Travel Advice for Those Stuck in the Car

I was praying to God that I wouldn't drive us off the road each time there was another curve in the mountain pass. One of my best friends, Taylor, and I were on a short trip headed to a wedding in Yosemite Park. I was driving - it was my first rental car ever.

I was nervous driving a rental car, but also because it was nighttime by the time we had arrived to Yosemite park because of traffic. We needed to get to a hotel in the park, so I was driving on a curvy, up-in-the-mountains road. It was pitch-black. At one point there was 5 miles of non-stop turns; it was like the shape of a snake. I could only go about 10mph an hour to make each turn.

All dressed up for a wedding!

Neither of use were speaking or really even breathing. We made it obviously, but that night was terrifying. When it comes to transportation, domestic or international, there are always going to be odd, weird or nerve-wracking experiences that make for good stories - as long as everyone is safe in the end. Along with these stories though there are always some travel tips that prove useful in the future.

Taylor and I learned how important it is to stay calm no matter what, even when you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. In fact, we made the best of it by retelling stories, listening to good music, and Taylor even read some of my homework to me for a class - we both learned a lot about war strategy. :) We made the best of the situation even though it wasn't ideal.

Also, take your time. So many times we all want to get to our destination as quick as possible, but sometimes the journey itself is just as memorable and important as the end point. Don't get so excited and focused on what's going to happen that you aren't aware of where you are now. This will help you keep your cool when you're in traffic or on a mountain pass. All I wanted was to get to the wedding, but I had to be calm and take my time so we didn't go off the mountain. It took a long time to get to our hotel, but we stayed safe and we had a fun time. In the end, that's all that matters.

I went to the wrong airport

"Uh, ma'am I can't print off your plane ticket." The ticket attendant for American Airlines was trying to help check me into my flight, but well....I was at the wrong airport. 

I'm from Colorado (whoop whoop!) and most Coloradans fly out of the Denver airport, even though there is a airport in Colorado Spring (where I'm from). I'm used to only having one airport, so moving to NYC for college where there are 3 nearby airports has been a change.

I was headed to California to visit family, and I had just assumed I was flying out of La Guardia Airport instead of the John F. Kennedy airport. Part of this mistake came from the fact that I had only flown in and out of La Guardia when coming and going from Colorado. So, I didn't even think to check my plane ticket (worse decision ever!)

Well, I ran to a cab with my two bags and told the driver to get me to La Guardia as fast as he could. I managed to get there in about 35 min rather than the usual 45 mins. It still wasn't enough time, because the other part of this story is that I had left my apartment later than I should have. That afternoon my roommate asked if I needed to leave, but I assured her that I had traveled enough in my life and I knew when to leave (ahhhh....how my pride was my downfall!).

When I got to the La Guardia airport I had about 30 min to get to my plane. I tried to hustle through the check-in process, but I wasn't assertive from the start. I got in line rather than go directly to the ticket attendant.

By the time I was checking in, I was told I would need to go to their customer service desk. I went to their desk begging for their help at this point, but they sent me to the back of the line. So by the time I did make it to the front, they said they couldn't check in any more bags, and since I had two bags I couldn't store them overhead.

So I was placed on the standby list for the next flight out to California, which was only a couple hours later. I thankfully got on to that flight, and my family and friends have never let this story go. Whenever I travel, I am still teasingly told to check which airport I'm flying out of.

I definitely was humbled by this experience and relearned vital airport tips:

1. Get to the airport with plenty of time to spare (about 2 hours) cause you never know what will happen (i.e. long security lines).

2. Pack light (if I had only brought 1 bag, they would've let me on).

3. Check your flight details way 24 hours ahead of time.

4. Be assertive because no one will know you're late or having trouble unless you say something from the start.

Hide the Benjamin

Hopefully you got it in the title, but if you didn't, then I'll just let you know that you'll be carrying a lot of cash with you when you're traveling internationally. So don't lose it!

1. Do not carry all of your money on you: Carry some of the cash in your purse/wallet and put the rest in a hotel safe. I generally like to split it up into three piles. I have two wallets in my purse with one of them being my emergency one just in case the other gets lost. I then put the rest in the hotel safe. Some people use a money belt, which is something that is attached around your neck or waist and underneath your clothes. I personally don't like using them because I think they looks obvious and they're uncomfortable, but I know some people who really like it.

2. Do not take out a huge wad of cash while you're paying for something: You become a target when you're showing a lot of cash and being totally obvious about it. When you pay for something, only pull out one bill.

3. Have small bills: It's fine for you to carry large bills around, but some places I've been to don't like breaking the big bills. If you're having a hard time with that, I would recommend trying your luck in a touristy location.

4. Don't forget to use the coins: This goes especially in Europe because there are no paper euros below $5. They have 1 and 2 dollar coins that they love to use, and your bag might be heavier with all the coins you're carrying around but forget to use. Don't forget to pay with coins first because if you want to exchange your money back into your currency, coins are generally not accepted.