Departing for a seven-day trip with the kids

October 5, 2006
Indianapolis to Flagstaff

Today we depart Indianapolis for a seven-day trip to Flagstaff, Arizona to attend a wedding. There could be some challenges as we travel cross country with our two children, both under four years of age, but we’re excited to get away as a family.

We’ve loaded up a backpack with books, some toys and a portable DVD player. We checked out three DVDs from our local library. Due to our kids’ young ages, we opted for shorter episodes of shows rather than long full-length movies. We also bought a couple of new activity books and new toys to introduce to them as they start getting bored. And we took plenty of snacks – crackers, raisins, granola bars.

Parking

One of the first things to do when flying – and perhaps often overlooked until the last minute – is parking. We made advance reservations with Park Ride & Fly. Located just past the regular “Economy” lot, they offer valet parking service and shuttle ride to the terminal at essentially the same price as the airport-controlled lots. Park Ride & Fly serves 45 airports in the United States. Harmony Travel can make an advance reservation for you the next time you fly.

The Flight

I took the opportunity to check us in online the day before we departed. We still had to go to the counter to check our bags, but it did save us some time since we were flying under two separate reservations (two free tickets via frequent flyer miles and two paid tickets).

Security went smoothly. One of the keys is to always check www.tsa.gov in the days before you fly to check on the status of prohibited items. Then take your time and don’t feel rushed going through the checkpoint even as the line grows behind you.

Our flights went great with very little fussing from the kids. Both flights featured a 3-3 seating configuration, so we were able to sit three in a row with the other person across the aisle. We opted to take one car seat on board for our youngest, who also happens to be the most rambunctious. Having him in a familiar setting – the car seat – kept him from moving around as much as he would have without it. He still needed to get out for a while, but everything went well.

We had just over an hour between our flights, and it proved to be the perfect amount of time, if not even a bit too little. By the time we deplaned, walked to our next gate and used the restroom, our second flight had already started boarding. Luckily, a fast food restaurant was right by the gate, which allowed us to by some food to take on board.

We were flying Northwest, which like several other airlines, has stopped serving any type of complimentary snack. Not even peanuts or pretzels are free anymore. Snacks were available for either $2 or $5.

Phoenix – Sky Harbor Airport

We landed in Phoenix on time at about 12:30. After getting our baggage we hopped on a shuttle bus to the rental car facility. About 18 months ago, the airport opened a large facility that houses all of the rental car companies. Free shuttles take passengers to and from the facility. Buses run quite frequently.

The drivers and other staff are tremendously helpful. We were loaded down with three checked bags, two car seats and three other bags. They did a great job of loading and unloading them for us. A free cart was available at the rental car facility to take our bags to the car.

Rental Car

Phoenix is one of the busiest airports in the U.S. and boasts some of the highest rental car figures in the world. Unfortunately, they also have some of the highest taxes on rental cars too, turning even the most basic rental into an expensive outlay.

Researching rental rates, we opted to go with a smaller company that is relatively new – E-Z Rental. The weekly rate for a minivan for us was about $100 less than any of the name brands.

After making the reservation, I even found a $10 coupon on their website which they gladly accepted at the counter.

Driving to Flagstaff

We spent the next 2+ hours on I-17 to Flagstaff. One of the amazing things about Arizona is how quickly the landscape can change. The desert of Phoenix quickly morphs into a land of mesas and then into mountains. Flagstaff is 7,000 feet above sea level.

Hotel

We checked into the Sleep Inn on Woodlands Blvd., which had offered us the best group rate for the wedding party. Sleep Inn are part of the Choice Hotels group that includes Comfort Inns, Quality Inns and others. It’s a mid-level chain with fairly basic amenities, but the price was right.

Our room with two queens was clean and quiet. There were only three drawers which was not nearly enough to accommodate clothing for four people for six days. Note to parents with young kids – Sleep Inns feature showers only, no tubs.
The hotel featured a hot tub and pool on the first floor. The indoor pool was a plus. Several other hotels in the area had outdoor pools that didn’t see much use with the falling temperatures and periods of rain off and on.