When it comes to holiday travel, the most wonderful time of the year can feel like the most stressful.
Andrea Canning spoke with Today Show Senior Consumer Investigative Correspondent, Vicky Nguyen, on today’s episode of Dateline: True Crime Weekly and got some travel safety tips you can use year round.
You can listen to the full episode now, for free.
Plus, read a transcript of their exchange below:
Andrea Canning: Hey, Vicky. Good to have you back.
Vicky Nguyen: Hey, good morning.
Canning: Let’s talk about travel trends. So, most Americans say they’re planning on driving instead of flying this holiday season.
Nguyen: Yeah. Motel 6 and Studio 6 just did a recent survey, Andrea, and they found 51 percent of those who were surveyed said that they do plan to drive -- would rather drive -- compared to the 13 percent who are flying.
Canning: I agree. Like, having six kids, you know, it’s so much easier to just pile all the presents and the kids in the car versus trying to get to an airport. It’s just easier to drive. But according to the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, traveling by car during the holidays has the highest fatality rate of any major form of transportation based on fatalities per passenger mile. So what can we all do to stay safe?
Nguyen: I know. It’s a really sobering statistic. So, number one: budget in extra time. Even just leaving 15 minutes earlier than normal can take some of the stress out of driving in general. In that same vein, getting a nice night of sleep ahead of time and making sure that you’ve packed the car. And finally, it is time to check what is in your trunk, what is in your emergency kit, in the event you get stuck in something and it’s weather related, or you just can’t get off the freeway to get food, that you’ve got your medicines, your snacks. And, if you’re traveling with pets, that you have something for them, as well. As well as the important items, like a portable power charger for your phone, jumper cables. You know, have you checked your car for a spare tire? But these are things that you should know in advance and you should know how to use them.
Canning: Yeah, and also that you always have enough gas. I’ve gotten caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway, and you’re just sitting there. It’s not the time that you want to run out of gas.
Nguyen: Good point.
Canning: Um, OK, so if you’re flying, any tips on how to book holiday travel with regards to making sure everything goes smoothly, you’re not scammed in some way?
Nguyen: It’s funny, because some people have this fear of flying but, statistically speaking, we know it is a very safe form of transportation. The most dangerous part of booking an air travel vacation or holiday is that scam that you mentioned, Andrea. There’s a cyber security site called Guardio, and they say that over the last 18 months, travel scams have gone up online 900%.
Canning: Wow.
Nguyen: And that is due in large part to AI. AI has made it so easy for scammers to design really sophisticated-looking websites that also show up in Google searches, right? So you want to make sure any time you’re booking with a site that you’ve never used before, that you’ve actually gone to the URL. You’re looking in that little website address line for HTTPS. S as in security, to make sure it’s a secure site. Don’t just click on links that are sent to you via email, via social media. Go to the actual hotel or the airline that you are looking for and make sure that you always pay with a credit card. Not Zelle, not Venmo, not crypto, not gift cards. Those are all red flags for scammer sites. And if the price is just too good to be true, that should also get your spidey senses going. My final tip here, Andrea, is consider working with a travel agent. That is a great way to protect yourself from scams.
Canning: Yeah. Um, so we’ve all seen footage or we’ve been in airports during the holidays. It can be crazy. Have there been any security changes, um, that people should be aware of? I know the driver’s licenses -- the Real ID is going to be, um, a mandatory soon. Things like that.
Nguyen: Yeah. If you haven’t been to the airport recently, you might be surprised by all the facial recognition technology that is now being used by TSA, as well as airlines like Delta, where they ask if you want your face scanned so that they can recognize and verify who you are. It definitely speeds up the process for getting through those security lines. And here’s my answer to folks who are worried about this idea that, “Oh, my gosh. My picture is being taken.” What happens with all that data? Well, the companies say that they delete it, that it’s just, you know, it’s taken -- it’s verifying your identity, and that they get rid of it. I trust in the system. I understand people have hesitancy, but if efficiency is what you’re after, this is a very fast way to get through those lines. And then to your question about the Real ID, that new deadline is May 7th, 2025. Basically, the government keeps saying, “We’re going to require you to have this special driver’s license that says Real ID on it in order to travel domestically.” So if you want to go ahead and make an appointment for the DMV, get your license updated. I did it a while ago because I kept thinking it was going to be due anyway. The new deadline, May 7th, 2025.
Canning: Yes, me too. OK. Thank you, Vicky. Everyone’s getting excited for the holidays. And, um, these are amazing tips.
Nguyen: Always great to be with you.
