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the facts:
3 children: age 13, 10 and 6
school is out at 3:30 on 12/22/15
back for school 1/4/16
Home base: WI
Destination: Phoenix to visit "the folks"
Is this doable with some fun along the way - and 6-7 days with "the folks" or are we crazy? Should we push hard to get there for Christmas or plan a nice family stop somewhere? We have never been traveling for Christmas....
Vehicle: Buick Enclave ...
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From most places in Wisconsin, you're looking at needing a good two and a half days to get to Phoenix. Remember that 'days' will be considerably shorter in the middle of winter and that untoward weather resulting in significant delays is a real possibility. I would also caution you NOT to try to leave home on the same day that your kids get out of school. By the time you get them all organized and packed in the car, that day will be just about shot and the adults, who presumably would have been working all day to get ready, worn out. With allowances for weather delays and seeing at least a couple of things along the way, you probably shouldn't plan on being in Phoenix any earlier than the evening of Saturday the 26th. Similarly, you should budget four days for the drive back. That means that you'll be driving on Christmas Eve, on Christmas, on New Year's Eve, and on New Year's, and you'll only have four days at "the folks".
Then there's the cost. You're looking at roughly $600 in gas, $400-500 in motels, and maybe $400 in meals on the road, or as much as $1500 just for the traveling portion of this RoadTrip. You could all probably fly for somewhere on the order of $2000 (from Milwaukee) to $2500 (from Green Bay) and save five or six days of "Are we there yet?"
It's not often that we recommend against a RoadTrip here, but I think this is one case where the time constraints, chances of bad weather, and availability of an alternative either in mode of transport or time of the year, call for coming down on the side of not doing this trip as you've outlined.
AZBuck
For exactly the reasons that AZBuck just outlined, if my husband and I need to get to the Midwest at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Spring Break, we fly and rent a car when we get there. It's a long trip, and you won't have time for any fun except while you're there -- and that would be so short.
There are a number of great things to see and do in the Phoenix area. Even a day trip down to Tucson wouldn't be out of the question.
Donna