A Night at the Holiday Inn Express

Traveling in Winter

Here's the inescapable truth - the order of descent into the travelers maelstrom begins with the word "delayed".

This was the plan - My family Christmas plan this year involved driving from our Wisconsin home down to Chicagoland for visits with both our Mothers and extended families, then a plane flight to Houston, Texasfor another few days with our southern family.

Here's what happened - The drive to Chicago took almost twice as long as normal due to icy roads, blowing snow and standing slush which obscured all lane markings. Next, on to Midway airport, where a half hour delay advanced to an hour delay, which lead to the inevitable cancelation. Next time you flight out of Midway in the winter, try the three selection salad at the Pizza place in the food court. I did and it was very good. Rebooking lines were 2-4 hours long and bagage return was a 1-6 hour wait. However, my family travels with my wife, Sara, who shined awesomely last night, by getting us rebooked quickly by phone for a next day flight, finding our bags within an hour and getting us a nice hotel room with a free shuttle.

So here we are, getting ready for our second attempt at flying to Houston, which now involves a stop in St. Louis, where heavy rain and thunder storms are expected. But while there is Christmas spirit, there is still hope. Wish us luck!