For the Love of Family

As Thanksgiving inches closer and closer, many are preparing to head home for the holidays to spend time with their family and loved ones. However the ever rising costs of travel, from province to province, or international, has many reconsidering how often they can travel back to their homes.

As everything has gone up in price, travel has been no exception. Maritime bus, which runs through every major city in the Maritimes, will cost many hundreds of dollars for trips. Even one way trips can set a traveler back over 50 dollars. Lex Ramsey is one of those travelers.

Lex, who is currently unemployed, had to scrounge together 180 dollars to be able to head back to Truro, Nova Scotia, for a short two day visit. “It cost 90 dollars a ticket, so 180 dollars both way.” These obscene prices don’t apply only to Lex, however. A trip from Fredericton to Charlottetown would cost 68 dollars, for a nearly six hour trip with two transfers. From Fredericton to Halifax would be a nearly seven hour trip costing 72 dollars. And for a trip to Sydney, Nova Scotia from Fredericton would cost almost 100 dollars, two transfers, and ten hours of your time, and all of this just to do it all again on the way back.

While these prices are high it’s not even the worst some have to pay. Wilfred Fraser, hailing from the sunshine state of Florida, would have to use either international flying, or driving the 28 hour, 3000 kilometer distance to be able to share this precious holiday with his elderly parents. “I couldn’t afford the flights down” Wilfred said. As Wilfred has moved away from home it has placed more pressure to come home for holidays, as his father recently turned 89 years old, while his mother is 69, Wilfred fears that every missed holiday is one he will never get back. “My parents are only getting older, and my father has a lot of health problems, so it’s kinda scary to not see them for extended periods of time.”

Flights down to the south would be expensive even without the cost of school that Wilfred has to pay for. Fredericton to Miami would be a steep 398 dollars on Air Canada, and for United Airline, it would cost nearly 1000 dollars all things said and done.

While left a little light in his pockets, Lex stated that the trip was well worth it, and has even started saving for his trip down for Christmas. Along with this, Wilfred has discussed plans to do the same, hashing out plans with his parents to be able to afford the trip, even picking up a job to try and make it home. The love these men feel for their family is clear, and just goes to show how far we all go to see those who made us who we are.