How to Cut Costs When Traveling for Medical Treatments

Our family has dealt with medical bills since my two youngest children were born. We have to travel short distances and long distances to Children's hospitals for the various problems they have related to Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. Over the years, we have learned how to keep the expense of traveling to various hospitals down to the bare bones minimum.

While many people do not have the choice between flying and driving, our family has been fortunate enough that we have that choice. We drive to Cincinnati Children's hospital from North Carolina quite frequently. We are also planning our trip to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia soon, too. Having children with a rare disease like Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (SDS) means that we sometimes have to travel to see the experts in the field of SDS. Here where we live, our children are the only two Shwachman-Diamond children any of our doctors see. So, experience in limited and travel is a must.

With gas prices skyrocketing this summer, we still find that traveling by car is more economical for our family. We cannot afford five plane tickets and a rental car. When we calculate the costs involved, driving always wins for our family. We also have meals to consider. When driving, we carry an ice chest packed with food and snacks. This keeps us from having to purchase meals on the road. Our old truck has a forty-four gallon tank and we can make it from North Carolina to Cincinnati on three-quarters of a tank! This helps us a lot. We do not have to stop to refuel, and this cuts down on any purchases at high-priced gas stations along the way. We stop at rest areas to eat picnic meals, use the restroom and stretch before hitting the road once again.