Inside Marcy's Mind

Travel Survival During A Government Shutdown: Practical Tips, Perspective, And Kindness

• Marcy • Season 1 • Episode 64

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The terminal feels like a pressure cooker right now, but your trip doesn’t have to. We dive straight into a grounded, good-humored guide to navigating airport chaos during the shutdown with less stress and more control. From the first moments of packing to the last gate change, we map out what actually helps: planning time you’ll be grateful for later, dialing in your tech and alerts, and carrying yourself with calm, clear energy.

We start with the basics people skip when they’re rushed: checking TSA wait times, arriving early enough to breathe, and prepping for security so you glide instead of scramble. Then we get into the power moves: downloading entertainment and meditation before you leave the house, setting airline app notifications and texts to beat the loudspeaker, and keeping a slim power bank on hand so a dead phone never becomes a travel crisis. Snacks become strategy, hydration gets smarter with electrolytes, and a small stash of coffee gift cards turns gratitude into smoother interactions with frontline staff who are keeping airports moving under heavy strain.

Packing lighter is its own superpower. Carry-on only reduces risk, hassle, and the odds your trip gets derailed. We talk capsule choices, quick-dry layers, and the mindset shift from “just in case” to “just enough.” And because airports are full of people at their limit, we practice polite assertiveness: a calm “I believe I was next” works better than a blowup every time. Along the way, we share stories from real flights, reminders to keep perspective when plans bend, and a simple rule that upgrades every journey: be the kind traveler others remember for the right reasons.

If you’re staring down long lines, blinking delay boards, and the creeping worry that your patience won’t last, this is your toolkit. Listen for practical steps you can use today, share it with a friend who’s flying soon, and help us spread calmer, kinder travel. Subscribe, leave a quick review, and tell us your must-pack sanity saver—we’ll feature our favorites next week.

SPEAKER_00:

Hello, and welcome to Inside Marcy's Mind. My name is Marcy Backett, and I am your host. Alright, I'm going back to my old music for this. I'm gonna have three podcasts here in short order, and I want each one of them to have their own music. Not sure that's gonna be my final music for this one, but for today, that's the music. I had that when I first started this podcast, and then I changed it and was using it. My old podcast music and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Anyways, don't get used to that music because it may change. Anyways, hope all is well with you. I was just sitting here up in my what I call my little palace in the sky here in Chicago. Uh, it's a beautiful sunny day. We had rain come through last night. I guess snow is on its way, but right now it's beautiful. It's sunny. I was looking out and admiring all of the beautiful color on the trees. I think sometimes we don't take a moment to admire things as seasons change. So I was just enjoying and looking down at all of the beautiful trees and the people going here and there. And I will tell you, that is one of the things I've learned about Chicago. Chicago has some of the strongest people. I think Minnesota probably does too. North Dakota. But these people that like when the weather starts to change here and it's snowy and it's I, these people are still out there walking, going everywhere. And I'm one of them now. So, um, anyways, I was just taking a moment to enjoy the view, and I suggest you do that too. I want to let you know, Aging Eight for Sissies, my other podcast. I did an episode this week on not how to be the how not to be the creepy old person in the room at the holidays. It's a really good episode. I suggest you listen to it if excuse me, if it interests you. I also want to let you know that I'm going to this month going to be dropping three episodes for my new podcast, Unbottled. Unbottled is going to be everything sobriety, but I'm going to tell you you don't have to have an alcohol problem to listen. Things that people who are in sobriety do are things that just anybody can do. And sometimes they make your life better. So I'll let you know when that drops. And uh I ask you to take a listen to that too. So, yes, I'll have three podcasts keeping me busy. Love it. And I want to welcome you back to Inside Marcy's Mind. And this is where I try to make sense of the world while stuck in line at TSA with one shoe off and a stranger's elbow in my kidney. Honest to God. Today we are going to talk about flying. Anyways, unless you've been under a rock or smart enough not to fly this month, you know that the government shutdown has turned airports into a cross between the Hunger Games and the Amazing Race. You've got unpaid TSA agents trying to smile through the tears, flight attendants, pay playing therapists, and passengers one airport pretzel away from an emotional breakdown. Today we're talking about survival tactics, how to travel without losing your mind, your luggage, or your will to live. Now, we flew in from Ireland just before everything really started to get bad. Now, on the news this morning, it's not looking good. And just because the airports are still open and planes are still going, don't think you're not going to have long lines. So we're going to just talk about a few tips and tricks and strategies. It's not like I'm a genius or anything. I do travel a lot. Um the first thing, well, we'll get into it. We'll get into it. Um, life has been good. This cold has come back three times on me. I'm really over it. I would like it to go. I know my voice sounds a little craggy, and I apologize for that. But it is what it is. The holidays have smacked me right upside the head coming from home from vacation. I stepped right into my stewardship drive at St. James Cathedral, which I'm in charge of, and it's going well, but walked right back into that. Got myself to the gym four times, five times already since I've been home. And we'll be going tomorrow. Weather is going to be changing here in Chicago, um, and then it's going to change back. So we're we're going to have a little upsy-downsy here. Clean my house today, getting laundry done, uh, living my life. And I hope you're living your best life too. Um, if there's laundry sitting on your bed, go fold it. Put it away. If it's in your dryer, start the dryer up again. But this time when it ends, take it out and fold it. The holidays are coming, people. We need to be ready. Move it, move it, move it, move it. That's kind of what I feel like. Anyways. Oh, today we're just talking about survival tactics, how to travel without losing your mind, your luggage, or your will to live. So the first thing is show up two hours early like a responsible adult. You may want to show up three hours early. You can go online to all of the major airports websites and see what TSA lines are going. They have a calculator on there telling you the times of TSA. Don't be a last-minute Nelly because you're going to get screwed. I'm going to tell you right now. TSA lines right now are wrapping around the building. The pre-check line, that's not looking any better, people. If you think, oh, I'm TSA pre-check, I'll just zoom through. Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh. It's bad people. These people are working without pay. How would you feel if you were at work and no one was paying you? Your children are hungry. Your mortgage needs to be paid. And whiny Sarah standing in the line going, so long. I'll come back to take my shoes off. Well, people, no liquids. Three ounces. Take your shoes off if you need to. Don't take them off if you don't. If you got a metal boat buckle on, take it off. Empty those freaking pockets. Get it together, people. This is not new. You can tell I'm I am so sick of people showing up at the airport like all of this TSA crap is new. It's not. It's gonna be longer. It's gonna take you longer. And if we're all ready, it's gonna go faster. There's always that guy trying to cut in because he has a flight in 20 minutes. Well, listen here, Brad. We all have a flight in 20 minutes. That's literally why we're all here. I could give a rat's patootie if you are late for your flight. Now, if you're late for your flight because your other flight was late and it's a connection, that's one thing. But if you just got to the airport with not enough time, that's on you, not me. And your inability to plan does not create a crisis in my life. FYI, say that again. Your inability to plan and be prepared is never going to create drama or a crisis for me. Hear me loud and clear. And it shouldn't for any of you. The flight boards are blinking, delayed, gate agents look exhausted, and someone is crying into their Starbucks because their vacation just turned into a hostage situation at Gate B7. Look around you people. Everybody's got problems. We all do. If you can be the light, if you can be a pleasant person, show up with some Starbucks gift cards for those stewardesses, for those TSA agents. Do something nice for someone for a change. Bring a gas card and hand it to the TSA agent and say thank you for working with No Pay and helping me have a great holiday. People, learn to be kind, learn to be nice. Help that grandma who's looking at that board of delays and doesn't know what to do and doesn't know how to use her phone to help her through this crisis. Help people, be kind, be the difference, be the good energy. If you're listening to my podcast and you're out causing problems in the world, stop listening because you're not my people. My people are the people out there making it right, helping a person that just dropped their suitcase into the gutter, to the grandma who can't get her suitcase going. Those are my people. So you are the people that are going to be out there helping in this crisis. Segment, segment two. I'm reading my notes. Oh my God, you guys, I'm losing my mind. All right, let's move from chaos to coping. Here are inside Marcy's mind's top travel tips for survival hacks for the shutdown. I hope it gets cleared up before Thanksgiving, but it may not. Download everything: your movies, your playlists, your meditation apps, even Seduco. Airport Wi-Fi is slower than Congress. And the more people in the airport, the slower the Wi-Fi is. If you have things downloaded to your computer, you don't need Wi-Fi. I'm gonna repeat that for the older people in the group. If it's on your computer, on your hard drive, if that movie, that podcast, Marcy's podcast inside Marcy's mine, aging a for sissies, if those are downloaded already to your phone, your iPad, your computer, you don't need Wi-Fi. Set yourself up for success. Snacks are your new currency. Granola bars, almonds are especially gold right now because you aren't you're not getting any food on that plane. The lines to get food could be too long. Make sure you have what you need. Snacks. And again, take little treats for the people you're going to be encountering. Be kind. Be the light in the room. I'm telling you now, you I don't drink, but if you want a free flight in a plane, give that Starbucks card to those stewardesses. You're gonna get something. They're gonna be kind to you. They're gonna help you. If you have a connection, they're gonna make sure you make it. Do you think they're gonna help Karen and Bob back there bitching? Oh, sorry. That's my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law's name. Sorry, Karen and Bob, not you. Um, Susie and and and Carl. Let's use a I don't know. Anyways, you know what I mean. The bitchers get nowhere, the kind people get everywhere. Mark my words. Hydrate. Not too much because bathroom lines on planes are longer than the flight. Honest to God. This last time I was sitting near a bathroom and I wanted to kill everyone. I really did. It was terrible. But hydrate, make sure you throw in some um some electrolytes and things into your water to keep you hydrated. Power banks. I just bought the greatest extra battery and it snaps on. It's super flat and thin, and it snaps onto that magnet on the back of my phone and it charges my phone. I'm using it right now, just testing it out. It's awesome, and it's a fast charger, and it's charged my whole phone, and it's still got 43% power left. And it just clicks to the back of your phone, makes your phone a little heavier, but the profile stays the same. Really cool thing. Power banks are your peace of mind. Every outlet is already in use. Do not show. Do not, do not, do not show up at the airport with 25% battery on your phone. Who are you doing that? Number one, make sure you have set yourself up that all of your flights send you texts if there's problems. I got texts. Okay, so Craig and I got on our flight to um uh Dublin. We were in first class, we had our little pods, we were all set. I could hear some commotion happening up at the captains, I and the stewardesses and people were coming. Security came on and off. I realized there was a problem. I also heard that we were gonna have to deplane and we were gonna be two and a half hours delayed. I heard that. I will also let you know the minute they made that decision, I got a text on my phone before anybody else knew. I only, I already knew because I was a nosy and I was the front seat, so I could hear everything. Um, what happened was my guess is the other pilot showed up and he was incapable of flying drunk. Um, and they got him off the plane. Anyways, nonetheless, we did leave two and a half hours late. We did have to get off, blah, blah, blah. But I will tell you, I did get text updates very, very quickly, faster than things were going on in the airport. So make sure you are set up to get text for your particular flights. Don't check a bag unless you're a masochist. And also don't pack a giant bag. If you're going for four days, good God, people, you don't need much. Stop. Stop. The overpacking kills me. I went to Ireland two weeks, carry-on only, a backpack and my carry-on. You can do it for four days for Thanksgiving, people. The less you have to deal with, the better off you are. Learn the art of polite assertiveness. Excuse me, I believe I was next. Works better than Banshee screams. Let me repeat that. Learn the art of polite assertiveness. Doesn't mean you have to be walked on. It means, excuse me. I believe I was next. Not I'm next. What do you do? You know, save that. Work on polite assertiveness. All right. The human side of the shutdown. The TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and airport staff are working without pay. As I said in the beginning, be kind, smile, thank them, slip them a coffee card if you can. And if someone is rude, don't make the news. The only thing worse than missing your flight is becoming the viral airport Karen of the Week. Ignore people. Ignore, ignore, ignore. Ignore idiots, ignore stupid people. Use that polite absurdness as much as you can to get yourself. Craig walks through the apartment airport with entitlement. I have to balance that out. There's reasons for it. Craig always thinks he's entitled. Number one, love him, but he does. Number two, he's flown over three million miles on American, over a million on United. Not so much lately. Um, he's he is a little bit of that curmudgeonly old man. I've got to remind him. I've got to knock him. If you've got one of those, keep yours in line. I keep mine in line. Um, okay. Last time I flew during a shutdown, my flight got delayed four hours, then canceled, then uncanceled, then the pilot quit midshift. I could have driven there faster in a rental trice tricycle. A man next to me started stress-eating Pringles and asked if the plane would ever leave. I said at this point we're forming a new society here at gate 12. The gate agent became our mayor, the janitor our priest, and obviously the moral officer with snacks. Let's, you know, keep it together, people. If you miss, I I feel for people missing a vacation. I really do. It happens, it sucks, but there are worse things in life. I think going through cancer this year is giving me another perspective. I've always been pretty grateful. This year I'm a little bit more grateful. If I'm standing in the airport this year and I miss something and I miss a flight, I have missed a lot this year. I missed my nephew Chris's graduation from high school that I had so looked forward to because I was in the hospital with something. I missed my great nephew's baptism because again, I was in the hospital with something. I missed 4th of July at the beach this year because again, I was in the hospital with something. I've missed a lot. Standing at an airport, missing a flight because of something that's out of my control is not gonna set me off. It shouldn't set you off either. Life continues. I'll be at Chris's college graduation, I will be at Brooke's graduation, 4th of July will be at the beach next year. I will make sure these things happen. I will be at whatever is Colin's next thing that his parents have that we're invited to. I missed his baptism, but I'm not gonna miss anything else. Calm down, people. Relax, take a breath, and make sure you have something that you can listen to in your ears that is soothing. Here's a couple advanced traveler ticks tricks. I've already mentioned a few of them. Use airline apps, get updates before the loudspeaker does. That is key. Book early flights, they're less likely to be delayed. Get that everybody, my friends laugh at me. I'm up at 3 a.m. in a car at 4 a.m. and at the airport and on a flight by 6. I do that on purpose. The first flights go out. Travel with kindness, bring patience, humor, and a charger for your soul. All right, everybody. Here's my final advice: don't let the chaos steal your joy. You can't control government budgets, TSA lines, or the guy clipping his toenails in 14C. But you can control your attitude and how you react to everything. Laugh, breathe, bring snacks for everyone, and maybe skip the trip altogether. Turn on an ocean video, mix a margarita, and call it a day. Sorry, that one got me really riled up. Thanks for turning it, tuning in to Inside Marcy's Mind. Until next time, make your flights be on time. May your flights be on time and your seatmates quiet. If you're like me, I wear the big puffy ear earphones. I put them on my ears even when I'm listening to nothing, so no one talks to me. Go out and do something positive.

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Marcy Backhus

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