<p>I'm already getting nervous about getting my son airplane tickets for Thanksgiving. We have a very poor airport and there are a few flights available now for $300, but if I change any little thing it immediately goes up to $600. I figure that bodes poorly for waiting.</p>
<p>So, my question is this to parents who already have a kid in college:</p>
<p>What time are they likely to be free to leave on the Friday before Thanksgiving? The booklet just says after their last class. Are they likely to be able to leave campus at noon? </p>
<p>I think my D had classes at Rice through Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Usually they are free by noon the day before a holiday- or else they skip some classes!</p>
<p>Thanks momofwildchild. They are definitely out on the Friday before (after last class) - at least that's what their calendar says. Dorms are closed Saturday at 9:00am.</p>
<p>It will probably be the case that many people will be leaving on Friday,then, and classes may be canceled. In general, there aren't that many Friday afternoon classes anyway - and missing a single day of class shouldn't be a big deal.</p>
<p>Can your S talk to an upperclassman at the school?</p>
<p>Yikes! Here we haven't even sent in our deposit and I have to think about airline tickets for Thanksgiving???? I am worried that my D may be invited to someone's house, and then the tickets are totally lost. More decisions!</p>
<p>My S officially has classes on Wednesday before Thanksgiving but after two years at this school he has yet to have a Wed class that wasn't cancelled. Some Tuesday classes have been cancelled as well. My D school for next year says they have Wed classes as well but I think I will by a ticket for Tues night.</p>
<p>We are 7 hours away. I hate to admit this, but I'm nervous about him driving with kids he might not know too well. Especially because the drive could potentially involve a lot of lake effect snow travelling up through Ohio and across upstate NY! How do you know if these kids even have decent tires on their cars? It's one thing running around locally, but I don't know, the long distance thing just makes me nervous. Do other parents feel the same way? I'm sure I'll have to get over it eventually. (Maybe I just remember all too clearly the scary rides I took with kids home from college - I recall one even smoking pot while he was driving!)</p>
<p>mine takes the train or bus back and forth
Yes they do leave wednesday but it is often not until late- like 5 or so- as far as I know she doesn't skip her wednesday classes
Sometimes it has taken her until the next morning to get home ( even though we are 3 hrs away) because of snow in the passes that has delayed the train.</p>
<p>You're not alone there. My son is a little over 6 hours from home, but I always felt it's safer to fly, even when he's had a car at school. Something about an image in my mind of the boring Pa Turnpike lulling a sleep deprived college kid to nod off. It's just me I guess.</p>
<p>On the down side, just don't make the reservations too early on that Friday. Ideally you can wait till he gets his schedule. If the dorm doesn't close down, sometimes they like to spend the Friday before a long vacation having fun at school. I think some airlines now charge $100 to change the flight time, so be sure as you can.</p>
<p>We live in NJ and my S goes to school in the Midwest. The first year we waited till classes began at the end of Sept. and booked flights
to/from home for Thanksgiving with departure on Wednesday; later on his Wed afternoon classes were cancelled. So now we book a flight home for him the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving and we cross our fingers that his Wed. class/es will be cancelled. Newark Airport is a zoo on Wed. evening before Thanksgiving so this works best for us.</p>
<p>I would wait!!!! Your son might decided he wants to spend the 4 days with a friend near school - and save you $300, or stay at school over Thanksgiving break with the International students... The winter holidays usually start just a few weeks after Thanksgiving, and some kids don't go home until then.</p>
<p>Knowing my son he wouldn't miss Thanksgiving at home for the world. I don't know how, but we raised a kid who really loves family holiday rituals. (Personally, I don't love Thanksgiving - too much cooking, eating, and dishes!) I wonder if most kids are anxious to get home for Thanksgiving?</p>
<p>eh
for years my daughter HAD to work at the zoo for thanksgiving ( we only recently found out it was HER choice!)
So since life was stressful enough- we would attend the dinner that the catering company served at the zoo. She was able to eat and leave- and we didn't have to worry about her sister having a tantrum and throwing her food on the cement floor.
PLus- the zoo was nice and quiet if a bit chilly and gave us time to work off the sweet potatoes.
She does come home for thanksgiving- and winter break- but that is it.
No fall break- no spring break- no long weekends even though it is less than 300 miles away.
I hope she comes up for thanksgiving this year- she might not since it is so short- perhaps we will go down there instead- since it would be awfully quiet without her.</p>
<p>I think you're smart to plan ahead. This may sound out-of-control compulsive, but when we dropped our daughter off in her tiny little college town in late August, 2003, it occurred to us that we should probably inquire about how hard it is to book a hotel for graduation. Turns out that we were added to a growing list. For 2007.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips. My D and I have discussed this, and she wants to come home. She will have to fly - it's too far to drive. So, I will be booking after I verify the school schedule. And thanks for the tip on the hotel for graduation.</p>
<p>Anxiousmom has a good point. S was 2000 miles, and 3 hrs. time difference, from home. He came home the first Thanksgiving. After that, he didn't think the 2 days of travel (coming and going) was really worth the 2+ days at home. He said the travel was too close to semester exams and took his focus away from stuff he had to work on (procrastinator that he is). His last 3 years he was hosted by friends' families, a couple of which involved just a 2 to 3 hour drive.</p>
<p>Our experience has been that they love to reconnect with their old friends at Thanksgiving and wouldn't dream of missing the chance to come home. Not to mention that they are excited about seeing their family (even if they don't always want to admit it!) </p>
<p>We have always made reservations for Tuesday night (no classes scheduled for Wednesday) because Wednesday is a really wicked day for the airports! At least start checking out the times the flights are, and make plans accordingly--the earliest and latest flights are usually the cheapest with the airline we use). Almost as soon as our s made his decision about his school my DH was online checking the school calendar, and then the airlines!</p>
<p>My son has not come home at T'giving either his freshman or sophomore year. Too much to do, too far to fly, he'd rather have the money to go out with friends... But he's not released until after his last class on WED. If your kid can come home the weekend before, I recommend a Saturday->Saturday ticket---it's likely to be the cheapest option. But if you have frequent flyer miles, use them for the ticket, because that makes it easy to reschedule or cancel.</p>
<p>My D has come home both years (lots closer). Last year we went Vancouver BC and had "T'giving dinner" in a lovely French restaurant there.</p>