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Summer, the season for vacation and adventure! With kids of all ages out of school and those of us working away at being adults are ready to step away from the grind, unplug and have some quality rest and relaxation, preferably somewhere away from home.
But summer can be unpredictable. Just this week, the summer heat disrupted air travel in Phoenix. The Gulf coast is getting slammed with a tropical storm and if the Midwest is your destination? Well, the weather there can be crazy, from sudden cold snaps to spectacular thunderstorms. Any of these conditions can take you from “vacation yay” to “vacation nay” if you aren’t prepared for summer travel.
So how does one get prepared? We have four tips to make you ready for anything your summer travels might throw at you.
Hydration is key
Whether you’re heading to a desert climate or looking for a cooler getaway, hydration is absolutely critical. You want to make sure that you have access to water. If you’re travelling by air, pick up a bottle one you’ve gone through security (remember, you are limited on the quantities of liquid you can take in your carry on) or bring an empty water bottle to fill. If you’re driving, make sure you have a cooler or bag with several bottles of water in it for you and your travel companions. It’s also not a bad idea to have a spare bottle with you when you get to your destination. You never know when that bottle might come in handy.
Pack for the indoors as well as the outdoors
So you’re going to sunny Southern California for a getaway and it’s supposed to be warm and you’re ready with your warm-weather gear only to get there and your hotel is freezing. Or there’s a freak rainstorm. Or your flight gets diverted and you find yourself temporarily in a city you didn’t plan for where it’s much, much cooler than San Diego was supposed to be. Since you never quite know what you might encounter, it’s a good idea to have one or two items of clothing that would be useful in weather opposite what you expect. Toss a light jacket or sweater and a pair of closed-toe shoes in your bag if you’re heading for a beach vacation or maybe a tank top and sandals for a trip to a cooler clime. That way no matter what Mother Nature tosses your way, you’re ready.
Consider travel insurance
You book your vacation and you’re so excited. It’s going to be great. Great, that is, until a situation causes your flights to be cancelled leaving you at the mercy of the airline, your hotel and really any of the things you’ve booked. These unexpected changes to your plans can end up being very expensive with cancellation and rebooking fees. To help protect yourself, consider purchasing travel insurance. Travel insurance is there to reimburse you for the costs incurred due to cancelled trips, changed plans and a variety of other things, helping to make things right should your dream vacation become a nightmare.
Practice patience
Lines will be long and traffic will be heavy as everyone else has the same idea to take advantage of summer for vacation and trips. This can sometimes lead to short tempers and long waits and it is so easy to just get cranky. After all, you’re probably hot, tired and dreaming about that nice cool hotel room waiting for you on the other end of the journey. This makes it the perfect time to practice patience, especially with yourself. Take a deep breath and remind yourself what the hassle of travel is for in the first place a — chance to get away and enjoy this adventure we call life. The delays, the irritation even the things you can’t control are worth it. It’s vacation, after all!
Do you have any summer travel tips? Share them with us in the comments!
The Hudsucker 
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