For those who live outside of New York

How often do you go to New York to visit?? and which events do you consider going and which not?? I feel bad bc all of our family and friends are in NY and we are always getting bday, wedding, shower invitations etc etc... and if you add the holidays to that we will use all of our vacation days and money just traveling to NY

Message edited 9/29/2009 6:20:42 PM.

Re: Forthose who live outside of New York

it was definitely a con of living out of NY for us - I felt like any vacation we had was going to NY

We went home for one holiday and weddings (not showers)

Re: For those who live outside of New York

When I lived in FL we visited like 2x a year for Xmas or Easter and during the summer. Then it was vice versa for family we would alternate the visits but it was costly for flying and gas for driving.

Re: For those who live outside of New York

We try to get back at least once a year, and usually it's 2 times.

We go every other year for the holidays (the alternate year, my family comes to us), make a point to go back for weddings (but within reason... actual friends and relatives, not random obligation invites) and baptisms (for our nieces & nephews only), but just send a gift for showers, and don't go for birthdays. We also didn't attend my class reunion recently. It was just too much money and time off to be worth it.

I feel very badly too that we can't make it for everything, but we're going to have to get used to it. Like you pointed out, travel expenses add up quickly and there are only so many days off each year. We don't really get to do much traveling besides going back to NY

Re: For those who live outside of New York

we live in Rhode Island, so to get back home to NY is not that difficult-except the ferry has gone up to about 100 round trip these days!

We go for holidays, weddings, some birthdays, Fatehrs Day, Mothers Day

Re: For those who live outside of New York

we usually go back for Thanksgiving, Christmas, a visit over the summer and weddings of family/close friends.....but it's never enough

I can't wait to move back!!!

Re: For those who live outside of New York

I get back to LI once a year, if there is a special family occasion, I would come back twice a year to NY. Once a year all our family meets up in Florida, sometimes my In Laws come also.

Re: For those who live outside of New York

I live in PA..our parents and most family are in brooklyn.

we try to go into brooklyn 2x a month to see the parents. sometimes they come to us.

sometimes there are just too many events to go to all of them.

Re: For those who live outside of New York

I'd say 3x/year.

We usually come over the summer for 2-3 weeks and then again for Christmas for about 10 days or so... and sometimes DH or I will come alone for a long weekend (if we have enough Jetblue miles or can fly standby through a buddy pass - my mom's a flight attendant).

Usually the weddings we are invited to are over the summer, so for example in 08, we had my best friend's wedding in August - so we planned our summer trip around that... this year we had my BIL's wedding in July so again we planned around that... and next year we have another friend's wedding in July so we'll plan around that.

We've only been invited to maybe 1-2 weddings that weren't over the summer and we did not attend those. For birthdays, we definitely don't go back - it's just too expensive! And I went back for my best friend's shower... but I didn't go back for some other showers that I was invited to.

It's really hard to fly back and forth from CA because when you go to NY, it's like 9 hours (6 hours on the plane + 3 hour time difference) so it's kind of crazy! I'm actually flying back this Friday for my OWN baby shower on Saturday and it's just crazy... I'm leaving CA on a 2:30 flight, getting in at 10:30 pm in NY and leaving Sunday at 9:30 am... things like that are just too hard to do often!

Re: For those who live outside of New York

Yeah I feel now that either we dont go to NY for a yr or our entire vacation time and money go to back to NY and/ or to Dominican Republic (where I grew up and the rest of my family is)..

Re: For those who live outside of New York

I live in CT, only about 2-2.5 hours away. Sometimes I feel like I am doing the drive every weekend. DH gets mad sometimes because he says I don't know when to say no.

I just feel like I am not far enough away to miss most things.

Re: For those who live outside of New York

Holiday's
Major events:funerals, god childrens b-day's,weddings (as long as we can, we will try) summer.
ETA: It depends on the year and what's going on. I live 1K miles away with a family of 4 that only fly's.

I do take my girls back to LI for a few weeks in the summer. this past summer was 5 weeks.

Message edited 9/30/2009 12:48:41 PM.

Re: For those who live outside of New York

We go back maybe 3 or 4 times a year, more if something is going on.

We'll go for long weekends, etc. It's important for us to be there for the big things-baptisms, weddings, big birthdays etc. but we also like to go and just relax.

We will also go up for holidays, but generally not Christmas as we are starting our own traditions with the kids. Everyone is welcome to come to us at that time-and the inlaws (FIl, MIL, BIL, GMIL) and my mom and brother usually do.

Re: For those who live outside of New York

I usually try to get back twice a year. Once for Christmas for about a week, and then once in the summer, which I try to work with all of the weddings that are going on lately. I live on the west coast, so its is SO expensive to get back to LI and its two complete days of travel there and back. I do use all my vacation time going back. But that being said, my family and friends are well worth it for me. I'm very much looking forward to moving back east though! We haven't had many visitors out here