Today should be travel home day after a transpacific cruise. However Covid-19 had other ideas. The cruise was cancelled and we continue to stay home and stay safe. Plan B is exploring our city, finding new takeout restaurants, taste testing bakeries, wandering neighborhoods, photographing the city and enjoying the relative quiet. Just like challenging times now, when you travel, you need a Plan B.

In February 2019, a trip to Buenos Aires, awaited. We would bus to Vancouver BC for a flight via Toronto. Weather in Seattle is generally cold and wet but mild in February, causing few travel impacts. So when the forecast said snow and it did snow, we had to act. As inches accumulated and unable to confirm buses were running, Interstate 5 closed north of Seattle. Time for Plan B: another form of transportation. Flying to Vancouver seemed easy, but long flight delays, numerous last minute cancellations and airport closures made flying a big risk. Since driving and flying were out, rail was the last choice. Trains, albeit behind schedule, continued to run. We secured seats a day ahead of the planned departure and enjoyed a very scenic ride to Vancouver. Leg one complete. But another storm was barreling down on the Northwest.

That night at the hotel, we watched the snowy forecast and continued formulating Plan B. Not able to get though to the airline via phone, we packed up early the next morning for the airport and an earlier flight. The original flight to Toronto had a 90 minute connection. Talking to the counter staff about flying a day earlier and the tight connection, they directed us to call customer service from the airport phones. We got through right away. The airline was more than happy to fly us ahead of the impending storm. In 45 minutes, we checked luggage, were through security and seated on the flight to Toronto. Plan B worked so far, but snow in Toronto posed one final challenge.

We secured an ‘airport’ hotel for the night. However their van only ran until 11am and then after 5pm. Departure was at 7pm, cutting it too close for an international flight. Flurries started as we headed to the airport at 11am. Sitting in the airport lobby watching the now heavy snow, I figured we were in Toronto for a while. Then the snow stopped. Out came the sun and a fleet of snowplows, both beautiful sights. Flights continued and the next morning we landed in warm Buenos Aires.

When traveling, be flexible and have a plan B. It doesn’t have to be detailed, just pay attention to conditions in your travel cities and think about alternatives so if the need arises, you can react quickly.