Welp, this weekend has not gone as planned. This past week, I was in New York for work meetings, fully expecting to make it home for Friday dinner with Bob. After arriving at LaGuardia, going through security, and heading to my gate, the United team got on the loud speaker and said, “we just got word there is a nationwide ground stop on all planes. We’ll have an update in a few.”
Let’s just say “a few” turned into a lot of long hours sitting in a crowded airport lounge. Delay after delay, it became clear we weren’t getting home. Plus, as my boss explained – beyond the FAA’s communication issues, our pilots and crew were going to “time out.” Basically, this means they aren’t allowed to fly after working for so many hours.
Thankfully, my boss made a call to adjust our flights to this morning, found us a hotel to stay at, etc. The other silver lining? We found a great restaurant last night called Brasserie Cognac, a French restaurant near our hotel and the New York Public Library. After such a hectic, stressful travel day, that tall glass of wine was exactly what I needed. Back at the hotel, I passed time by watching the new season of The Traitors US. Anyone else watching? Alan Cumming is a genius. That’s all. 🙂
Even as I write this post, I’m back at the airport sitting and waiting for our flight to return home (we’re already two hours delayed). It’s not looking good. 🙁 In these instances, I try to remind myself there are much worse things in life. Plus, I’m a big believer the best option is to focus on solutions, not stress.
Here are a few things that I’ve been doing to feel like I’m taking action even when so much is outside of my control:
- A Back-Up Plan is a Beautiful Thing: I immediately booked another refundable flight for Sunday morning in case we didn’t get out today. With so many flights being cancelled, delayed, and rerouted, one of the greatest challenges is finding open seats. Sure, it’s not ideal to have three flights sitting in my United account, but I’d much rather have potential options that than being stuck here for two more days without a seat on a flight. Thankfully, United has a 24-hour cancellation policy.
- Book a Refundable Hotel Room: My boss and I had a lot of issues trying to find two hotel rooms last night – even though we booked quickly. One of the best recommendation is to book a refundable hotel room as early as possible. You can always cancel (just make sure to know exactly when you need to do so!).
- Get Travel Insurance: Listen, I don’t always heed my own advice, but in this instance – I should have purchased it to cover our hotel rooms, meals, ground transportation, etc. It’s a small investment but worth it.
- Keep Your Devices Charged: I have always been slightly neurotic about this at airports, even when everything is normal and on time. I’ve never regretted keeping my phone and laptop at 100%. Also, keep a portable charger with you when you travel. This one is my go to and can also charge a laptop.
What are some of the things you do when you have flight and/or travel issues? I’d love to hear your advice!
The Charades List: What I’m Watching
My pick: The Traitors US. It’s how I’ve been passing the time at our hotel this weekend. Thank. Goodness.
Plus, a few new releases on my list:
- Avedon (Netflix, now streaming): Ron Howard’s new documentary on photographer Richard Avedon premiered at Cannes this year. If you love fashion photography, this one is a must.
- The Good Daughter (Peacock, all six episodes now streaming): Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy star as sisters in this adaptation of Karin Slaughter’s novel, with Brendan Gleeson as their father.
- 12 12 12 (Apple TV, new episodes weekly through Dec. 25): Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan in a heist thriller built around a vault under Zurich.
- Saturday Night Live (NBC, tonight): John Mulaney hosts with Phoebe Bridgers as musical guest. I love him!
- Coming next week: Netflix’s holiday movie Guarding Stars arrives Nov. 18 with Leighton Meester and Andie MacDowell.
In My Cart
Party season is officially on the calendar, and Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. If I could say yes to one gown this season, it would be this red velvet BURU gown. The embellishment makes it feel like a party all on its own.
For Thanksgiving dinner straight through Christmas morning, this Harbor Plaid Pippa Dress from Sunshine Tienda is a plaid you’ll reach for all season.
And from our Sail to Sable x Style Charade Holiday 2026 collection, the bow front on the Lucy Tweed Bow Front Dress makes it the easiest yes for every party on the calendar. Use code JENNIFER15 for 15% off your order at Sail to Sable.
The Amazon Edit: Travel Delay Survival Kit
After this week, these are on my list for the next trip to make everything effortless:
- Cabeau Evolution S3 Travel Pillow for long waits at the gate.
- Apple AirTags so you always know where your checked bags are.
- Anker Nano Power Bank with a built-in USB-C cable, because an extra night means an extra charge.
- These cozy socks to wear at the hotel. It would help feel a bit more like home.
- My favorite UGG slippers. I almost packed these in my luggage but chose not to as our first hotel always has slippers. Big mistake after we changed hotels with no options.
Worth Knowing This Week
- vineyard vines is taking 30% off sitewide, applied automatically at checkout, through Monday, Nov. 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT (gift cards and select custom styles excluded). Find it in my Black Friday sales roundup.
- Ann Taylor is offering 40% off full-price purchases plus an extra 50% off sale styles this weekend, no code needed, through early Monday, Nov. 16 (exclusions apply). Here are my favorite Ann Taylor holiday looks.
- Amazon’s Black Friday Week kicks off Thursday, Nov. 19, and runs through Nov. 30. I’ll be updating my Black Friday roundup daily.
- The Frances Valentine x Atlantic-Pacific holiday collection is officially live. Here’s my preview of the collection.