Tickets...

As I am slowly trying to plan our trip to the U.S., I was quickly reminded of the difference in ticket costs between Europe and the U.S.. By tickets, I mean; airplane tickets, park tickets, ski tickets, train tickets, zoo tickets etc.. For a family of 5, it is usually MUCH less expensive to do things over here (even when you consider the poor exchange rate). Many places have a "family rate", which basically caps off the price after 1 or 2 children - it definitely helps when you have 3 kids. The cost of plane tickets is also much less expensive here(and on most flights, you can still check a bag without paying added fees). When our entire family flew to Rome, it cost less than it will cost for 3 of us to fly from DC to Boston. I don't quite understand why there is such a difference. It may be due to the fees that are passed on because of liability, it may be that people/companies want to make more money. Sometimes it is just surprising. For our entire family to ski for the weekend, it cost almost the same as it would have cost for only 1 person to ski for the weekend back home. Sometimes I feel like my blog is obnoxious with the things that we do, but with regard to cost - things are VERY reasonable. The only thing that does drive us crazy here is the fact that if we stay at a hotel, often we have to get 2 rooms. Many of the big theme parks like Disney in Paris, and Legoland still charge what you would expect to pay in the U.S. - and it is worse because it is in Euro, but most of the smaller places are much less. It is interesting how the price comparison can be so different...