Gingerbread-scented everything, Mariah Carey on loop, late-December Die Hard marathons... wintertime has something awesome for everyone. It also causes unique problems—especially for travelers who're far away from the comforts of home. All winter travelers have run up against these 10 cold-weather-travel challenges:
Problem #1: Warm drink temptation.
The first, cliché rule to cheap traveling: avoid seven-dollar coffees. But when it's thirty degrees Fahrenheit, it's hard to resist that gingerbread latte.
Problem #2: Dry skin.
Dry skin like you wouldn't believe. Chapped lips. Chapped hands. Your destination is warmer than the place you're coming from, but somehow, by the time you arrive, you've developed a dandruff problem.
Problem #3: Flight delays.
You got to the airport two hours early to avoid the winter/holiday traffic. Only to learn that your flight's been delayed another 45 minutes. And then, a half hour later, that it's delayed another 25. Suddenly, you're having to scramble to make new post-flight travel plans every 15 minutes. What's the train schedule? Can your third cousin hang out at arrivals for a two-hour window, waiting to pick you up?
Problem #4: What's walking?
Faced with sidewalk ice—or snow—or just, you know, a day that hits below 45 degrees—you'll lose interest in your more walking-centric plans. Uber/Lyft will become your best friend.
Problem #5: Are you sick or is it just cold?
Either way, your nose is running.
Problem #6: You brought the wrong clothes.
You can tell a lot about somebody based on whether they decide to buy an extremely overpriced sweater, or... shiver. And it's not always about the cold. You can get so fixated on being cold, that you forget how warm your destination is supposed to be. Cue sweating through your coat in 50-degree weather.
Problem #7: You brought the right clothes, and you have no idea how to close your luggage up now.
Layering is the perfect solution to uncertain weather. Unfortunately, it also requires some bulk.
Problem #8: What do you mean, sunburn??
This isn't supposed to happen while you're wearing a scarf. It's just not right.
Problem #9: You don't want to go there.
You were so excited about your plans back when you made them, at the beginning of fall. Now, it's cold outside—and it might be colder at your destination. Being in transit for more than twenty minutes? Uuuuugh.
Problem #10: You don't want to go back home.
You wanted to stay home, and now you don't want to leave. Double uuuuugh. But, hey, there's always next year!