Need help! Tight budget to travel to WA to see DS before he goes to Iraq

3boys2anglz · 02-28-2007, 07:33 AM

My son will be leaving Fort Lewis, WA on March 26 to fly to Kuwait and then go into Iraq from there. I want to go out to see him before he leaves, but money is extremely tight for the trip. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find great prices on airfare to Seattle and lodging in the Tacoma/Fort Lewis area? We are flying from Columbus, OH and will be staying 3-5 days.

shabin · 02-28-2007, 08:04 AM

YES!! I just got a flight from Newark to Phoenix for $114 round trip.

try going to travelocity.com or expedia.com and put in your airports but say that your dates are flexible. A whole bunch of airlines will come up and you just have to find one that has the dates available that you want to travel. My flight is Wed. to Wed. but still for $114 you can't beat that!! (plus my BIL lives there, so my vacation is pretty cheap and we get to travel across the country and he can show us the sights!)

Please thank your ds for me and my family, as we all appreciate him serving for us. I will keep him in my prayers that he stays safe and returns home quickly!

mommy2mercedes · 02-28-2007, 08:22 AM

yep hit travlocity and look for red eye flights...you can get these pretty darn cheap!!!!
Good luck to you and your son.:love:

Daisymum · 02-28-2007, 08:27 AM

I am not sure about flights, but as far as hotels go, if you tell them the purpose of the trip they will usually give you REALLY good deals. This was my experience when I was driving from Maine to New York to see DH before he went to Iraq.

indianamommie · 02-28-2007, 08:44 AM

You could try something that my aunt just told me about. She went to travelocity.com or something like it and found flights. Then she went to the airline's actual website and found a cheaper flight that way. Don't know if it works all the time, but you can check it out.

sarandy4 · 02-28-2007, 09:21 AM

Sign up for southwest airlines e-mail list and they are always sending sales that they are having. We got tickets to Orlando and to Las Vegas for $59 each way.
I also agree with checking out travel deals sites-travelocity, hotels.com, etc. You could find great package deals that way.
I will be praying for your son. Is this his first time going over there?

christine525 · **Hope this helps...**

There is lodging on base at Ft. Lewis. Call (253)967-2815. Your son may have to make arrangements for you but it might save you money. Their rates last year ran $43-$53 single occupancy and $5 extra per person. (I'm getting this info from the Puget Sound Military Guide I got from our vacation last summer).
I'm sorry your son has to go. Give him a big hug from my family.

MommaofDP&AJ · 02-28-2007, 11:53 AM

I'm sorry I don't have any pointers but I will keep my fingers crossed that you can get there to see him before he goes... I think it is very important. Is the whole family going?

BEST OF LUCK!

3boys2anglz · 02-28-2007, 12:43 PM

Thank you so much for all the tips. I am still working on getting the best deals. This comes at a time when my husband took a substantial pay cut to move to a different fire department with more opportunities and we found out yesterday that the dog needs a $3000 surgery so every penny we can save will help. My boys, my mom and my son's best friend will be going out to see him off. My husband cannot get time off from the fire academy to go.

This will be my son's first tour in Iraq. He just graduated from basic training and infantry school in October and has been assigned to Fort Lewis just doing details since then. The unit he was assigned to is new and they are still waiting on their vehicles so they have done a lot of raking leaves and shoveling snow. Doesn't make me feel great about his training level at this point but we'll just have to pray. He volunteered with 29 other guys to go to a unit that has sustained injuries and casualties.

Now I know how hard it was for my mom when I was deployed during Desert Storm...

TracyB · 02-28-2007, 02:01 PM

maybe your community can help......can you and a few friends put together a bake sale and that will be your money for the trip or something like that.......I know I would let my bills go first before not seeing my child before he/she left for war....which I am sure your probably thinking the same thing too...lol...hopefully something like that can be put together to help make it easier....have a safe and wonder time with your son on your visit!!!