The Travel Ripple Effect: Coping with Volcanoes, Strikes and Politics

Traveling can always be a volatile proposition, but with churning volcanoes in Iceland, looming flight attendant strikes and the political strife in Thailand – checking on your flight before heading out to the airport is a necessity.

Your flight can still be impacted – even if you are nowhere near one of these troubled areas or flying on a strike-affected airline. This is the travel ripple effect that can send shockwaves through the most well-planned trip.

Just this past Monday, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled through out Britain and the Netherlands. When a flight is cancelled, it doesn’t just impact the first destination, it cancels every subsequent flight that plane was to make throughout the day.

The British government is now enacting new rules, so more flights can travel through areas that have lesser ash concentrations.

So what can you do? At this point, gathering information is critical and the In-Flight Insider has some valuable tips that can help you salvage your trip before it breaks down:

1. Be proactive – be aware of alternative travel plans.
2. Schedule flights early in the day, so even if there are cancellations, you have more flight options to choose from.
3. Be prepared to stay longer than your trip lasts - Take extra clothes, extra medication and other necessities.

Following these simple steps and staying well informed can transform a nightmare travel scenario into a successful trip where you know your options and strategies beforehand.