and dreams about MT (sound familiar?). She did the OCU summer program this past summer and loved it. This year we will be doing the audition rounds over a period of 11 days. We are flying to Oklahoma City, then Chicago then LA for auditions. Yes folks - all the eggs (14 auditions) in one travel basket!! We cannot afford the time or expense for any other trips to the mainland, college visits etc. She will also be doing 1 or 2 DVD auditions as we qualify for the "distance clause." Concerns? Illness (especially with all the air travel) - travel delays (not so much from/to Hawaii but Chicago is known for it's winter weather...) - lack of ability to see any campuses for any program she MAY be accepted to...stress....Is any body else dealing with these issues? I mean I'm not kidding - it's bloody expensive to get off this Island (don't get me wrong - love living here and all). Well - thanks for listening - and hope to meet some of you at the unifieds.</p>
<p>Hi, alibabba.</p>
<p>Wow…what a whirlwind 2 weeks. Congrats to the logistics person who was able to make all the dates work!! And you know what? You do what you have to do to make it work. My kiddo attended OCU’s summer session 2 years ago, and she also found it to be an excellent experience. As for survival tips? Rest, wash hands a lot, drink water, rest some more, enjoy the experience. I wouldn’t worry too much about pre-visiting campuses – my kiddo and I did a lot of road trips junior year (we’re in the midwest), but I don’t think they impacted her auditions (except for a little familiarity with the layout of the campus for on-site auditions…since you’re doing mostly Unifieds, even that factor is null). Save the visits for (hopefully!) deciding between acceptances. As for stress? Yup…there’s enough of that to share 
My kiddo’s done 6 of her auditions so far, mostly straight weekends through November. She did kind of get “in the groove” for auditions, especially the “2-fer” weekends…it will be interesting to see her ramp up again in Feb…</p>
<p>For right now, enjoy December, keep your kiddo rested. If you’re a list-maker, make a list of stuff to be sure you have with you, study airports and the Unified locations online if unfamiliar, make sure your child has the various programs’ requirements straight in her head…and breathe. Control what you can. And don’t forget to pack a brainless novel or two for airport lounges and waiting during auditions. What a special couple of weeks you’ve got coming up – and what a gift to your D that you’re able to get her to these auditions. Hang in there!</p>
<p>Aloha! We lived on Oahu for a few wonderful years and I wish I was there now!<br>
If you haven’t made flight arrangements yet, if you can, give yourself an extra day ahead of time before your auditions just in case you do have travel difficulties. Chicago has issues even in good weather in the summer. Pad, pad, pad your travel time. I could go on…
Traveling is an issue not only for all the money we are throwing left and right but also for the time. So we elected for the Unified schools to wait and see if she’s accepted and then consider a trip out to schools (if any) where she’s been accepted. Maybe you can get some students/profs from schools that have accepted your daughter after auditions to Skype with her a bit? We didn’t do the “college tour” before auditions since MT is such a different beast than other majors and so far it hasn’t been a handicap (although if timing had allowed, I wish we could have seen lots of shows from various schools. But the kid had her own shows going on. Oh well.)
Happy travels and good audition health for everyone!</p>
<p>Thanks both of you for your feedback - some excellent suggestions and advice. I am really looking forward to this trip with my daughter - and hope that it yields some results. Skype has saved our life from a coaching aspect - so it may be an idea to use it as a way for her to somewhat get a feel for the school (thought didn’t even cross my mind). Oh - and mamafrog - it was I who did the scheduling - and quite a task it was - the schools with the 4 hour time commitment were killers! I only have 1 left to schedule while we wait to hear if she has been accepted academically.</p>
<p>Try to enjoy the places you are going, and enjoy this special time with your D. Ask around for the “best local restaurant” or best local food and eat there. Rent some fun movies in the hotel room. My son always filled the bath tub with water at night to keep some humidity in the room, since hotel rooms tend to get dry. I’m not sure it actually worked, but it’s worth a try. AND - be sure to drink lots and lots of water! Best of luck on your journey!!</p>
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<p>Agreed. I would suggest looking into back-up plans to getting to and from Chicago. I’ve flown through O’Hare several times, and I was held up in every case. That’s not uncommon; it’s widely considered one of the worst airports in the country! Flight delays are standard fare. </p>
<p>My advice is to stay calm and enjoy the ride. Also follow through with health precautions (drink a lot of water, wash your hands, etc.) and be ready for the unexpected! Make sure to bring along emergency supplies (hand wipes, extra tights, etc.) and try to get the lay of the land around where you’re staying (even now, you could look up the drugstores near your hotels and driving routes to the schools you’re visiting). But do remember to have fun! How many more trips are you two going to get like this? Make the most of it!</p>