Ok, math time!

There is an individual coming to pick up our tropical fish in a few weeks to rehome the whole lot of them. She said she was driving up from England. (Which is amazing.) I didn't find out until just recently that she's coming all the way to Glasgow from Sandhurst. Which, if googlemaps isn't lying to me, is by London! (?!?)  I figure that to be about an 800-mile round-trip! Gosh.

Given that, we do need to do the decent thing and reimburse her for her gas, at least. And meals. If someone had a relatively new, economical car here, how much gas do you think they might use for the trip? And what would that cost in gas? Maybe like £150?

Sandhurst is next door to me. Literally can hear the guns from the military academy on the regular lol. It's about 8 hour (ish - give or take depending) drive to Glasgow from here but as she is doing it because she wants the fish with no expectation of receiving any fuel, i really don't think it's necessary to compensate her for her fuel. It is a very nice gesture but it definitely won't be expected and I don't think it would be seen as indecent if you didn't offer. She knows how far away you are and is wanting yhe fish badly enough to make that trip so I really wouldn't worry about compensating her for fuel or meals. If she is paying for the fish, could maybe give a slight discount, but if everything is free, that's even more reason why you don't need to pay her as she isn't being troubled or put out as this is something for her.

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I agree with Kiss of death, if you haven’t already agreed gas money I wouldn’t bring it up.  I’d just offer lunch.

I have to say driving 8 hours for fish sounds crazy to me.  Expensive, hard on the fish and hard on the driver.  Don’t be surprised if they back out once someone else talks sense into them. 

I have to say driving 8 hours for fish sounds crazy to me.  Expensive, hard on the fish and hard on the driver.  Don’t be surprised if they back out once someone else talks sense into them.

Either that or they are going to be up their anyways to visit family or go on summer holiday. I doubt they are making a special trip just for the fish to be honest.

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You guyz have never encountered the hard-core fish-keeping set, obviously.    The folks who have entire rooms dedicated to their tropical fish. Many, many tanks, and of exotic ones. They will do some amazing things. (I am guilty of being ready to pay up to £500 to fly the little fins home, if only there was a way to do it, which there isn't. So I can't be making fun of those folks who spend thousands on their tanks.)

She is doing this as a kindness to us, to rehome our guys. They are not particularly monetarily valuable fish, although they can live 20 years and are breeding like mad. (So she could make some money selling them, if she had the inclination.) She is driving up on a Friday, spending the night in a hotel, and leaving early the next morning to go back home again.

I have told her that I would help with gas. I just need to know what a reasonable amount is. The Daughter says cars here get really good gas mileage. But she's saying like 50mpg, which I can't quite believe. I just want to know if you think £150 would cover her fuel.

And yes, I'd be very disappointed if she doesn't show up.

I have told her that I would help with gas. I just need to know what a reasonable amount is. The Daughter says cars here get really good gas mileage. But she's saying like 50mpg, which I can't quite believe. I just want to know if you think £150 would cover her fuel.

Yes, that's accurate! My car is a 2015 "cleaner" diesel and I easily get 50mpg, sometimes higher. Thanks to Covid-19 I haven't needed to fill it since February and still have half a tank.

Realistically I would ask her ahead of the trip what she thinks she needs for the fuel contribution so you can budget accordingly. I think you are overestimating quite a bit!

Ahh fair enough. If you've arranged to help with fuel that makes sense. It does totally depend on her car. Mine is between 40-45mpg at the moment (in real time but has the capability to be more efficient) . I think £120 would cover at least 1 way, but i doubt it would cover round trip imo, but not sure if she is expecting you to pay for all the fuel or not.

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Google maps says it's about 400 miles each way, so about 800 miles RT.
So at 40mpg, that would be 20 gallons of gas. (In case she has a car with less than good gas mileage.)
At like £4.50 a gallon ( https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/United-Kingdom/gasoline_prices/ ) that would be £90-ish. Meals/snacks along the way, maybe £30. So I should be getting like £120 from the ATM for her. If her gas cost less, that's fine.

I'm also giving her a box full of fish medications not normally available in the UK that would cover the cost of a night in a hotel, so I'm comfortable with that. She's giving the guys a home, and two days out of her life on the road, so paying for the gas is the least I can do.

Is that fuel site accurate?

I'm glad you found a good home for them but it's still a shame that there isn't a way to get them back with you.

It will depend on what she drives.

Google maps says it's about 400 miles each way, so about 800 miles RT.
So at 40mpg, that would be 20 gallons of gas. (In case she has a car with less than good gas mileage.)
At like £4.50 a gallon ( https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/United-Kingdom/gasoline_prices/ ) that would be £90-ish. Meals/snacks along the way, maybe £30. So I should be getting like £120 from the ATM for her. If her gas cost less, that's fine.

I'm also giving her a box full of fish medications not normally available in the UK that would cover the cost of a night in a hotel, so I'm comfortable with that. She's giving the guys a home, and two days out of her life on the road, so paying for the gas is the least I can do.

Is that fuel site accurate?

Site looks accurate compared to what else i've seen but, again, will come down to her car. Agree with Margo that might be useful to just ask her how much she thinks it will cost

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I'm glad you found a good home for them but it's still a shame that there isn't a way to get them back with you.

It will depend on what she drives.

Yeah, it is. But it wasn't for lack of trying. Once I could get them out of the UK, they could have flown cabin on Iberia. But getting them there to connect up with Iberia in Spain wasn't really workable. It would have involved a train to the Chunnel, then lengthy a rental car ride. Not going to work for the fish. All the others (and I checked literally every airline that flew from the UK to the USA) said it wasn't doable. A corporate jet could have worked.    Until Covid, where there are now very few options to get back to the USA, comparatively speaking.

Yes, I realize cars have different mileages. I'm just trying to get a ballpark figure. If she shows up in whatever the UK equivalent of a Prius is, the gas money would cover her hotel then.   

Yeah, it is. But it wasn't for lack of trying.

Oh, I know... I'm sad for you is all.

The kiddies are gone. She left with them at about 10:00 this morning. 

Sad to see them go. But so happy they are going to an excellent home.

Now to get US home, since here isn't home anymore.