TURNIPSEED TRAVEL
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media

Our Winter Road Trip Travel Survival Guide

24/12/2015

 

A blizzard and a busted battery left us in a bad situation that was rapidly getting worse. We learned (almost) the hard way just how dangerous winter road trip travel can be.

Photo of a winter storm travel pile up on a highway
These are all too common winter scenes in Ontario. This is the winter road trip travel scene I fear.
Winter driving is a fact of life for those living in cold weather locations, like us here in Ottawa. We mark the start of the season by installing new snow tires and celebrate its end by driving around in flip flops as soon as the temperature climbs above the freezing mark. Every winter is a delicate dance between a deep seated desire to leave the house and a prosaic prudence that warns caution and urges us to stay home.

Fortunately, we've had mostly good luck on our winter road trips - and so far this year we're having a wonderfully mild season - but one bad past experience proved to be a timely reminder on the importance of relying on preparation, and not just good fortune. 
We were on Highway 401, headed towards Toronto, when traffic came to a standstill. What had begun as a rather unremarkable winter's day had taken a sudden turn. The sun had set, snow was blowing, and the highway was icy. Much icier, in fact, than we had previously realized. We sat on the highway for several hours as emergency services cleared the scene of a horrible accident in which two transport trucks had collided. 

Just minutes before the traffic finally started moving again, our car suddenly died. All the lights of our car flashed, a multitude of sensors lit up the screen, and we got a quick succession of warning notices. And within a minute the car was completely dead. We couldn't put it in neutral and roll it off of the road. We couldn't even put on the hazard lights! So there we were, in the dark, in a snow storm, in a silver car, on the fast lane of one of the busiest highways in Canada; a highway that was covered in ice.

We weren't waiting out an accident any more. We were an accident waiting to happen! We were sitting ducks and we were scared.
View of a winter storm from inside the car Picture
Our scary, scary view.
We called 911 to ask for police assistance and they were unable to tell us when help would come or even if we should stay in the car (collision danger) or stay outside (inevitable hypothermia). Without any lights, our neutral colored car was completely camouflaged by the snow.  We put our iPhone on the strobe light setting, wrapped a mitten around it, and stuck it in the snow on the back of the car, hoping the steady stream of traffic would see the blinking light (and us) in time.

20 incredibly tense minutes passed until a road works truck came upon the scene. He had his crew block the highway so we would be safe from traffic  - an incredibly kind gesture - and stayed with us until a tow truck came.

Long story short: It took us three days to get the car repaired. There was a problem with the battery and a special part had to be shipped in from Vancouver. Normally we would be highly agitated over our cancelled plans but we knew just how lucky we were to emerge unscathed. 
Emergency car kit gear Picture
We needed serious travel gear.
Emergency car kit gear Picture
Photo courtesy survivalsherpa.wordpress.com
 (Lesson learned: We needed to get our winter road trip act together. Snow tires were not enough. We couldn't count on being lucky twice in a row but bad weather? That's something we could always count on.

First, we needed a car emergency kit. A good one. A big one. The kind of kit that includes flares, red flashers, and emergency foil blankets. For once, I didn't even look at the price tag. There's just some things you need to buy and this was one of them. (In case you're curious, this is what we ended up getting, plus we augmented it with a few extra things.)

Secondly, we needed a real roadside assistance program, not just the complimentary one from the dealership. It was an awful feeling, scrambling through the papers in the glove compartment to try to find the number we should call and having no idea what was covered.  We did our research and picked a plan that worked for us. And then we did even MORE research (and harassed the company a bit) to determine if we would have in the United States as well. And then we did even MORE research and bought a second plan to cover some gaps from the first plan. It's overkill, maybe. But it's an inconsequential cost to our overall travel budget for the year and brings huge peace of mind.

Finally, I vowed to always bring along my Mophie portable power pack, no matter the trip. We never bothered to bring it on road trips, assuming that we could just charge our phones in the car as we traveled. But when the power died and we had to use our phones as emergency lights in -25 degree weather, our only lifelines had rapidly draining batteries. 
​
Picture
That night on the 401 was a harrowing experience - one of the closest calls we've ever had while traveling and we're not eager to repeat it anytime soon.  But that hasn't slowed our travels down.

We're glad we got our act together when it comes to winter road trips and we can't wait for the next adventure.

If you enjoyed this article, you'll also like:

Learning An Airport Lesson The Hard Way

Why We Love Layovers So Much

Tips for Rental Car Gas Refills
Clariza
26/12/2015 01:05:17 pm

Also tuck some snacks and waters in your trunk as well as hand warmers.

Vanessa
27/12/2015 09:41:36 am

I was just thinking that I need to restock our trunk and add a box of granola bars to it!

Anne Sutherland-Smith link
27/12/2015 07:46:14 pm

Vanessa, I have the good fortune of living in Australia where we do not have the issues with driving in ice and snow. As a result we still need to carry some emergency gear in our vehicles but it is not as critical as in your environment. Hearing your story it sounds like you definitely need to be better prepared and it sounds like you have taken the necessary steps to have much safer road trips in the future.

All the best and have a great 2016.

Vanessa
30/12/2015 12:46:06 pm

Thanks Anne! It was a good reminder to always put safety first in a roadtrip.

Lesley Carter link
10/1/2016 12:35:26 pm

One of the scariest nights of my life was spent trapped on the highway with hundreds of other vehicles in Nova Scotia, Canada. With temperatures well below freezing, no emergency kit, food, or blankets, and I ran out of gas, I was certain I would freeze to death. Never again will I travel in winter conditions without the proper gear. It's unfortunate that I learned this way rather than being prepared beforehand. Great tips.

Vanessa
11/1/2016 10:22:37 pm

I know exactly the feeling of dread you're describing - it's awful.

Laura link
10/1/2016 02:34:23 pm

That's a harrowing experience, for sure. I can't even imagine the fear you must have been in. We drive over a mountain pass a few times a year and I'm always worried that we didn't prepare well enough. I've only been caught up there once overnight when they closed the pass, but that was my learning experience, because we had nothing in the car to keep warm or to eat.

Vanessa
11/1/2016 10:24:26 pm

We've done a few (minor) mountain passes in winter and it was enough to make me not want to repeat the experience.

Mama Munchkin link
11/1/2016 12:23:09 am

Man... What a scary experience. So thankful you were okay and very much appreciate you sharing what you learned. As a native Southern Californian I really do not know anything about winter/ snow road kits. Thank you

Vanessa
11/1/2016 10:27:48 pm

We now keep the kit in our car to have on hand for all weather. Handy stuff.

Alli link
11/1/2016 08:59:11 am

I live in Toronto and know firsthand the displeasure of driving on the 401. A few weeks ago my tire exploded and had to wait on the side of the road - but we were able to pull over and put our 4 ways on! It was jarring enough like that - can't imagine not being able to move and being in a camoflauged coloured car! I hope that never happens to you again!

Vanessa
11/1/2016 10:28:42 pm

The struggle of the 401 is real! There are some seriously dodgy areas on that highway.

melody pittman link
11/1/2016 06:01:52 pm

That is some scary stuff. Kudos to you for the using the phone on strobe setting to warm oncoming traffic. That was a really scary story. I will pass along to my family in WV who has pretty extreme weather conditions at times as well.

Vanessa
11/1/2016 10:27:14 pm

We're pretty experienced winter drivers and this one had us shaken. You never know when things can get wild out there.


Comments are closed.
    Recent Posts
    Posts by Location
    Turnipseed Travel Category Canada
    Turnipseed Travel Category USA
    Turnipseed Travel Category Europe
    Turnipseed Travel Category Africa
    Turnipseed Travel Category Australia
    Turnipseed Travel Category Asia

    Post Categories

    All
    $200 Challenge
    200m Challenge
    Accommodation
    Africa
    Amsterdam
    Anti Adventurist
    Asia
    Australia
    Belgium
    Business Travel
    Camping
    Canada
    Central Counties
    Cozy Travel
    Destinations
    Europe
    Experiences & Activities
    Female Travel
    Food And Drink
    Gear And Packing
    Golf
    Greece
    Guest Posts & Interviews
    Health
    Inspiration
    Making Travel Memories
    Montreal
    Most Popular Posts
    National Parks
    Norfolk County
    Ontario
    Ottawa
    Paris
    Partners
    Pet Travel
    Photo Essay
    Preparation
    Press Trip Portfolio
    Reviews Accommodation
    Reviews Gear Packing
    Round The World
    Saving
    Toronto
    Transportation
    Travel Cooking
    Travel Memories Series
    UK & Ireland
    United States

    Posts by Date

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Disclaimers, Privacy, and Cookie Policy

Top 100 Travel Influencer
As named by the Obama White House in 2014.​
White House Study Abroad Logo 2014
Turnipseed Travel Logo 2019
DMCA.com Protection Status
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media