flights

At first glance, driving often seems like the obvious money-saving choice. After all, gas usually costs less than buying multiple plane tickets. But once you factor in hotels, meals on the road, vehicle wear, and the value of your time, the answer becomes much more complicated.

Few travel experiences are more frustrating than arriving at the airport with your service dog only to be told you can't board.

Getting stuck in another country is bad enough. Finding out your airline canceled your flight and then seemingly vanished from existence makes it even worse. Before you do anything else, save screenshots of your booking, cancellation notices, emails, app alerts, and any attempts you've made to contact the airline. Those records could end up being very valuable later.

After spending hours at the airport, many travelers assume the airline will automatically provide a hotel room. Luckily, even if the airline initially says no, you still have options for recovering some of your costs.

Most travelers assume that once a rental car reservation is confirmed, the vehicle will be waiting when they arrive. Then they walk up to the counter and hear one of the most frustrating phrases in travel: "We're sorry, but we don't have a car available".

Few travel problems create panic faster than hearing that your airline ticket does not match your passport. Most travelers immediately assume there must be some mistake because they entered their legal name exactly as it appears on the document. Then the airline says there is still a mismatch, and suddenly a trip that seemed fully booked is at risk.