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Road Trip Gone Rogue Story Contest

The search for the funniest, scariest and best-of-the-worst holiday travel stories.

HARRISONBURG, Va., Nov. 16, 2015 - In the spirit of holiday travel, VA Weekender is sharing their best travel tips and is looking to hear about the travel nightmares that accompany this hectic time of year. Stories can be submitted through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or email. If submitting a story through social media, be sure to include the hashtag: #RoadTripGoneRogue. The contest will be held from Monday, Nov. 16 until Monday, Nov. 30, 2015.

Once stories have been submitted to VA Weekender, the team will review and pick the winning stories. Winning stories will be featured on the VA Weekender website, as well as shared on VA Weekender’s corresponding social media platforms.

With the holiday season just under way, the highways are filling up and airports are becoming packed. Taking time to think about a travel plan is essential. According to the United States Department of Transportation, during the short 6-day Thanksgiving travel period, the number of long-distance trips (to and from a ­destination 50 miles or more away) increases by 54 percent. Seeing as 91 percent of the people making these trips are doing so by personal vehicle, the roads will be areas of a massive holiday traffic influx around Thanksgiving.

Caitlin McDonald, a JMU student who frequently makes long commutes from Richmond to Harrisonburg, was traveling last March during spring break. The roads were still icy and she ended up spinning out in her car, and landing in a ditch. With no phone or way to contact people, she had to wait on the side of the road for help. “If I had known how to prepare for winter road trips, I know I would have been less anxious.” Mike Falzone, another JMU student had a slightly different experience when traveling last holiday season. “After trying to be slick and take back roads to my grandparents house in Richmond, I realized I had made a mistake when I saw the ‘Welcome to Wild and Wonderful West Virginia Signs.'"

To help aid in prevention of accidents, VA Weekender has compiled a list of practical and helpful tips to take into consideration wherever your travels may lead you:

Still feel like you may need more information on holiday travel? Check out some additional resources that VA Weekender has found:

  • This video by The Today Show, discusses how to make your holiday road trips as seamless as possible.

  • Travelocity created an infographic just in time for Thanksgiving travel, specifically when it comes to flying.

  • Want to see where your holiday destination measures up? USA Today created a list of the most dangerous days to travel.

  • For more safety information, the American Red Cross always has great tips and tricks to have the most secure trip possible during Turkey-Day travel.

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About VA Weekender

Launched in 2015 by five students at James Madison University, VA Weekender is a travel website written by 20-somethings for 20-somethings that highlights original weekend experiences in various cities throughout Virginia. The website focuses on inexpensive and unique day trip adventures all over the state and shares their best fitness, food, shopping, relaxation and adventure finds through daily website posts. To learn more about VA Weekender, visit their website or send them an email.


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