4 days when youre better off staying home - Christopher Elliott - MSNBC.

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4 days when youre better off staying home

You already know the main ones. Here is the B-list of blackouts
B y C hr i st o p h e r E ll i o t t Tr a vel c ol u mn is t updated 9:41 a.m. ET, Mon., Dec. 31, 2007

You probably already know about Spring Break, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. That is, you know enough not to travel around those days. Scoring a frequent flier award ticket is pretty much impossible, hotels arent discounting their rooms, and youll probably pay full price for your rental car. Plus, its usually a tragic mess out there long lines at the airport, dense traffic and frayed tempers. But this isnt another story about blackout dates. This is a story about the other days you should stay home. Call it the B-list of blackouts. For example, say youre planning a Disney World vacation, but youre not sure when to visit. If youre an annual passholder (full disclosure: I am) you know that blockout dates are Dec. 22 to Jan. 4, March 15 to 28, and June 7 to Aug. 14. (Those dates are off limits to some seasonal passholders because the theme parks are so busy.) So whens the best time to see Mickey? Well, thats a topic for another column, but I wont make you wait until then. Value season runs from early January to mid-February, from mid-August to the end of September and the first three weeks in December. Thats when the crowds are thinner and the deals are more generous. What other times should you stay off the road? Here are four other blackout days that arent as well known: Conventional wisdom: steer clear of the party. This year there are two places you absolutely dont want to be unless you have to. Denver from Aug. 25 to 28 and Minneapolis/St. Paul from Sept. 1 to 4. Those cities are hosting the Democratic and Republic conventions, respectively. Ive been in a host city during a political convention, and its absolutely insane. Tight security, throngs of delegates and protesters, and no way to find a table at a decent restaurant. Stay away and avoid the airports too, even for a stopover. But those arent the only blackout dates related to a special event. The 50th running of the Daytona 500 takes place Feb. 17th. I dont even live in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Im in Orlando) and Im thinking of getting out of town. Dont even think about renting a car theyre taken that weekend. And stay away from the Orlando theme parks, unless your idea of family fun is to stand in a long line with a lot of rowdy NASCAR fans. Mother nature knows best. Hurricane season may run from June through November, but late summer and early fall is the peak of storm season. Mark those as blackout dates if youre considering a trip to Florida, Louisiana, the Caribbean, or anywhere along the Atlantic coast of the United States, for that matter. Fall is wildfire season in parts of California. Its a beautiful time of the year to visit the Golden State, but one spark and a strong Santa Ana wind can smoke out your vacation. The Midwest has tornadoes during the summer, and there can be intense thunderstorms just about anywhere in the United States. Winter blizzards can affect travel anytime between November and March unless youre in parts of Florida or Texas. In other words, you know when Mother Nature is likely to be in one of her moods. She could find you on Valentines Day, as she did to the passengers on scores of JetBlue Airways flights last year. Or at some random date like, Dec. 29th, which is the day passenger rights activist Kate Hanni was trapped on an American Airlines flight at Austin International Airport for nine hours. The point is, you dont know exactly when the weather will stop your trip cold, but nothing is stopping you from making an educated guess. These blackout dates dont have 24 hours.

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12/31/2007

4 days when youre better off staying home - Christopher Elliott - MSNBC.com

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B-list blackout dates dont always last 24 hours. Savvy travelers already know that theres an ebb and flow of crowds. Everyone wants to make the morning flight, but the red-eye flights are less frenzied. Likewise, a hotel gets hopping around mid-morning to late afternoon when the previous evenings guests check out and the next days guests arrive. Time your trips to coincide with the down period in these cycles, but dont get too fancy. One of the most common tips I hear from travel experts who are asked how to avoid traffic is to hit the road during the early morning or late evening. Sounds like great advice, on the surface. But you have to wonder if these talking heads have a drivers license or ever leave Manhattan, because the late morning or early evening is when a lot of construction crews like to block off a lane or two for road repairs. How do get around that? Check the construction information along your chosen route. I always consult the Florida 511 Web site before I drive anywhere. It has links to ongoing construction projects, along with their hours. Theres also a national site operated by The Federal Highway Administration. Three strikes and youre ... oh, you know the rest. Sometimes it pays to follow the news. And Im not just saying that because Im in the news business. This summer there were labor problems at Northwest Airlines and this fall, at Air France. Of course, these days should top your travel blackout list, because no matter what an airline says, theres probably going to be some kind of trouble. Northwest, for example, canceled hundreds of flights, leaving passengers stranded and at the carriers mercy (airline contracts do little to protect passengers in the event of a strike). Air France made some allowances during its strike, but many of its passengers were inconvenienced, all the same. Keeping up with the news could prevent you from booking a ticket with a troubled carrier. And if you dont want to read the news after all, its pretty depressing then find a good travel agent. A competent travel advisor will keep abreast of the news and warn you when an airline is headed for a strike. Sure, youll pay a booking fee but would you rather be stuck in Detroit for a few days, or pay $30 extra for your ticket? Yeah, me too. When you plan your next trip, think outside the blackout box. Stay on top of the news, keep an eye on the weather, question what the experts have to say and watch out for big parties. If you dont, your next big trip could be big trouble. I take a close look at what makes the travel business tick in this column that appears here every Monday. Your comments are always welcome, and if you cant get enough of my column, drop by my blog for daily insights into the world of travel.

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12/31/2007