With the government shutdown and flights being canceled, we’ve told S23 that unless things change he’ll probably be stuck on campus over the Thanksgiving break. I know he was looking forward to being home, seeing the pets, etc. Any suggestions on how to make the break more fun for kids stuck at school? We were thinking about sending him $ and telling him to hit Trader Joe’s and have a “Friendsgiving” in his dorm lounge with the other kids. Any other ideas of things we could send him or ways to make it more fun? He’s on the east coast but I’ve read that Amtrak rates over Thanksgiving are super high, so even a getaway weekend might be too pricey. Care package ideas? Anyone else dealing with kids stuck at school over the break?
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If you and your son’s friends feel like splurging a little, some hotels do Thanksgiving brunches/lunches/dinners. That can be a nice experience, especially since you’ll be saving money on the plane tickets. Just an idea.
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My first year, I was far from home. Had Thanksgiving with my Spanish prof’s family.
I wonder how this will impact colleges? Will they need to ensure a dining hall is open the entire weak for those who close?
Perhaps they have this for international but yeah, I imagine schools will have to do something.
It’s unfathomable at this point, given the biggest week of travel, that there won’t be a short term kick the can down the road thing.
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Friendsgiving is a great idea if there are a bunch of kids stranded!
If your son has friends who live locally, he may also get an invite to go home with one of them.
I’m holding out hope that the shut down will be over by then and flights will be back to normal. My own D is supposed to fly home after work on Wednesday night and I will be super sad if she doesn’t make it 
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DH is flying to MD to attend the Michigan-Maryland game next weekend with DS/DIL. The kids are flying back with him for Thanksgiving week. Yeah. Let’s see how that goes.
I feel your pain @cacmom. Good suggestions above, though.
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My kid has chosen to spend every Thanksgiving on campus. His school doesn’t have a long break and the airports are misery. So he prefers to stay around and enjoy the city (NY), doing all the things he loves to do without any of the pressure of also doing homework. There are always other students “stuck” on campus. They often all go out together. I remember his freshman year a big group all went out for Indian food. I know students also do Friendsgivings. We always talk on the phone a few times over the weekend, and I send him a picture of the spread, and tell him the dishes that did and did not turn out. It’s fun.
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I spent my first Thanksgiving on campus, and I was pretty happy with what I did over the break. My friends and I did Friendsgiving on campus in a upper-division student’s apartment, and I also called my parents while I was eating, too, so I could talk to them.
Funily enough, I found a lot of my friends stuck on campus too (mainly international students who couldn’t go home abroad). What we did was take day trips down to Roanoke or spend a long day up in D.C. I would check with the institution to see if any smaller departments or professors are doing events. The W&L’s international student coordinator took two vans of us to DC for a day - I was able to sign on through word-of-mouth. Your S23’s institution may also do similar trips you can probably find out if you ask around.
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I can’t see them letting this continue through thanksgiving. Way to get millions of voters really angry.
Fwiw: my husband had a 10-hour delay yesterday and considered himself lucky that his flight wasn’t outright cancelled.
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Another vote for Friendsgiving! We’re not in the same situation, because my D23 is abroad this semester, and there was never a possibility of coming home, but she and her friends in her study-abroad program are doing a potluck in which they’ll each contribute some of their favorite recipes from home (or close approximations, depending on what groceries are available where they are). It should be fun for them.
Alternative plan: perhaps an invite from a friend whose family lives within driving distance?
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I’m also worried about this, with two kids 1000 miles away. But…even 20% of flights cancelled doesn’t mean that most likely no one comes home. It means most likely they do come home with a possibility of disrupted travel. I have my fingers crossed that everything runs smoothly.
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We did buy a substitute refundable train ticket but it was expensive and at inconvenient times. However, I remember in 1992 or 1993 there was the big airline strike that Bill Clinton intervened and helped them settle the day before TG. We had already planned to try to roast a little turkey breast in the dorm kitchen oven as a group of friends, and I think that would have been OK for us. Harder for our parents!
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I was over 1000 miles away from home for college. I only went home freshman year. Even without a government shutdown, i never found it worth the headaches or the cost. My husband and I went to a small LAC. They had a small thanksgiving meal for those who stayed. We did that once. The other years we stole food from the dining hall and somehow made a random dinner (no car, rural campus and no money). Cozy memories. I think sending a gift card and even some groceries or homemade cookies beforehand would be nice. Maybe something you usually always have so there is a touch of home.
My S25 is about 40 min away. I am really hoping he brings someone home because I feel like it will be an opportunity to meet friends and get more information on his new life!
Hope everyone gets where they need to go. I was supposed to fly to DC (Reagan) Tuesday for a 2 day meeting. Got canceled today and I am now going on a train. Grateful it was just canceled. I had been so stressed about the what ifs. And Reagan is a terrible airport to be stuck in. Always so cramped. My mom is supposed to come to us on the 19th. Crossing my fingers!
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Our kid is also about a thousand miles away. I booked non-stop flights for him and opted to avoid regional airports this time (usually, he has to make a connection). He’s not thrilled - it will mean an extra 4 hours of car/bus travel for him to get to our place from the major airport - but that’s the safest option at this time of year regardless. I looked into train tickets as a backup plan, but it would take him 30 hours (!) to get to the nearest station - which is still 4 hours from here. So not a viable option.
I suggested he begin more serious outreach to his friends that are more local in case he runs into any issues. He does have a good number of friends within a 2-3 hour drive of his college, so he should have options. If he really ends up stuck, we’ll fund him going out to eat somewhere nice with a friend or two if others are also stuck.
I’m hopeful that everyone comes to their senses before the holiday. If they don’t though, I hope he gets enough of a heads-up that either of his flights are being cancelled so he can find an alternative.
If all goes as planned, I think we’ll definitely be watching Trains, Planes, and Automobiles this Thanksgiving, in addition to our annual viewing of Forrest Gump.
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I hope that colleges are looking ahead and will have open dorms and/or dining someplace on campus…in case kids do get stuck.
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In September I booked my son’s non refundable flights home for Thanksgiving. If we cancel I’m afraid that he won’t be able to use the flight credit in time. His incoming flight is to one of the 40 who are experiencing flight reductions, and his flights are probably considered regional since they’re about 500 miles. If they’re going to cancel flights I hope they cancel his outbound flight home. At least then he’ll just drive home. If they keep his outbound flight and cancel his flight back, then we’ll really be stuck. Amtrak trains are already full for Nov 29 and 30. They are looking quite full for Dec 1 as well. I’m not driving him back and forth, so I guess we’ll have to depend on some flight getting in the air late Sunday or maybe Monday. I do hope the colleges around the country are flexible given this situation.
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Not sure what airline his flight is on but we have been notified by some airlines (definitely United) that if you cancel you get a credit even for their non refundable flights. I know that doesn’t help the uncertainty but at least it could help not losing the flight credit/needing to use it in time.
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Thank you - the language on American Airlines website seems unclear about canceling for a refund. Right now they seem focused on flights this week only. I’m going to give it a few days and then maybe just call American to see what will happen if we cancel the round trip.
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I just bought my kids’ Thanksgiving tickets yesterday. I’m not worried about it at all, though as always, I will expect delays. I like to buy one-way tickets for easier changing.
I have not had a problem with United giving flight credit. I actually do this quite frequently, twice in the past six months, after canceling regular economy level, not sure about basic.
Sorry - mis-typed. I meant they give a refund, even for non-refundable tickets.
From the letter from United
”Importantly, if you’re traveling during this period and do not wish to fly, you’re eligible for a refund — even if your flight isn’t impacted. That includes non-refundable tickets and basic economy tickets.”
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My husband was flying Delta and they said similar.
I think the issue currently is that if one is canceled by the airline you’re stuck with the other, where a round trip ticket would get both legs refunded. But (as above per United & Delta) depends on the airline too.
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