Got plans for Labor Day weekend? I can tell you what our plans are at the moment. We will stay home. No battling traffic, no getting stuck in road construction, no worrying about drivers who may have over-indulged in what a good friend of ours refers to as “adult beverages”.
Holiday weekends are getting to be too much of a hassle for some of us. When we visit our son and his family, who live on the west side of Houston, we know it will take anywhere from one-and-one-half to almost three hours, depending on how many accidents have occurred on I-45, and what construction is under way on any part of our route.
There’s an old joke – it’s been around for ages – that at no time in the history of Interstate 45 has the entire highway ever been complete. There’s always some part of it that’s under repair.
Once you venture out on a holiday weekend, Murphy’s law operates full-time. Whatever can go wrong will. Big time.
Heaven forbid you decide to travel by air over any holiday. It doesn’t matter if it’s Presidents Day, Memorial Day or I Love My Dog Day; the airports are going to be absolute nightmares.
People used to moan and groan about Atlanta airport being a real mess to deal with. Dallas airport also gets a bad rap or at least it used to. Let me assure you that Atlanta and Dallas don’t have a lock on that honor. We have traveled through Newark airport several times. It has to be in the Top Five most aggravating places to fly through.
But the worst part of flying over the holidays is that the price of flights goes up faster than airplanes can gain altitude. Some companies black out holidays so frequent fliers can’t use their free miles or points. Really tacky and unfair.
And you really don’t want to know what happens to hotel prices during holiday time. If you do want to know, get on your computer and check out the rates in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, Orlando during spring break or just about anywhere during Thanksgiving weekend. This is assuming you’re making reservations well enough in advance that there is any available accommodation left at all.
Here’s my recipe for a relaxing, reasonably priced way to enjoy Labor Day weekend or any other popular holiday.
First, try not to travel in the first place. Invite nearby family, close friends or neighbors to your home to celebrate. Keep it simple. Barbecue some chicken or burgers, heat up canned baked beans, boil some corn on the cob, throw in a few bags of chips and grab a cake or some cookies at your favorite grocery store. Don’t forget to buy some mosquito spray and plenty of ice to keep stuff cold.
If you just have to travel, try leaving either a couple of days before or on the day of the holiday itself. Plan to show up in time for the Thanksgiving dinner or whatever by taking the morning plane to wherever you’re going. Roads aren’t as busy, flights aren’t as packed and you’ll get out of having to do all the prep work for the meal. That’s a win-win-win situation.
Then there’s the absolute best plan ever. Stay home – but don’t tell anyone! – pick up some fried chicken or BBQ and chill out in your air-conditioned house. Just remember not to answer the door or your land line. Maybe you should close your blinds too …
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There’s just too much labor in holidays
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