Helping a Couple — and Their Cats — on 1,200-Mile Road Trip

When COVID-19 shutdowns threatened to trap Conrad M. of Landing, New Jersey, his girlfriend and their two cats in Florida, a quick call to AAA got them a membership and two nights lodging for the whole family.

It was March 2020. We were about to head home to New Jersey after our three-month hibernation in South Florida. By car. With two cats.

Then the news reports on COVID-19 started to turn dire. People were getting sick, masks and hand sanitizer were in great demand, and we were 1,200 miles from home. Normally, we fly a relative down, and he drives us back to New Jersey. We do it with minimal stops and one overnight. But he couldn’t fly down: Florida insisted on a 14-day quarantine on anyone arriving from the Northeast. And driving ourselves would require two overnight hotel stays.

Hotels and restaurants were closing. We were afraid of not being able to find a pet-friendly hotel. I saw an ad for AAA. I called and asked, ‘If we call from the road, tell them where we are and ask them to arrange a pet-friendly hotel about an hour from here, could they do that?’ They said they could, and I signed up.

Even though we had more than a week left on our stay in Florida, we left immediately. AAA lived up to the promise and found us and our cats lodging for two nights, both on short notice. I’m a believer!”

Please note: Travel services are available immediately upon joining AAA. There is a brief waiting period for roadside assistance.

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