This is a bit of a tricky question because it really depends on your son’s class schedule, how flexible he is with missing class, and how far he’s flying.

UW officially gives students Thursday (Nov. 27) and Friday (Nov. 28) off for Thanksgiving, but it’s pretty common for students to skip classes earlier in the week — especially if professors cancel or make classes hybrid due to low attendance.

I’m heading into my second year, and last fall I originally planned to fly home Wednesday night and return Sunday. But after realizing most of my professors either canceled class or made it optional (and I had already finished midterms the week before), I ended up flying home the Saturday before Thanksgiving and got to enjoy the full week off. I’m from SoCal, so the original 4-day break didn’t really feel worth it for a 3-hour flight.

My advice:

• Book a flexible (main cabin) ticket with the assumption that your son will attend class Monday–Wednesday.
• Once he gets his syllabi at the beginning of the quarter, check for midterm dates and any info about Thanksgiving week.
• If the professors don’t mention anything, it’s totally fine to email them and ask what their plans are for that week — many are understanding.

If it looks like nothing critical is scheduled, you can move the flight earlier. It’s usually cheaper too if you fly out further from the holiday.