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When people think of traveling and vacations, they often think of summertime and beach trips. While this is an extremely popular time of year to travel, it isn’t the only option you can go with. Winter trips can be just as fun and fulfilling as traveling during the summer months. However, when traveling during the winter, you need to be wary of winter weather and its dangers. Regardless of whether you’re just driving to tour Calgary homes for sale or are going to spend a week at Whistler Blackcomb, winter weather can disrupt your travels and put your safety at risk. So what’s the best way to stay safe on a winter trip? Let’s take a look.
Study the Weather
One of the most important parts of staying safe on a winter trip is the preparation that comes before the trip even begins. When leaving for a winter trip, it is extremely important that you study the weather of all areas that you will be traveling through. Will there be a major snowstorm while you’re in the area? Will the temperature in some areas be dangerously below freezing? These are all questions that you need to answer and prepare for. If you see something scary and unusual in the forecast, you may want to delay or postpone your trip to avoid the bad weather. Traveling in bad winter weather can be extremely dangerous and is not recommended, so be sure you double-check the weather before leaving for your winter trip.
Pack for the Cold
Another important part of staying safe during winter travels is ensuring that you pack the right things to deal with the cold. While many people rightfully worry about the snow and ice during winter travels, the cold can be equally as dangerous for travelers. If you don’t pack the right cold-weather gear, then you can be extremely uncomfortable while you’re traveling, not to mention more extreme issues like frostbite and hypothermia. In addition, not being properly protected from the cold can weaken your body and make you more susceptible to illness. If you want to be entirely safe and protected while traveling during the winter months, ensure that you pack jackets, blankets, and other winter gear.
Travel to Conditions
It's not uncommon for travel conditions during the winter months to be extremely unfavorable. Things like snow, sleet, and ice and make roads extremely slick and dangerous. As mentioned before, if the roads are too bad, you may want to delay or postpone your trip. However, if the roads are manageable, then you should travel to the conditions. Drive slower if it's only spitting snow instead of coming down heavy, and try to keep your distance from other cars. Traveling to conditions can allow you to still travel even when conditions aren’t that favorable, yet can still keep you safe. If you maintain a slower speed and keep your distance from other vehicles, you greatly mitigate the chance of getting into a car accident.
Communicate With Friends and Family
When traveling during the winter months, it is important to communicate with your friends and family back home routinely. You should routinely update them about your status when traveling, letting them know when you hit the roads, or are about to leave for a flight. Setting up checkpoints with people from home can help them be at ease by letting them know that you are safe. In addition, it can be a major red flag if you don’t call. If you happen to be stranded in an emergency situation without a way to phone for help, your friends and family may be able to pick up on it. If you missed checking in with them, they would likely have an inkling that something went wrong and you’re stranded, allowing them to call for help. While this situation is admittedly rare, it can help prevent a lot of suffering on your end if it happens.
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