<p>I have another question, is there a reason that he can’t come home for the procedure? Or at least closer (sense it sounds like he will need to be home to recuperate anyway).</p>
<p>Airtran doesn’t charge more for one way than round trip, so anywhere Southwest or Airtran flies, almost all airlines will behave the same way. Competition is a wonderful thing!</p>
<p>Airtran and Southwest both serve Dulles and both serve Philadelphia so if you can fly out of an airport that is served by either of them, you should be able to fly into Dulles and out of Philly with no extra cost.</p>
<p>Again, I love doing these kinds of puzzles so just let me know if I can help you out.</p>
<p>Try and get your flight changed from Philly to Dulles, R Nat’l or Balt (put on your mama bear hat and cry if necessary). If not then maybe you could take the train to DC and then other transportation to pick him up at Dulles. Baltimore (BWI) is considered a DC airport (and there is at ton of weekday transportation from Balt to DC - weekends it might be a $60 taxi or shuttle)</p>
<p>Give some thought (ten minutes or so) as to the value of the stuff your son is shlepping home. Before you invest an extra $800 bucks or so to minimize the hassle because he has so much stuff, What is the stuff?</p>
<p>I’ve rented storage lockers in strange cities, paid movers to hold a truck for 48 hours, paid an extra months rent on apartments, paid a car service to do a three leg interstate drive etc for either elderly parents in transit,or my kids who got stuck in a jam.</p>
<p>Once the initial panic subsides, I’ve usually realized that I’ve just paid hundreds of dollars for some used Old Navy t shirts, a couple of pairs of Kmart flip-flops, and a bag of toiletries which could be replaced at Target for $30. Or in my parents case-- paid six months rent on a storage locker to hold a set of old dishes from Woolworths, an old piano which none of the kids or grandchildren wanted, and a few cartons of bed linens.</p>
<p>So take a deep breath and calculate exactly what you’re getting upset over. If your S has to give away his clothes and towels and just fly home with his laptop, backpack, and two days worth of clothing, is that the end of the world? Especially if he’s ill and the costs are starting to mount?</p>
<p>Don’t spend money trying to get his suitcases in the right place. Spend the money on his medical care and you being with him, and him having the least stressful journey possible. You’d be surprised how little value there is in kids shlepping home their stuff. And the stuff is complicating every leg of this journey as far as I can tell- it makes check in at the airport stressful, it makes clearing customs time consuming, it makes the trip between DC and Philly hard.</p>
<p>Or if there is something valuable-- can a friend in Africa mail it home for him???</p>
<p>You are so very welcome. Others have just rolled with this and given great advise (ie meeting him & renting the car to drive).<br>
I would urge you to call the airline directly to see if they are willing to match a roundtrip fare from west coast-Dulles returning out of Philly ( ie no penalty for different departure cities). Due to the unique situation they may be willing to help you out. Give them your best ‘tear jerker’ version!
The drive is very straightforward and as others said your son can stretch out in the back seat and be comforted that mom is there to take care of everything.
I hope today brings some answers so you can make plans. As parents we can deal with just about anything if we have a PLAN!!! I’ll check in later.
Peace.</p>
<p>“So take a deep breath and calculate exactly what you’re getting upset over. If your S has to give away his clothes and towels and just fly home with his laptop, backpack, and two days worth of clothing, is that the end of the world?..” And it might be a tax deduction.</p>
<p>Update from OP - Thank you! I got to talk to S!!! We got to skype, so I even got to see him - which was great! He is ok - but looks really wrung out. He has two duffels and a school-size backpack - not so much stuff. Whew!
Found a good flight from Phil. home, so still working on the Dulles to Philly piece - he is trying to see if there is a friend of a friend who could pick him up and let him crash until I got there with a rental car to drive to Philly. That would be awesome if he can work it out.
Now I’ll try to check into flights for me and the shuttle links ya’ll gave, etc.
Don’t want to post too many details, but one thing I hadn’t realized is that with everything that has happened, his access to funds and some ID has been lost, so he has no way to get cash when he lands in the US – arrgh. He did not lose his passport, though - hurray for that.
I am breathing again - so glad he is safe, and will be on his way soon. His airline - he is ticketed on an african airline - would not make any changes, so that didn’t work - but thanks for the suggestions!</p>
<p>It is always worth a try pricing one way tickets. </p>
<p>Last January we did one way into Cleveland to visit Case. Then one way out of Pitt after Sleeping Bag weekend at Carnegie Mellon. They are only a few hours apart, but with concerns about winter snow etc it reallllly eased our stress to do the one way tickets . And guess what? It was about the same cost as round trip to Cleveland. That really suprised me. (The car rental cost more, but it was a good trade-off for getting an extra half day at CMU).</p>
<p>I am so glad you were able to see his face and to talk with him! You must feel like a huge weight has been taken off your shoulders. Now you can try and get a good night sleep.</p>
<p>“I’ve done those flights from Africa. They are exhausting, there is no way I’d want to get in a rental car.”</p>
<p>Overnight in a hotel at Dulles, than get into the rental car.</p>
<p>Having done those Africa flights, too, it would be easier to do what I suggest than to go from Dulles to a train. Her son will be wiped out after the flight from Africa. Since he’s in need of surgery, he may have even more discomfort than would normally happen after such a trip.</p>
<p>Having a good night’s sleep in a hotel would help him handle the rest of the trip. Being in a rental car driven by his mom would be less hassle than taking a train.</p>
<p>Update: Thank you all again - and for the pm’s. We have hit one snafu, but also made some headway. Due to the rainy season arriving with great force, the area has flooded where he is, and he isn’t able right now to make the long trip to the airport. He now has a ticket for next week. But he DID find a friend of a friend who he can stay with overnight in DC until I get there to pick him up, and I finally got the papers faxed so the doc who is set to do the surgery can talk to me - PARENTS - make sure you have release of info forms all signed - HIPPA - before your child goes abroad!! We had them signed, we thought, but realized they were only for the uni, and not for general medical care. We also had a power of attorney, but now realize it was only for financial matters, not medical. So I’ve learned alot in the last couple of days!
We should be together back east sometime next week, and back home before the first of August (will do some family visits, too).
So Thank you all again!
I know the post will be long lost by then, but I will update when I’m back home
Ohh - one last thing - does anyone have personal knowledge of the Windsor Suites hotel in downtown Philly? There are mixed reviews online, but it looks like the one I can afford.</p>
<p>I walk by it at least twice a day, but I’ve never been past the lobby. I would say great location, slightly shabby. Really great location – great enough to make up for some shabbiness. Easy walk to Hahnemann, but completely different feel to the area.</p>
<p>yes - on tripadvisor is where there were some mixed reviews - dirty, bugs, cockroaches, that type of thing. We can deal with it I think, for the location - but I was wondering if I would feel safe walking around the area, as I will need to, I think. The location sounds perfect!</p>
<p>A one way ticket from Dulles to Philly is about $200. That might be worthwhile paying for the convenience. Otherwise you can fly into Dulles, meet him there and do a one way car rental to Philly. Compare costs and figure out which way is cheaper. Also, Limabeans is right about taking the nonstop to Philly if it can be done. </p>
<p>When it came to medical issues, we did not scrimp in costs. Unless you absolutely don’t have the money, I would make it as easy as possible for him.</p>
