This past weekend, I went to visit my boyfriend at Penn State University to surprise him for his birthday. What should have been an exciting and palpable travel day turned into one of the worst days of my life. Traveling in the winter is always something to be wary of, and, in order to ensure that you can make the most of your trip with as minimal obstacles as possible, there are a few very important things to remember: try to go into your trip with no expectations (many factors such as weather and passengers can’t be accounted for), don’t check your luggage, and if you have a layover, make sure that you fly somewhere where it’s unlikely to snow. These are the things I wish I had known before my trip.
My problems began the Thursday before I was to leave. I received an email from United, the airline from which I had purchased my ticket (all with mileage!), that my straight-shot trip to Dulles in Virginia (from where I would get my car to drive to State College, PA) had been canceled due to inclement weather. I was thus placed on two separate flights with the connecting layover being in Chicago. This is my first warning to you: be aware of the effects that weather can have on your travel plans. What should have been a 6-hour flight to my final destination turned into an 18-hour travel day where the majority of my time was spent in the “windy city,” where my flights were canceled, changed, and delayed. Not only were my plans affected, but I spent so much time sitting on runways waiting for planes to be defrosted, sitting at the terminals watching my flight time go later and later, and waiting in line trying to get information out of airport personnel.
Another major issue I encountered was the loss of my luggage. I have since developed a new rule for myself: I will never again check my baggage for a flight. As someone who is overly aware and anxious about airport regulations, I had not packed any of my face wash, shampoo, or moisturizer (they are all larger than 3.5 fluid ounces) so that I could take my baggage as a carry-on. As I was boarding my flight, I was informed by the ticket checkers that there was “no more space on board,” and thus, I would have to check my baggage. While slightly annoyed, I had no major issue with the request—that is, until I switched my flight and my luggage was sent to the wrong airport (this happened after I was promised by the information desk that my luggage would ABSOLUTELY follow me). Being left without luggage, clean clothes, and toiletries for a day and a half was horrendous, and the time I spent tracking my bags, driving back to the airport to retrieve them, and stressing out is time I will honestly never get back. If possible, don’t check your luggage.
While a successful trip in the sense that I was able to successfully surprise my boyfriend and spend some quality time with him, the disaster of a trip over left me emotionally, mentally, and physically drained. Traveling should be an exciting thing and while flying can be stressful at any time of the year, I urge caution to those who choose to travel in the winter.