Tuesday Tea: What's your best (or worst) holiday travel story?
Spare no details!
Dashing through the snow is all well and good if you’re in a one-horse open sleigh. But maybe less fun if you’ve loaded the family into the car or are sitting on the tarmac in a snowstorm.
Holiday travel can be a cookie-fueled adventure or the kind of experience that makes for a good story later. Much, much later.
Because we’re Two of the Biggest Introverts of All Time™, and because we love cozy Christmas, we usually stay home for the holidays. But back in the day, we used to travel to Pennsylvania and Ohio to spend the winter holidays with family — so both of our stories are about the travel itself, not the destination. Feel free to regale us with your best or worst stories about destinations, events, commutes, and more.
One of our best Christmas commutes happened about 30 years ago, and it’s become one of our personal legends. My dad was a professional pilot, which meant we could fly with buddy passes for free, a fantastic gift for 20-somethings with small bank accounts. The only trick was that we had to fly standby — impossible on Christmas Eve but wide open on Christmas Day.
When Dave and I got to the gate, we found out the plane was mostly empty, and the flight attendant upgraded us to first class. We flew from San Francisco to Philadelphia in the comfiest seats ever, with champagne in hand. It was glorious.
Our worst holiday travel experience was the complete opposite: A snowstorm hit while we were driving from Ohio to Pennsylvania. We could see it gathering fury in our rearview mirror, chasing us down the highway. We made it to my parents’ house in PA, and the next morning, the airport was open, so we set out in the still-falling snow. Even with my dad — a transportation professional — behind the wheel, it was a harrowing 90-minute ride. Flying standby again, we were the very last people to get on a plane already packed with overheated passengers, overstuffed overhead bins, damp winter coats, and post-holidays grumpiness. Dave and I both sat in middle seats, wearing our parkas all the way to California. That flight was the last one to leave Pennsylvania for three days.
We were flying home from Florida during the holidays and our connecting flight in Atlanta got cancelled. (Shocker) They couldn’t get all three of us on a flight together until 3 days later. So we made the most of it and had an awesome mini second vacation in Atlanta, eating delicious food, visiting the aquarium and the children’s museum. We still talk about our Accidental Atlanta Vacation and it’s been 7+ years
I went to Mexico with a boyfriend for an alternative holiday. He got turista, so I decided to have a solo adventure for the day. My destination? An off the beaten path swimming hole. When I asked at the bus station, they were like, idk what you are talking about but here’s a ticket. I got on the bus and told the driver where I was going. He dropped me about 30 mins later at a federal police station. They very nicely decided to drive me the rest of the way, sandwiched between two guys one with an ak47(? Idk guns but it was big). When I arrived it was like a record scratch. This was not a tourist destination. A woman came up to me and told me not to approach any young men, and also asked about my chauffeurs. She told me not to be there when they came back to pick me up. I hightailed it out of there. As I was walking a random backcountry road I saw a beacon of hope: a Corona delivery truck. I hitched a ride back toward where we were staying. At one point the federales passed us, going to pick me up. I ducked down in the truck. The drivers were like, “what did you do?” I explained and they nodded and then said they’d take me straight to where I was staying. I think they are the reason I am here today! Thanks, Corona guys!