# Rv Vs. Air Travel + Motel Camping



## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Following is the best example I can think of to illustrate why we prefer RV'ing over Air travel + Motel camping.

We were coerced into going to a cousin's wedding in Wash. DC this weekend by the lure of "paid for plane tickets" and some motherly words of "encouragement". Planning for this wedding began about 15 months ago. Dresses were bought, bags packed, tickets booked and we got ready to go. I was never hot on the idea of going to this wedding for many reasons which I can't get into here. I had no choice but to agree as they forced me into a corner by jazzing up DW to be co-responsible for bridal shower luncheon something or other. This trip had doom written on it.

Bear in mind that the people below involved are myself, DW (4 mos. pregnant), DD#1 - 6yrs and DD#2 - 1yr. Original itinerary is that on Thurs. am, we fly from Lubbock to Dallas and Dallas to Washington - Dulles, arriving that afternoon, then returning on Sunday. This is hereafter known as "failed itinerary #1"

7:30am: Arrive at Lubbock Intl. Airport. for 8:55 flight to D/FW airport.
8:30am: Arrive at gate - check-in strangely took a long time.
8:31am: Notice that our plane says "on time" but it isn't there and the previous 2 flights out of that gate haven't left.
8:55am: Previous two flight now show up as "delayed" while ours still says "on time". No plane in sight. Flight is obviously not going to happen. No information being given out by airline whatsoever. Nobody is saying anything except "there will be a delay" and to "be patient".
10:00am: Get in line for gate agent. No way we are going to make connecting flight.
12:30pm: Get new itinerary with connecting flight out of D/FW at 8:25pm. Surely we can make that. This is "failed itinerary #2". We get new bag tags.
3:00pm: Gate attendants announce our flight is canceled. Get nervous then we get in line again for a gate agent.
4:30pm: Two flights previous to ours board and leave.
5:30pm: A 2.5 hour wait in line for a gate agent results in a new itinerary - 8:25pm connecting flight was cancelled. We are now to go from Lubbock to Dallas to Memphis to Wash. Reagan. with the latter two flights on Day 2 of our trip. This is "failed itinerary #3". 
5:31pm: Gate agent tells us "they will bring you new bag tags". We never get them.
7:30pm: Gate agent gives us itinerary #4 (Day 1. Lubb. to Dallas. Day 2. Dallas to Memphis. Switch Airlines. Memphis to Wash. Reagan...not Dulles. Similar to failed itinerary #3 but later flights). She then pauses and says directly - "we can get you on this plane over here, tell me now if you want on it". My gut screams "*DON'T DO IT*". DW has a breakdown at the desk and just cries "make a decision honey!". The words that came out of my mouth were ones I came to dearly regret. "Put us on the flight".
9:00pm: Arrive in Dallas. Luggage is MIA. Gate agent tells us "you have a 0% chance of getting it tonight".
9:30pm: Arrive at camp Best Western. Purchase toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant and comb.
11:00pm: Kids in bed 3hrs late. 
11:40pm: Parents in bed.

----------------------------Day 2------------------------------
9:00am: Everyone up! Yay!
9:45am: Everyone puts on clothes from Day 1! Yuck.
10:15am: Arrive at airport!
10:16am: Notice flight to Memphis is delayed due to a gate change! Yay! Gate agent thankfully discovers that Day 1 gate agent had dropped our return flights when she booked us on "failed itinerary #4".
11:50am: Flight to Memphis leaves.
1:20pm: Arrive in Memphis. Head to new airline.
1:45pm: Check in with new airline - connecting flight to leave at 7:00pm. Ask about bags. Good luck.
1:46pm: Begin what turned into a 9hr layover with 1yr old, 6yr old and pregnant woman.
3:30pm: Massive storm with tornado warnings smashes into airport. People run to windows, we run to tornado shelter.
6:35pm: Gate agent of new airline fesses up - plane will be delayed - don't know how long.
7:00pm: Flight delayed...
8:45pm: Flight leaves gate for Wash. Reagan
9:00pm: Flight sitting on tarmac....
9:05pm: Flight to Reagan takes off.
10:30am: Midair to Wash. Reagan - DD#2 blows out her diaper in an epic detonation of odor and diarrhea. Her lil tummy finally gave up on the airport food. DW changes her into new clothes and puts on her... *the last diaper in the diaper bag*. This is a terrible fear known only to parents.
11:15pm: Flight arrives at Wash. Reagan.
11:30pm: Baggage claim. Bags not there.
11:31pm: Begin working with bag claim guy. Tells us finally that he thinks our bags are with airline #1 over at Wash. Dulles. Bag claim guy gives us a car seat since ours was lost with our luggage. Whew!
12:00am: Send DW and DD's out of rental car place so they don't have to hear the two hookers inside "discussing business".
12:30am: Begin drive to Leesburg, VA where hotel camp #2 is.
1:00am: Lost in Wash. DC at 1:00am is scary.
1:45am: Get stopped at a DUI checkpoint. DW is driving. We probably look drunk or on some drugs of some sort. 
2:00am: Arrive in Leesburg, find a CVS and *BUY DIAPERS!!!* They are size too big. We don't care, having a baby without diapers is like having a madman with his finger on the nuclear button.
2:15am: Arrive at hotel camp #2 in Leesburg, VA.
2:30am: Parents and kids in bed.

------------------------------------------Day 3--------------------------------------
9:30am: Motel room phone starts ringing as excited family is calling wanting DW and DD#1 to go get their hair done at the appointments. DW had a look on her face that said "stick it" but allowed DD#1 to go with them.
10:00am: Showered, we put on clothes from Day 1...again. I smell.
10:30am: DD#1 goes with family to hair appt. DW and I head to Wash. Dulles to hopefully find bags.
10:50am: While in rental car on the way to Dulles, DD#2 explosively vomits on her last set of clean clothes. DW does not notice right away. I say nothing figuring that the overpowering odor will alert her in short order. It does. It is curdled milk vomit. There is alot of it. This is another treat parents are familiar with.
11:15am: Pull DD#2 out of REEKING rental car. Hacking, with eyes and noses burning, we clean curdled milk vomit off of DD#2, strip her nekkid and put on a CVS purchased diaper. It is big on her - she looks funny with a real big diaper on her hanging out nekkid in the Dulles parking lot (I was holding her hand or carrying her). I had no humor left in me to laugh tho. We pull the REEKING car seat out of REEKING rental car. 40 or so wet wipes later, car seat is soaking in vomit but chunks are off. Witnessing DW removing car seat padding to watch her pour baby puke out of car seat onto the Dulles parking lot while holding nekkid baby with people staring and gesturing at us was the near peak of my personal misery.
11:30am: DW has had ENOUGH and nearly cleans this gal's clock who was "commenting" on our nekkid baby in the Dulles airport. We are exhausted. We have on 3 day old clothes. We have the faint odor of baby barf on us. We have no luggage. Our clothes stink. After DW rants at her, the gal shuts her trap and apologizes.
11:35am: DW buys DD#2 a souvenir Wash. DC shirt to wear as a giant pink dress.
11:45am: Bag claim guy tell us in broken Engrish - I am Delta, you at wrong airline, you need Northwest". We ask where Northwest is - he points to the chair sitting beside him. 8 inches away from him. I am exasperated. He tells us that "she should have been here at 11am".
11:50am: Some guy comes walking in looking for the same bag claim guy/gal. His dog has been lost for 12 hours. He was told "dog might have missed the connecting flight"
12:10pm: 3 ladies show up looking for their dog - they were told that it would be "in the bag claim area". No dog. (seeing these folks makes us feel very fortunate).
12:30pm: An American airlines agent shows up next door - she exclaims "This desk is not open!!!". DW would have none of it. DW's flaming eyes and tone convince her otherwise. American was our original airline. Gate agent pounds her keyboard for 15 minutes and says "bags should be here".
12:35pm: We find our bags. We nearly have a breakdown in Dulles airport. I call DD#1 to let her know - she breaks down in tears on the phone.
4:00pm: In clean clothes, we get ready for wedding.
6:00pm: Shuttle leaves for wedding.
7:30pm: Wedding.
11:00pm: Leave wedding.
12:50am: Packing finished, DW and I hit the sack.

---------------------------------------------Day 4------------------------------------------------
7:00am: Up for flight back to Lubbock.
8:00am: Leave for Wash. Dulles.
8:30am: Arrive at Dulles and we ride these ummm...."Elevating Moon Rover" vehicles. Weird airport - Dulles.
9:15am: Flight backs out of the gate. We stop. We begin taxiing...back into the gate. I tell DW that "I have bad news". "We are going back to the gate". DW nearly loses it. I fear what she will do for a few seconds. Plane stops - they escort some dude off. We back right out...whew.
9:40am: Flight takes off and DD#2 finally succumbs to the stress and breaks down herself. She cries and begins to make 110 people aboard an American Airlines MD-80 miserable. She does this on and off...mostly on... for the next 2.5 hours. Made connecting flight in Dallas - BARELY.
2:00pm: Arrive back in Lubbock!!! HOME!!! DD#1 cries and exclaims upon landing "Lubbock!!! My HOME!!!". DW and I tear up.
3:00pm: Arrive at our home - I direct every person in our household to their respective beds. Immediately.
6:00pm: We waken from our naps, glad to be home. Fortunate to be together. Joyous to be part of our loving family.

We love to RV. We love our Outback. We are RV'ers.

-CC

The best part of this is that right now, we are cheerfully, joyfully, planning our route and stops for our RV trip to the Texas Informal Gathering of Outbackers Summer Rally 2009!!! We leave Tuesday evening!!! Woohoo!


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

OHHHHH MY GOD>>>>>

We just got home from our first plane trip in over ten years PRE-911. Lucky for us the only glitch was waiting an hour in a rental car line. We went to Florida just for the weekend to visit friends and get away from it all for a couple of days.
But I will tell you I would still rather jump in the rv and drive the 3000 mile round trip than deal with the airports,security,airlines,and potential luggage problems. Too many people have control when it comes to flying and let one of them or the weather go out of whack and your weekend is toast.

John


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Thanks for the reminder. I'm forwarding it to my DW!

Glad you all made it home safely!


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

Amen and Hallelujah, brother.

I, too, now hate flying, you're post reconfirmed my tenet against air travel. Unfortunately, I still have to fly....in September across country to Charlotte, and in November only half-way to Austin.

That's a problem when you live in the southwest corner of the US -> everything is long distance.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Now THAT was a story. Sorry that your misfortune made for an outstanding morning read. Camp on!


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

Oh my gawd. What a story. I laughed. I cried. well, mostly cried, because it reminded me of a trip we took with DS#3, 4 yo and DD #4, 3 yo. I cant go into any discription, because the meds have taken me to my happy place. Lets just say some of your key points caused my nervous tick to return. Diaper blowout, limited reserve in "carry on". 5 hours on the tarmac. Vomit shortly after. Kicked tray table, entire Coke dumping in my lap. No more clothes. Woman in seat in front, not a nice lady- and liked to give advice. When airborn, #4 cries from ear infection the entire 4.5 hour flight to Boston. Makes a person not want to take a vacation ever again.


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

I would have taken my night with the skunk 100 times over... JeeZ!!!


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

Wow - that sounds like a couple of adventures we have had flying...of course ours are minus kids, which makes the whole thing even more stressful.

Our last adventure included almost having to sleep in the San Francisco air port with no available flights going to our destination or going back home for 4 days (snow storm in Oregon, Christmas, etc). Fortunately, we ended up getting put in a hotel and booked flights with another carrier that left the next morning! We were only 18 hours late to our destination, but there is nothing like airports on Christmas Eve Day!


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## Rob_G (Feb 16, 2006)

OMG! Where was Steve Martin and John Candy throughout all of this?!?!?









1. Last diaper... been there.
2. Curdled milk vomit... umm... umm... tasty... been there too!
3. Elevating Moon Rovers ROCK!









Seriously though... sry for the travel issues. We drive whenever we can cause of these same reasons!


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## ROB & JUDY OUTBACKERS (Mar 9, 2007)

Curtis,
I think that you could have pulled the Outback to Washington just as fast.
Rob


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

I have to add to this that we had an 'Omen', if you will, that we should never have left for the trip. On Tuesday, in the late afternoon, I began preparing supper. I was going to quick sear a roast to quicken the cooking time and have that for supper that night. I put my oil in the pan, got it just to the smoking point, seasoned the roast and went to place it in the pan. About 10 inches above the pan the roast slipped out of my hand and fell into the pan of hot oil. It splattered oil for a 10 foot radius around the kitchen. Needless to say, I was at point blank range. I was unfortunately wearing a tank top and was splattered with the oil on my hands, arms, upper chest, neck and face. I screamed in pain which scared the girls and they began screaming. They each got one little splatter on them but were not injured otherwise. Thank God for baby gates - they were both in the dining room not the kitchen.

My Mother In Law and her sister are friends with a local dermatologist. She called him at home and I waited for a call. At about 9pm I got a call from him and told him what happened (he had been on the golf course and didn't get the message until finishing his round). He immediately called me in a prescription for steroids and antibiotics and told be to be in his office first thing in the morning. At his office he told me I wouldn't scar but it would take several weeks to heal up. He gave me a shot of cortiszone (sp?) and told me to keep the burns moisturized with Vaseline. (NEVER put burn ointments, antibiotic ointments on serious burns - he said vaseline is the best thing)

During the trip ordeal we were also caring for these hideous burns I had received.

Micah


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## ROB & JUDY OUTBACKERS (Mar 9, 2007)

Micah and Curtis,
I don't have to tell you to pull the Outback to the Rally this week. See you there.
Rob


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## DMG (Apr 28, 2009)

YOU WIN!

You made driving to the weekend weding of my nephew with my mother seem like a dream vacation!!!

Glad you made it home with everyone in tack. Thanks for the laugh and for the reminder about why I love my Outback!


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

We leave for a 16 day trip to California via airplane this coming Wednesday!!!







We had a blast 2 years ago when we did the drive with our OB, but timing won't work for us this year. Pray for us!!!!


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## folsom_five (Jan 10, 2008)

WOW! Sorry to hear about all your troubles, but glad to see that all of you made it home safely. 
You have just reinforced my reasoning for driving almost everywhere we go. 
Now get out in your Outback and do some camping!


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## Cj45 (Jan 22, 2005)

As a parent, I winced at all the appropriate places, and as a woman, I know JUST the look on your DWs face. The American Airlines clerk was wise to open up and cooperate.

Welcome home!


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

it would have been faster to drive and pull the outback....


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