<p>My S is heading off to college this fall, about 2,000 miles away. I'm thinking it's probably time to book a trip home over Thanksgiving and for winter break since I can still book with miles, but don't know if kids all WANT to come home for Thanksgiving...he, of course, thinks I'm nuts to be talking about it.</p>
<p>What is your experience?</p>
<p>Our kid is only 400 miles away, but so far we’ve seen him at Thanksgiving. It looks like we won’t be seeing much of him this summer though as he’s gotten an internship in CA and we are in NY.</p>
<p>Well here, our dorms close for winter break. I think sometimes special permission may be granted to stay in a special dorm, but thats very rare and maybe reserved for international students.</p>
<p>The same isn’t true for Thanksgiving, however the only people who stayed during other week long breaks were people who lived very far away, and couldn’t afford to go home, and a few RA’s. </p>
<p>Most of my friends went home. The dorms are very quiet, dining halls barely open, and its apparently a ghost town (from what I hear, my bf has stayed during these breaks a few times).</p>
<p>If you have the money to book the flights, it may be a good idea, as most people tend to go home during those vacations.</p>
<p>We’re going for registration in a couple of weeks and once the schedule is set, I am booking the flight. Go for it.</p>
<p>My DDs are/were also very far, opted to stay at school for Thanksgiving. They were both very lonely freshman year even though they shared TG dinner at local friends’ homes. </p>
<p>I suggest you book the flight, he will appreciate it in November when everyone vacates the dorms.</p>
<p>cpeltz, my son has come home at Thanksgiving. Freshman year he flew, sophomore year he drove–about 7 hours. Both years the majority of his friends from high school were home as well; I think there were a couple who did not have the entire week off, and they did not come back.</p>
<p>If it’s not a money issue, book it. I think most kids are happy to come home and have some good food if they can.</p>
<p>I didn’t have to deal with booking flights when my D went to college but from what I have seen, even kids who walked out the door without looking back were ready to come home for a weekend of sleeping in and great food by the time Thanksgiving rolled around. </p>
<p>Friends have told me that the real hassle if you book far in advance seems to be what day to book the flight. At some schools the students are able to go home as early as Tuesday.</p>
<p>Of course you know that after going to all of the trouble of getting him home you will probably only see him for a few hours the entire weekend because his high school friends will be home as well - but that is for another thread. ;)</p>
<p>my son (freshman) was happy to be able to fly home for Thanksgiving–but by Winter break he had friends to drive home with (16 hours~their car) also drove home for Spring break as well, (and only spent one day home, vacationed with school friends) so you never know how things will evolve once they get established at college…I wouldn’t plan flights past Thanksgiving…</p>
<p>Our experience is different. We live in Southern California; D1 is in college in Michigan. Cpeltz, that’s closer to your situation, I think.</p>
<p>It’s two flights to get there (through O’Hare, or Denver, or Detroit …). D1 never came home at T-giving, mainly because to fly home and back took 1 1/2 to 2 full days. It depends a lot on when your son can leave his classes, etc., exactly how much time he’ll have at home. Sometimes, it’s not a lot of home time. But it is a lot of travel, at a particularly busy time for travel. And, in winter season, you can almost count on delays or cancellations (she’s experienced her share of both over the four years). If a plane is delayed or cancelled, she has lost another day at times (both times at winter break). And we figured that Thanksgiving is pretty close to winter break …</p>
<p>Yes, the dorms emptied out. She had invitations to friends’ houses who lived locally, or within a 2 hour radius. She always went home with someone. </p>
<p>When D1 was looking at grad schools, one criterion was that she wanted to be closer to home “so I can come home for Thanksgiving.” She’ll be in Colorado – closer than Michigan! She can come home if she wants to a bit more easily.</p>
<p>D2 is also going to school in the midwest, but her dorms, etc., close for an entire week at Thanksgiving – she’ll have slightly over a full week (a Saturday to Sunday in the next week), to make the trip. We’re going to bring her home the first year and she if she wants to keep doing that. Some kids mind the travel less.</p>
<p>I always book flights home for Thanksgiving as soon as they are available. I use Southwest. My oldest is a junior in Portland OR (we live just north of SF)and she comes home every year for Thanksgiving. Her school always has class that Wed. so I always book a flight late afternoon/early evening. She has already registered for next fall and we know she’ll be done by 1:00 on Wed. so as soon as Southwest is booking Nov. (I’m checking daily) I will book her flight roundtrip. We use Southwest so much that I have received a free roundtrip ticket every year for the last 3 years! They allow changs without a charge and if you have to cancel then you just have a credit which will be used without doubt. </p>
<p>Now my youngest is a freshman at UCLA. Last Thanksgiving I had them both fly into Sacramento and arrive within 1/2 hour of each other, one from Portland, one from LA. I will plan to do the same this year. If my UCLA daughter gets out early she will just have to wait and fly home when her sister does so I only go to the airport once. Then on Sunday they fly out within a few minutes of each other.</p>
<p>Sorry this is so long! Most kids will want to come home for Thanksgiving…and wouldn’t you want them to? I would book the cheapest fare you can as soon as you can. If they are really far away you might get away with Tues. night but Wed. afternoon is usually a safe bet. At least you can book the return flight. The sooner the better to get a good price and some chioce. I also check the schools website for end of semester/quarter/finals and book Christmas vacation flights as soon as I can.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the input. Found out that S’s college starts their break on Wednesday, so was able to use miles to get him home Tuesday night, but he’ll have THREE flights to get home on Sunday…but it was a $10 flight. Whether he needs to come home or not, I’ll be craving that sleeping boy! He’ll have four full days at home, and I’m sure he’ll relish some privacy, good food and warm weather.</p>
<p>Zetesis, yes, we’re doing an LA - Midwest trip too…I’m hoping there is less drama with Thanksgiving weather than we’ve had in the winter.</p>
<p>Winter break is the next big decision - he has a full month off!</p>
<p>I just read a few more posts and realized it’s not so easy for others as it is for us. Both daughters are within 1/2 hour of a major airport and their flights are less than 1 1/2 hours long. Other than Thanksgiving crowds we usually do not worry about much like weather related delays. It would be complicated if they were farther away and in a cold climate. I would still check the schools website. You can look at this past years calendar to see when they typically break for Thanksgiving and try to plan accordingly. Maybe after coming home the first year your D/S will want to stay at school or go home with a friend.</p>
<p>Our experience was that every additional leg complicates matters. D’s return flight after her first Christmas at home made it to O’Hare … and then every other flight out was cancelled. Luckily, she found half a dozen girls from her school waiting for a flight, so they all got a hotel for the night. One of those growing experiences … Lately she felt as though she jinxed every flight she was on – always delayed, cancelled, whatever.</p>
<p>Still last week she flew home for a long weekend to surprise her sister on her 18th birthday, and every flight was on time or early. That was a nice change!</p>
<p>I understand the weather issues all too well. We’re lucky in that son has close family in the city he’ll be going to school and it’s 75 miles from O’Hare if there are big issues. </p>
<p>I do remember this past winter break reading about all the traumas with kids trying to get home. Sigh.</p>
<p>Traveling on Thanksgiving is a pain but I’ve already booked the flight for our daughter. She wouldn’t miss our family Thanksgiving if she had to walk to get here! Thanksgiving is a big deal in our house, a 2 day affair, with the 3rd day for relaxing after everyone leaves. She doesn’t even get the whole week, just Thursday - Sunday. </p>
<p>So the question, which only you can answer, is, how important is Thanksgiving at your house?</p>
<p>Sadly, Thanksgiving has gotten smaller at our house the past few years, but it’s probably my favorite holiday - food and family with really no stress!</p>
<p>My son will be home this year, and I imagine I’ll be celebrating all the things about him that drive me crazy now.</p>
<p>My D also flew out of O’Hare and I never had trouble booking flights even a week away (and we were lucky with the weather all year). She always wanted to come home, but I am glad I waited because 1) the fares ended up being lower and 2) she was often able to come home a day or two earlier because of her exam schedule. I think I booked T’giving a month ahead though.</p>
<p>cpeltz
I have been stressing about Thanksgiving. But it is such a long way to come when he will be coming home in another couple of weeks, so we decided no on the Thanksgiving trip home. However, I think if he really wants to get out of town for a few days and can manage to figure out how to get a ticket and get to the bus station, he can go visit my parents or his cousins in Pennsylvania. I honestly think this will only be an issue his freshman year when he has not really yet developed a circle of true friends. In fact I suspect after the first summer home, we may only see him at Christmas time in the future.</p>
<h1>Theorymom, I checked my frequent flier balance, and was able to use those to get him home this year. H thinks he may not want to come home so quickly, but I disagree, so he’ll be home Tuesday night. We’re lucky to have close family near his school where he would be welcomed and fed, but it’s not HOME for him.</h1>