The holidays are a marvelous time filled with friends, family and food. But before you can enjoy the best that Thanksgiving and Christmas have to offer, you might need to endure a little travel chaos.
Earlier today, we asked you to share some of your worst stories of terrible Thanksgiving travel troubles. Here are some of the best answers we received.
“Five or six years ago... trip from Boston to Vermont (aka home). Normally it’s a 3:45 trip – with holiday traffic, it’s typically 4.5-5 hours.
“This particular year we had ‘weather’ in the form of rain in Boston. As soon as we hit the NH border all hell broke loose. Heavy wet snow replaced rain. Trees were down across portions of the travel lanes (indeed we drove through the top of one tree to miss an 18 wheeler that was out of control).
“I-89 in Vermont was closed at Royalton due to several tractor / trailers stuck on the incline up out of the White River Valley. Over the river and through the woods we went, finally meeting back up with the highway in Randolph, a good 20 miles through the back roads of Vermont... in a snow storm.
“Our trip ended up taking 7.5 hours. Brutal.”
No matter how meticulously you plan your holiday travel, the weather can always mess things up for you. This seven and a half hour trip does not sound like fun!
Suggested by: tim850csi
“74 Tbird containing myself and mom and dad threw a freeze plug on I-70 several cold miles West of Wakeeney, KS, the day before Xmas. Dad caught a lift from a trucker back to the truckstop at the edge of town and arranged a tow to get us and the car there, then convinced/bribed the manager to let him put it in the service bay since their auto shop was closed.
“He (with my kinda help) diagnosed the issue but there were no parts stores open so he, in conjunction with the truck stop manager contacted the owner of the local parts store and got him to open up for a bit so we could locate a proper part. They didn’t have a set of freeze plugs for the 460 but did have a few with the proper diameter so we purchased a couple different ones, some gasket sealant and JB Weld.
“Back to the cold bay, under the ‘bird and of course the plug that dropped was right in line with the motor mount so we couldn’t get a straight shot at it. Coated the most likely candidate with JB Weld and slid it into place then hammered an iron punch between it and the motor mount which we then beat on both ends simultaneously to seat the plug. We waited a while for the JB Weld to set, then refilled the cooling system and ran a pressure test. It held pressure for 15-20 min so we buttoned up, picked up all our tools and repacked into the car to continue on to Denver after about a 7-hour delay. We got to my aunt and uncle’s house near old Stapleton at about 11:30pm in the opening throes of a massive snow storm.”
This poster’s handy roadside recovery work saved their holiday plans. I wonder how long the bodge job held up for?
Suggested by: ShachiCanthus
“I live in one of the snowiest parts of the country. When we were little, driving up to grandma and grandpa’s, I remember my mom constantly telling my dad to slow down, and his joking reply was something along the lines of, ‘The faster we go, the less time we’ll be traveling, so the less chances of an accident’.”
I mean, surely we don’t need to point out that this is bad advice? Please don’t do this.
Suggested by: blockheads
“In 2008, I was living in Prague. My parents decided to come over for Thanksgiving. We hung around Prague for a bit, but on a whim, I decided we should go to the Therme Vals in Switzerland for thanksgiving. It’s an amazing hot baths, up in the alps. Anyway, we rented a VW Golf. But they were all out of GPS units. I said ‘We will be fine. I have an atlas.’
“So off we go. It’s pretty smooth on the major motorways, but as we get closer to Switzerland, the atlas is less and less detailed. It got pretty tense between my father and I. We got very lost in some small town and couldn’t find the interchange. We eventually found it and headed off. We are still driving as the sun goes down, then it starts to snow.
“The town of Vals is pretty remote. It’s through the mountains, on very narrow, winding mountain roads. It’s snowing. It’s late at night. There are sometimes guardrails on the roads, sometimes not. It’s a terrifying drive. After a long, white-knuckle drive, we arrive. The Golf would not make it up the hill to the hotel, so we parked at the bottom and walked the rest of the way.
“The place is sublime. The food is incredible. It’s beautiful and serene. 10/10 would give thanks again.”
Suggested by: hangovergrenade
“I’m traveling to my in-laws on Thanksgiving day. Just outside the range of my MachE. Only fast charger on the way is 50kW, has 1 plug, and had issues the last time my wife tried to use it.
“Safe to say I’m a little nervous. It’s a day trip, so no reasonable way to use L1 or L2.”
There’s worries about the impending holiday travel for this poster. We’re definitely going to need an update on their story after the holiday weekend.
Suggested by: @DontStealPuppys (Twitter)
“I once sat in an airport in Germany, subsisting on sliced boiled egg sandwiches, for the whole Thanksgiving weekend because of some screw up or other. And, it was still better than dealing with my family. The worst are the ones I don’t have an excuse to bail on.
“Bad transport is the type that gets me there.”
Sometimes, you just need to spend a few hours sitting in an airport by yourself. Rather than being stuck round a hostile dinner table with your family.
Suggested by: skeffles
“One year I decided to ride my bike to my parents’ house for TG. I lived in Kansas City, they were maybe a 15-mile ride east. No issues with the ride there or with dinner, but a storm rolled in...one of those inch-per-hour storms that appear suddenly and keep dumping.
“So there I was in heavy traffic, complete darkness, and water that in some intersections was up to my hubs...but had the weather been pleasant I wouldn’t even remember that particular Thanksgiving.”
Another poster caught out by the unpredictable November weather. I guess in this case, it’d be a good idea to pack extra socks if you’re taking the bike out?
Suggested by: dugdeep
“I lived in South Carolina after college working as an engineer at GE. My folks lived in central Illinois, and I traveled back for T-day and Xmas most years. My preference was to drive, and I occasionally drove through snow. One year, I drove through a LOT of snow!
“I had just bought an S10 ZR2 which had the omnipresent dexcool issue that clogged up the radiator and heater core. The heater core was first to go, so I didn’t have heat unless the engine was spinning fast enough for the water pump to move enough water through the heater core. Well, we got so much snow that year that the interstate shut down. I was stuck. Nothing but tractor trailers in front of me, and some cars next to me.
“I finally got out of the truck and realized only a few tractor trailers were stopped at the start of an uphill, and the freeway was wide open after that! 4WD, newish AT tires, and I was off! A Jeep tried to follow me around the big trucks, but got stuck, so I pulled him through with a tow strap, then took off.
“The snow turned my 12 hour drive into a 26 hour drive, but I finally got home. Damn was that ZR2 awesome in the snow!”
Not all heroes wear capes. Some drive Chevrolet pickup trucks.
Suggested by: camelman
“Got stuck on a fully-loaded flight leaving St. Louis. It started snowing. So the plane leaves the terminal to take off; sits in line, and has to return to the terminal to de-ice. Rinse/repeat about three times.
“Several hours in spent sitting with the doors closed. No supplies or water, since it was supposed to be like a 45 minute flight. Diabetic lady trying to find someone with some snacks. Babies crying. Bathroom starting to smell.
“Finally, some Einstein figured out to deice first and then send the plane directly to take off without the line. I learned never to get on a plane again without my own water and food supplies if there is any possibility of inclement weather.”
Never leave home without snacks and a drink. Never.
Suggested by: Nlinesk8s
“It was a little slippery walking next door to my parent’s house last year. Forecast looks good for this year though.”
Pray for this poster.
Suggested by: willl84