As a former News gal, I somewhat suspected that Sandy might be all hype but I definitely was wrong. The images coming out of the East Coast show just how important it is to always head the weather warnings to keep us all safe and sound.
For those of us, not directly impacted by Sandy’s wrath, you may find yourself inconvenienced if you are traveling this week. Here are some things to remember:
1. Check your flights and other travel arrangements. Even if you are not flying into NYC or surrounding states, airlines planned ahead and moved their fleet from impacted airports to other airports, like in Denver. These equipment relocations could mean that your flight from Atlanta to Chicago could be using a plane that is normally flying in from New York or Washington. It’s now likely that your plane won’t be arriving in Atlanta. You might end up on a different type of aircraft. Your seat assignment could be different. You might have to fly earlier or later than expected. So don’t assume that you are unaffected by Sandy.
2. It’s easier to get things accomplished from your home or office than at an airport. Follow advice #1 and stay away from the airports unless you know
it’s your turn to get out of town.
3. Hotels all over the country are full – even here in Denver – because people heading to the East Coast cannot return home and folks on the East Coast
cannot leave yet. Call ahead and make sure there your hotel will be able to accommodate you and conversely, don’t assume that the hotel you are in can hold your reservation. Be proactive and keep in contact.
Most hotels make it easy and painless to cancel reservations without penalty during events such as SuperStorm Sandy. For example, Kimpton Hotels sent out an email letting everyone know that there is availability at their East Coast hotels for those of you who can’t get home. Call 1-800-KIMPTON (546-7866) for help.
Hotels.com has no change or cancellation fee and has agents standing by to help with any reservations. If your plans to travel to the East Coast have been disrupted, you can change or cancel your reservation with hotels.com by calling (877) 903-1807.
4. Power goes out, batteries die. Make sure you have printed out or written down all of your important contacts and associated information: doctors,
family members, schools, hotels, airlines, etc. In this era of smart phones, you’ll find yourself feeling not so smart when you can’t get in touch with anyone.
5. My most used and best tip of all: be patient and be kind. Frustrations can run high during events such as this. Stop and consider for a minute what the person on the receiving end of your frustration may have gone through just to get to work or has lost because of the storm.
Also it seems timely to bring back these tips from a recent post: What to do when weather has other plans for your vacation.
Keep Dry, Stay Calm and Travel Safe from all of us at Travel Smart Blog!
If you have questions or comments for the author of the Travel Smart Blog, Nicole Hockin, please email: 
