To take me, Jessica and Jake (who is too young to pay for - mercifully) to Sussex by train? £118.20 return. That's our entire holiday budget gone and then some. Accomodation is free, thanks to my dad and stepmother offering their flat, but I can't afford to take the kids anywhere if I'm spending that much on travel. Plus Jake probably won't cope with the journey which means possibly having to do it in stages...I mean, it's just under 6 hours as it is but if he has a fit then we're talking possibly 8-10 hours with stops, calming him down and trying to get other people to back off if they don't like how he is.
However, if I get a railcard for about 28 quid, I save over £50 on the rail fare so I may just do that. Jake has never been to the seaside before and for some weird reason he actually responds quite well to my dad - maybe because he's disabled, Jake finds him less threatening? Who knows...but I don't want to miss out on a summer holiday just because public transport penalises you for not driving. I worked out the cost if I had a friend drive me there and back - guess what? Less than £60 all in. Madness...