Summer travel is upon us & whether you’re driving or flying, you better have a plan and some patience!!
Let’s start with flying. Already this summer, a ton of flights have been cancelled. There are numerous reasons & they don’t really matter when you can’t get where you’re going. First up, make sure to do the research on the flight. Check to make sure the flight is almost full & the percentage of times it has cancelled. All this info is available on the airline’s app. Download those if you haven’t already. If the flight is full, the airline will do the everything they can to keep from cancelling it. If it’s less than half full, it easier for them to cancel.
Have a back up plan if the flight does cancel. Can you drive instead? If not, you want to make sure you completely understand your hotel’s cancellation & refund policy. You don’t want to lose all your money! Our flight to Florida was cancelled. We couldn’t get anything back from the resort so we drove to our vacation instead. 33 hours in the car round trip. 😳 If you’re booked to the Bahamas, driving isn’t an option. That’s why you need to figure out cancellation policies. The hotel may hold a reservation for you if you can get there a day late. Just sucks to have to pay for a night when you aren’t going to be there.
Be patient with those that you speak to at the airline or hotel. They’re being yelled at regularly so being nice will get you some brownie points. The rep will be more likely to help you if they aren’t being cussed out. When our flight to FL was cancelled, we called the airline and had them refund our money, plus we got some extra miles from the rep. It doesn’t hurt to ask if they can do anything to help because of the inconvenience. Hence, the extra miles added to our account.
If you’re driving, make sure to pack your own snacks and drinks!!! Gas is so expensive that you don’t want to spend extra money on the drive-thru too. Plus it saves you time if you don’t have to stop to eat. We always pack a cooler with drinks & sandwiches. Then I pack a bag of snacks that don’t need to stay cold. That way everyone can eat when they’re hungry and no one has to wait to stop.
For younger kids, freeze some Uncrustables and Gogurts the night before. They can thaw in the car and be ready to eat for lunch. Frozen grapes and blueberries are good too! I always have Kind mini bars stashed in the bag as well.
For the older group, we make turkey or roast beef sandwiches for the cooler. To keep the bread from getting soggy, you can put cheese on both sides of the sandwich. It keeps the bread a little fresher. I usually grab some sort of nuts to pack along with some sort of chip. This last trip we took Popcorners and Rice Crisps. You need something sweet too! Peanut butter cups are a big hit in my house so I grabbed a bag of the thin ones and tossed them in the cooler. Perfect pick me up when you start to get sleepy.
Use apps like Waze, GasBuddy, or Gas Guru to find the cheapest places to fillup along your route. You can plug in your destination and see where the cheapest stations are along the way. Driving a mile of the highway can turn into big savings. The stations right at the exit are usually the most expensive.
For bathroom breaks, rest areas are usually cleaner than the gas stations. I never ever stopped at a rest area until I married my husband. He always swore they were cleaner, and 90% off the time he was right. Plus it’s faster then actually getting off the highway.
What are your tips for flying and driving? Can’t wait to hear from you!! Love, TC
Tipsy Curls 