Easy Tips To Avoid This Travel Headache On Your Next Winter Flight

Travel hacks are typically all the rage. After all, no one wants to spend more money or deal with unnecessary stress when they don't necessarily have to — and especially if you can easily avoid it by making a few extra decisions. So whether you're trying to save on flights, get your in-flight meal faster, or avoid excess bag fees, there are always different tricks and strategies to help you navigate your trip a little more smoothly.

The same thing goes for knowing how and when to travel — especially during the winter. Recently, airline employee and traveler @meganhomme discussed some of her best tips for winter travel online — and the internet went wild for what she had to say. Plus, considering that thousands of flights across the country have been disrupted or canceled this month alone due to weather conditions, it's always better to be prepared in case you're one of the unlucky travelers who can't fly.

Speaking to her nearly 400,000 followers, Megan has plenty of behind-the-scenes knowledge and insights to share. From choosing flight times to how to plan for delays, her winter travel "PSA" — as she captioned the video — offers valuable advice to help you prepare for a comfortable and stress-free journey.

According to Megan's TikTok, the most important thing you need to do — or, in this case, not do — is make sure you never book the latest or last flight available during your winter travels. Why does that matter? Well, in her own words, "Weather delays and cancellations are a lot more common in the winter." This means that, if you book a late-night flight and one of those two things unfortunately happens, you'll be stranded at your departure airport with fewer options and will likely have to wait until the next day to catch a later flight.

Along with this, Megan also had some additional suggestions. First, try to always book direct flights. Not only does this ensure that you don't need to worry about connections or missing a subsequent flight if your flight is delayed or canceled, but it's also a lot more convenient. If there aren't any direct flights available, she suggested giving yourself enough time to plan for potential mishaps by simply choosing a longer layover.

Finally, if things do go wrong during your trip, Megan recommends that you always budget a little extra cash in case you need to book a hotel room for the night. Since most major airlines — including Delta, United, American Airlines, and JetBlue — aren't required to provide passengers with hotel vouchers due to weather-related cancellations, unexpected snow storms or rainfall usually mean you're on your own.