“One-hundred-year storms” are not living up to their name these days. These catastrophic events seem unaware they’ve earned that century designation due to their rarity. This fall, we were again reminded just how destructive hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes can be as parts of the U.S. were left reeling from Mother Nature’s sheer destruction.

Travel and tourism not only pause during severe-weather events, but many popular destinations will also be sidelined for months, or even years, while they recover and rebuild. If your travel plans have been cancelled and you’d like to offer support to your intended destination – or if you’re simply looking for a way to give back to the regions most in need – here’s a great resource from USA.gov that lets you know how to best direct your donations or volunteer efforts.

Tourist favorite Asheville, N.C., and Florida hotspots like Anna Maria, Siesta Key, Tampa and Ft. Myers recently experienced widespread devastation. While all attention is rightly focused on helping these communities and their residents and businesses recover, there are no doubt countless would-be travelers who have their calendars marked with imminent travel to these locations.

What safety nets should be in place when planning a trip? We break down three essential tips to make sure you’re connected and protected when severe weather affects your travel.

Monitor Mother Nature

If only we could predict the weather to avoid rainy days on a beach vacation or plan flights when snow accumulation won’t threaten cancellations. If only! We can, however, keep an eye on trends. We know the Atlantic Ocean’s hurricane season typically runs from June through November. Tornadoes can pop up anytime with the right conditions but are most common in the spring. With the threat of snow in the winter months, it’s always advisable to fly into a destination a day early if your itinerary, such as a cruise departure, has no flexibility.

If you’re already vacation bound or settled in at your destination, be sure to keep an eye on local forecasts to plan around nasty weather. Download apps so you can track storms straight from your smartphone. The Weather Channel’s Storm Radar, Windy and NOAA’s MyRadar apps are some of our favorites.

Stay Connected to Your Travel Partners

When severe weather strikes, your Fast Park team keeps an eye on the forecast, the airports we serve, our guest reservations system and our social media channels. We strive to keep our guests informed with the latest airport and Fast Park facility operations updates. And if we need to reach guests currently parked on the lot to relay important updates, we will send them an email. Travelers also need to quickly be able to access their partners. In addition to staying connected to Fast Park and the airport, be sure to download the app of the airline you’re flying; this is essential to receive timely notifications regarding delays, cancellations, gate changes, baggage location and more. Whether you’ve booked a hotel or are staying at a private home through a platform like VRBO or Airbnb, keep the contact information handy and check in to receive guidance on their severe weather protocols for arrivals and departures.

Research Cancellations & Refund Policies, Travel Insurance

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Airline Cancellation & Delay Dashboard is a great resource to reference when airline travel is disrupted. For “controllable” delays and cancellations – those for which the airline is at fault – major airlines have made a commitment to making it right for their customers. This might include meal vouchers, hotel accommodations and even cash compensation. When flights are grounded due to uncontrollable circumstances, such as severe weather, uninsured travelers and even those with non-refundable tickets should still expect timely rebookings or full refunds. But you may still be on the hook for other vacation bookings and accommodations.

As natural disasters cannot be predicted, it’s becoming more important than ever for travelers to consider checking that “Protect My Trip” box. Even with that additional peace of mind, however, policy terms and conditions and special clauses can vary. While VRBO’s “Book with Confidence” guarantee and Airbnb’s “Air Cover” guarantee will cover you if a property is no longer inhabitable or if an island if closed, their assurances will not help if the vacation rental is available but you’re no longer comfortable visiting the area due to storm devastation. Trip cancellation coverage and travel insurance are not apples-to-apples offerings.

So, do your homework and weigh the cost vs. the risk with each future travel booking as we expect catastrophic, 100-year-storms to continue to wear out their welcome. As always, Relax for Rewards members never pay for parking reservations at Fast Park and can access their Rewards dashboard at any time to cancel or update a reservation when travel is disrupted. Travel is always better when it’s safe and stress-free!  

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