WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The CBS12 News staff has some helpful holiday travel tips and trauma stories to share.
Some of us have traveled for work and others just for leisure. Whether it was car rides, train rides, or flights, we’ve endured our fair share of late-night drives, red-eye flights, and stress-inducing vacation plans.
Many of us have also covered holiday travel as part of our work for years – some of us for decades!
Below is a compiled list of travel tips and stories from our photographers, our presenters, our editors, our producers and our reporters. We wish you safe travels and a happy holiday season.
“If you are traveling by car with a pet and will be staying in a hotel, book your pet-friendly hotel in advance. Find out in which city you plan to stop for the night and make reservations in advance. It’s not always easy to find a pet-friendly room outside of interstate around your vacation travel dates if you wait until the last minute. Some hotels have a limited number of pet-friendly rooms, and extra charges can vary widely,” said photographer Frank Porter.
“Clean your car and put your valuables in your home before you head to the airport and decide to park there,” added news anchor and reporter Stephanie Valderrama.
“There is an app called MyHotelTonight that has given me great rates on hotels/resorts several times in the past. It doesn’t have to be the day before or the day of booking, but the best deals can be found there from hotels/resorts trying to fill open rooms or suites,” suggested photographer Christopher Pollock.
“Leave a clean home or apartment to return to from your vacation plans. If you’re driving alone or with just a pet, make sure you have a few podcasts lined up. Also, find a book that you really enjoy if you’re traveling by plane or just a passenger on the trip,” said digital content producer Troy Myers.
When driving, get a car with a GOOD spare tire. If you don’t have one, rent a car with one. A donut will only get you so far. Two Thanksgivings ago we bought a condo as we approached Atlanta around midnight. It was the night before Thanksgiving. We put the donut down and continued to the hotel to wait to fix it in the morning. It turns out that no tire store is open on Thanksgiving, not even Walmart. We were stranded in a hotel, had to stay another night to wait for the tire stores to open on Black Friday morning. Meanwhile, we found a guy on Craigslist with a potential spare tire, so we went to his house on Thanksgiving, where his whole family was having Thanksgiving. Tire didn’t match, but we managed to stay for a nice meal. They even brought us back to the hotel with leftovers.
“Don’t go to big cities around rush hour! Be careful if you drive through mountains. Good rest stops/gas stations are further away. When you fly, don’t risk packing something that isn’t allowed on the plane (hair products, hot spray, etc.). You will be detained at TSA. Remember, you can buy whatever you need when you get to your destination. Unless you’re going to the middle of nowhere,” explained producer Ashley Taylor.
“If you’re driving, put together a great road trip playlist! Good music can make or break a trip,” added Digital Content Producer Skyler Shepard. “Don’t forget to charge all your electronics, you don’t want your phone battery to die on a long trip.”
Other Sinclair employees chimed in and added their own vacation travel tips.
1. Patience is your ability to wait without getting irritated, upset, or angry.
2. Download your airline’s APP.
3. Check in for your flight as soon as you are free.
4. Familiarize yourself with your airline’s policies on delays and cancellations.
5. Familiarize yourself with your airline’s baggage allowance policy.
6. Make sure each person has an ID and boarding pass. If you are traveling with children, print extras.
7. Pack the day before. It gives you time to remember what you forgot.
8. Pack in-flight entertainment, a book, headphones, etc.
9. Carry empty water bottles to fill after security.
10. Bring snacks.
11. No liquids more than 3 ounces with a maximum bag weight of 50 pounds.
12. Make sure you can lift your bag into an overhead bin.
13. Gifts cannot be packed in hand luggage.
14. Make sure baggage tags are up-to-date and legible.
15. Take a photo of your luggage.
16. Put everything by the door.
17. Charge all your electronics and carry at least one power pack per passenger.
18. Wear shoes and socks. The floor in the security line is disgusting.
19. Get to the airport two hours early.
20. Know where you will park. Some airports accept reservations.
21. If you feel comfortable, check your luggage, otherwise skip the ticket counter, you have your boarding pass.
22. Get into the right line of defense. CLEAR TSA PRE-CHECK, CLEAR, TSA PRE-CHECK, standard.
23. Look for security lines with fewer children, strollers, and wheelchairs.
24. Empty your pockets, take off your shoes (put them on) remove electronics.
25. Thank TSA agents.
26. Familiarize yourself with your airline’s boarding policy.
27. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, the APP is your best source of information.
28. Know your true boarding zone. For example, the Delta zone 1 planks heel (crazy I know).
29. If you are in zone 3 or higher, you will probably need to check your luggage. It can be free at the gate.
30. Know who will be sitting where before you board.
31. Give everyone their boarding passes or have them easily accessible.
32. Practice flipping through boarding passes on your phone.
33. Thank the agent at the door.
34. Sit in your assigned seat. If you’re flying Southwest, good luck.
35. Flight attendants will not help you negotiate with another passenger to change seats.
36. Take a deep breath that you’re on the plane.
37. Know how to get from the airport to your destination. I’ll just take an Uber, but where?
38. Know that something will go wrong!
39. Do it all over again on the way back.
40. Finally, if you’re flying home from Orlando, this giant Mickey Mouse is considered carry-on.
With these stories and travel tips, we at CBS12 News hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
