Traveling in winter isn’t for the faint of heart. It can be discouraging and downright frustrating to try to “move about the country” when Mother Nature seems out to get you. When I lived in Pennsylvania, near Scranton, I would often fly from Scranton to Philadelphia to my final destination.
Time after time, during the winter, my flight was usually canceled due to weather. Finally, in order to save myself the aggravation and be able to more accurately predict my itinerary, I decided to skip the Scranton leg of the flight and rent a car either to or from Philadelphia. I learned my lesson, and if I can ever help it, I skip the small regional flights during the winter months.
There are a few other things I learned about weatherproofing winter travel. While you can’t change the weather, these will at least give you options that keep you from being held hostage by it.
First, follow my lead. Don’t book a connecting flight through a city that has a reputation for being hit hard by winter storms: Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit, and Boston. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for some sort of delay or cancellation. If you have to make connecting flights, make them in southern cities less likely to get hit with major winter weather — Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix. I’ve seen flights from Detroit to Portland, Oregon make a layover in Dallas rather than Chicago, which avoided big snowstorms.
Better yet, book non-stop whenever possible. Sure, you may not get as many frequent flier miles, but you’ll get where you’re going and eliminate one possible leg where you might end up getting stuck because the connecting airport got snowed or iced in for 24 hours.
Always try to book your travel to depart first thing in the morning. When weather delays occur later in the day, you’re already out of the worst of it or your flight may be one of the few that gets out at all. Also, those on earlier flights have more rebooking options than those who wait until later in the day to change their itinerary or return home.
Never be without extra clothing. Even if it’s just a couple pairs of fresh undergarments, pack enough so that if you are delayed or stranded, you won’t have to wash out anything in the sink and hope it dries overnight in the hotel bathroom.
Finally, build time into your schedule so that you can afford to absorb a delay or cancellation. While this is smart travel advice throughout the year, it’s particularly wise to do this when traveling in winter: don’t schedule your arrival on the actual day you’re expected to give a presentation or close a big deal. Getting there the day before will ensure you’re there when you need to be, not sitting at the airport texting colleagues explaining why you’re not.
Most importantly, when you’re traveling during the winter, remain flexible, be aware of your options before you leave, and have backup plans. And if you can, work with a travel agent who can put all this together and make the quick changes on your behalf instead of you stressing out about it.
How do you deal with traveling in winter? Do you have any tips that help you get where you’re going? Tell us about it in the comments below, on our Facebook page, orin our Twitter stream.
Photo credit: Pxhere.com (Pxhere.com, CC0, Public Domain)