Inclement Weather Turns into Blizzard – Think Quickly!

On February 19, 2019 by Claire

A couple of times I have been caught traveling in blizzard conditions. They can come up rather unexpectedly and if you’re not well prepared, it can turn into a rather troublesome or very a dangerous situation.

Many years ago, I was flying into a destination where snow was expected. The pilot kept alerting the passengers as to the weather conditions on the ground. The snow was getting heavier, and I could see as we were approaching the runway, that it was turning into blizzard conditions.

I immediately thought that there would be no way my party and I could get from the airport to our final destination. I knew that the roads would be closing down and it would be best to get rooms at one of the nearby airport hotels.

The minute the plane touched down on the runway, I told another person in our party (who had the only mobile phone among us at that time) to call the major hotel chain reservation numbers, and see what was available at this airport. After several calls made to hotels that responded “no vacancy”, one said that they had a couple rooms left.

Before leaving the airport, we purchased whatever food we could find, which would last us through the evening and the next morning. We grabbed the airport shuttle to the hotel, and endured the treacherous ride there.

The airport had closed an hour later and I was so happy to be in a nice, warm and comfortable hotel room. Hundreds of people were stranded at the airport and spent the night sleeping on the floor. The airport restaurants and stands had run out of food.

The next morning the storm had cleared, the sun was out, the roads were drivable, and we were on our way.

Another earlier time, I ran into a snow blizzard while driving on a highway through the mountains. After getting over one treacherous pass, I was thinking that it would be best to take the next exit and find a hotel room before that highway closed. There were other cars that drove on, probably hoping they could make it over the next mountainous climb. But I perceived that there would a problem and took the next exit.

Luckily there was one hotel with a room vacancy. I later found out that the highway had been closed and people had spent the freezing night sleeping (or not sleeping) in their cars. Again, I was glad to be in a warm hotel that had a nice indoor pool and jacuzzi.

So be aware of the weather conditions at your destination, whether you’re flying, or traveling on the road. It is always safer to go ahead and reserve a hotel room as soon as possible, instead of ending up stranded in an airport or in your vehicle on a road.

Nowadays, it is quite easy to keep track of the weather and road conditions, using certain apps for a smart phone. There are also many webcams available to view the highways conditions. Otherwise, the radio will still give you weather reports when traveling on the road, that’s if you have radio reception. Keep in mind that not all places, especially when traveling on mountain roads, will have cell phone reception. So watch the weather conditions for any storms that are moving in, and call ahead if possible to reserve your accommodations. You don’t want to be left uncomfortably stranded due to bad weather conditions!

On another note, I always have essential items in my car at any time, and especially for road trips. Some of these items include a travel flashlight, and an emergency spotlight. I even have a flashlight that can be charged using the car cigarette lighter. Other important items to have on hand are a first aid kit, a survival kit, and a multi-tool. It is also a very good idea to belong to an auto club in case you ever need assistance. The memberships that cover tows up to 100 miles are the best. You never know when you’ll need that and it will save you a lot, in the long run!

Anything that you might need in your vehicle for road emergencies, is always helpful. For instance, you might want to carry a set of chains in your vehicle for snowy or icy conditions. At times I even packed a small snow shovel and a bag of sand, in case I got stuck. And believe me, there were times when I used it!

A travel cooler is always great to have in your vehicle to store food, snacks, and drinks. There are many different kinds and sizes. Which one you want depends on your preference. You can also get an electric travel cooler to keep food warm or cold. It’s always nice to have food and drink when traveling on the road, especially when there are no restaurants or fast food places available, or you just don’t want to take the time to stop.

For a FREE general packing list, click here.

I hope these tips will be helpful in your travels. Below I have listed links where you may search for any items you need. If the exact type of item or brand does not appear on the page when you click on the link, then just type exactly what you want into the search box, at the top of that page and click on the search button. It will lead you to a page that has the more specific item for which you were searching.

Safe travels and be prepared for anything!