Do families really drive all the way to Bethany Beach for a one day trip?

[Anonymous]

My BIL and SIL posted cute family photos on social media from Bethany. I asked my husband if they're renting a place for the week, he said no, they went for literally one day and drove right back. That seems nuts. It's almost like they drove there just for a photo op? The social media photos made it appear they were a family there for the holiday week.

[Anonymous]

Well are they coming from Maryland or Ohio? We plan to go to one of the Delaware beaches just for a day because it’s 3 hours and hotels are too expensive or too dingy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My BIL and SIL posted cute family photos on social media from Bethany. I asked my husband if they're renting a place for the week, he said no, they went for literally one day and drove right back. That seems nuts. It's almost like they drove there just for a photo op? The social media photos made it appear they were a family there for the holiday week.

We are doing this because we cant take a week off and my parents get a house for a week. So we will go down Sunday morning and return Sunday night so my son can have some time with his cousins and I can get my toes in the sand.

We tried looking for a place for just a few days to stay on our own but that isnt a possibility. I cant take a whole week because I need to save leave for postpartum FMLA.

[Anonymous]

If they're trying to make it look like that on IG, it just seems sad. Can they not afford to take a family vacation?

It's far (3hrs for me without traffic) but depends on where exactly in the DMV you live. I wouldn't go for the day - for that we would choose a bay beach instead. It's doable, for example a friend did that to come meet us for a beach weekend when she couldn't join the other days due to work. It's doable but doesn't seem worth it to most ppl.

[Anonymous]

OP, I’ve never personally done it, but the underlying issues with your BIL and SIL are clear in your post, so might want to examine that instead.

[Anonymous]

My college age child did a day trip on a Saturday recently with friends. Left at 10, arrived before 1 pm. Had lunch, went to the beach, walked around town, had dinner and got home at 11.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well are they coming from Maryland or Ohio? We plan to go to one of the Delaware beaches just for a day because it’s 3 hours and hotels are too expensive or too dingy.

6 plus hours in the car in a single day is crazy. At least book a one night hotel for a few hundred bucks, even if the kids have to share a bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My BIL and SIL posted cute family photos on social media from Bethany. I asked my husband if they're renting a place for the week, he said no, they went for literally one day and drove right back. That seems nuts. It's almost like they drove there just for a photo op? The social media photos made it appear they were a family there for the holiday week.

We are doing this because we cant take a week off and my parents get a house for a week. So we will go down Sunday morning and return Sunday night so my son can have some time with his cousins and I can get my toes in the sand.

We tried looking for a place for just a few days to stay on our own but that isnt a possibility. I cant take a whole week because I need to save leave for postpartum FMLA.

adding its a 2-2.5 hr drive for us. Only 30-60 min more than driving out to Catochin to hike for the day or greenbriar to spend the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they're trying to make it look like that on IG, it just seems sad. Can they not afford to take a family vacation?

It's far (3hrs for me without traffic) but depends on where exactly in the DMV you live. I wouldn't go for the day - for that we would choose a bay beach instead. It's doable, for example a friend did that to come meet us for a beach weekend when she couldn't join the other days due to work. It's doable but doesn't seem worth it to most ppl.

They have a nice house with a pool, plus club membership with a pool, so it's not like they're lacking in local leisure options. If they're overextended financially, why play pretend on social media? I am fairly convinced it was purely for the social media content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My BIL and SIL posted cute family photos on social media from Bethany. I asked my husband if they're renting a place for the week, he said no, they went for literally one day and drove right back. That seems nuts. It's almost like they drove there just for a photo op? The social media photos made it appear they were a family there for the holiday week.

Did they say in the text/etc "having a great week at the beach!". If not, how could pictures of a beach visit tell you anything substantive about how long someone was there? We have some old pictures of a one day beach trip where we have 15 from that day for whatever reason, and a week-long trip years later we only have 5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they're trying to make it look like that on IG, it just seems sad. Can they not afford to take a family vacation?

It's far (3hrs for me without traffic) but depends on where exactly in the DMV you live. I wouldn't go for the day - for that we would choose a bay beach instead. It's doable, for example a friend did that to come meet us for a beach weekend when she couldn't join the other days due to work. It's doable but doesn't seem worth it to most ppl.

They have a nice house with a pool, plus club membership with a pool, so it's not like they're lacking in local leisure options. If they're overextended financially, why play pretend on social media? I am fairly convinced it was purely for the social media content.

Orrrr they just took a day trip and wanted to go to the beach?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well are they coming from Maryland or Ohio? We plan to go to one of the Delaware beaches just for a day because it’s 3 hours and hotels are too expensive or too dingy.

6 plus hours in the car in a single day is crazy. At least book a one night hotel for a few hundred bucks, even if the kids have to share a bed.

Sometimes I drive 12 hours in one day to get to my in-laws house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My BIL and SIL posted cute family photos on social media from Bethany. I asked my husband if they're renting a place for the week, he said no, they went for literally one day and drove right back. That seems nuts. It's almost like they drove there just for a photo op? The social media photos made it appear they were a family there for the holiday week.

Did they say in the text/etc "having a great week at the beach!". If not, how could pictures of a beach visit tell you anything substantive about how long someone was there? We have some old pictures of a one day beach trip where we have 15 from that day for whatever reason, and a week-long trip years later we only have 5.

For one, what family drives that far for a day trip during a holiday week, and two, they were curated in a way to suggest it was a longer trip.

[Anonymous]

I’m 55 and grew up in Fairfax County. It was a thing in HS to drive to OC at random hours of the night/early morning to watch the sunrise and then drive back home.

I would still do this with my family but this time stay all day and drive back late at night.

[Anonymous]

Some people don’t mind driving that much. We have done it once, and it was definitely a long day. The hotels out there are too expensive for what they’re worth.