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IN THIS EPISODE

This episode is your ultimate guide to moving out for the first time. Whether you’re renting or buying, it’s all yours to do as you please.

You get to decide how to decorate, when you’ll do the dishes and if you’ll eat on the couch or at the dining room table. But, with great power comes great responsibility, so you might have to move your own stuff as well. No need to stress, we’ve got everything you need, from a moving out checklist to additional tips to ensure a smooth transition.

Our guests Rob Shetler, Vice President at Shetler Moving & Storage, and Jami Supsic, Home and Style Director at HGTV Magazine, join us to share their professional insights. They cover how to make the most of your new space, whether the couch will fit through the door, and the essential things to buy for your first home.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

[5:38] – How to make sure your furniture fits your new space
[7:19] – Key things to consider when using a moving company
[13:21] – How to make the most of a small space
[16:38] – How to find affordable furniture

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:02]
Amanda Greene: Hey, how are you? What are you doing?

[00:00:04]
Friend: Good. Not much. What are you doing?

[00:00:05]
Amanda Greene: I just sent my niece some money. She’s moving out for the first time. Can you even believe that?

[00:00:10]
Friend: Oh my gosh. Wow. I can’t believe she’s old enough to be out on her own.

READ MORE

[00:00:14]
Amanda Greene: I know. Do you remember our first place?

[00:00:16]
Friend: I do. We had so many paper plates and I brought the weirdest stuff from my college dorm room like that floor lamp that has all the different color arms coming off of it.

[00:00:28]
Amanda Greene: With different color light bulbs. Do you remember that?

[00:00:31]
Friend: I like to think we’ve developed better taste since then. And I wonder what your niece will end up doing.

[00:00:36]
Amanda Greene: She’s probably going to end up fighting with her roommate about whose turn it is to do the dishes or why there’s clumps of toothpaste in the sink, and they’ll probably end up eating way too much takeout like pizza every night.

[00:00:48]
Friend: I mean, some things never change. I still order pizza on the daily.

[00:00:55]
Amanda Greene: Welcome to Merging Into Life where we navigate life’s milestones one episode at a time. Brought to you by AAA Northeast. I’m your host, Amanda Greene.

Today, we’re going to talk about moving out for the first time. It’s funny, moving into my college dorm was one thing, but my first place was totally different. Me and my roommate were exclusively responsible for everything. All of a sudden we had to cook, clean, decorate and pay our own bills. It was a huge learning curve, but it was also exciting and was an important step on the way to being a fully formed adult. Learn by doing, right? And there was so much freedom. But as we all know, with the freedom of adulthood comes the massive responsibilities.

So let’s go over how to do it right, how to pack up and make the move, and how to make the place our own once we move in. We’ll be speaking with Rob Shetler, a veteran in the moving business
But first…

[00:01:53]
Jami Supsic: So I’m Jami Supsic, the home and style director at HGTV Magazine. And that means I really find the house tours that we feature in every issue and produce the photoshoots and styling for those house tours. And then I also practice interior decorating.

[00:02:08]
Amanda Greene: Beautiful. Well then you sound like the perfect person to talk to about moving out for the first time and curating your own personal style. But first, do you remember your first apartment? What that like?

[00:02:19]
Jami Supsic: My first post-college apartment will always have a special place in my heart. I moved out to LA from the East Coast with two of my best girlfriends from college, and we rented this two bedroom apartment that we converted to a four bedroom with plywood. And I look back when I was thinking about this interview, I’m like, “Wow, we just nailed plywood to the wall to separate rooms, and we never asked the landlord.” I would never recommend that now, but it was a great space and it was a really fun time. But even then we did take care to decorate it.

[00:02:53]
Amanda Greene: Just to be on the safe side, I want to add that at no point should you do anything to your rental without checking with your landlord first, painting, drilling holes, anything that might be an issue should be approved. And if you’re thinking of nailing plywood up to act as walls, just don’t. But back to decorations.

When thinking about planning your space, the space that you’re going to live in, and you finally have this freedom and independence and you’re moving out, how can people start planning how they want to set up their space?

[00:03:29]
Jami Supsic: I think that when you’re thinking about this first space that you’re moving into, your first adult place, you kind of want to think about what is your style. What I find is a really good trick for people to get inspired and to see what they like is to do fun stuff like browsing through magazines or online and just start pulling things that you react to and don’t think anything other than that. Just pull a bunch of stuff that inspires you. And then once you’ve kind of got a good stack of that, go through and see what the common theme is. And there will be a common theme.

You might be like, “Wow, every single bedroom I pinned is pink.” And then you’ll start to realize, “Oh, maybe I really like these pink bedrooms.” Or you’ll start to see, “Everything I’ve pulled has a sectional in it. Maybe I want to make sure that wherever I’m moving has room for a sectional.”

But then also you should think about how you want to live, right? This is very exciting. This is your first place. Do you picture having friends over for gaming night? Do you want to have a Halloween party every year? Thinking about how you want to live there and then what that means in terms of execution. If you want to have dinner parties all the time, how are you going to fit a dining table in this space that you’re getting?

[00:04:38]
Amanda Greene: Speaking of fitting things, I don’t know if it’s my imagination or what, but doesn’t it seem like things like couches and just furniture in general are bigger than doorway space is providing these days? Is that a thing?

[00:04:52]
Jami Supsic: Yes. Oh gosh, especially living in New York City, this is a nightmare scenario. You have to measure and measure twice because you have to think about, “Is this going to fit through your doorway?” If you’re moving into an apartment, is it going to fit in the elevator? And if you don’t have an elevator, is it going to fit in the stairwell? And that’s really tricky. I mean, even for me, and I’ve been doing this for a long time, there have been things that don’t fit. So you do want to take that time to measure and make sure whatever you’re bringing with you fits through the door. In New York City, we have companies that specialize in cutting your sofa, but that’s not cheap and I don’t recommend that.

[00:05:30]
Amanda Greene: Wow. Okay. So really important. Before you even move into your space, you need to plan for it. So we need to measure two or three times and then check those measurements too.

[00:05:40]
Jami Supsic: Grab some graph paper and draw a floor plan. And it’s kind of fun. Something that I still do to this day even with floor plans, I’ll actually outline things on the floor to see how they’ll fit. Get your tape measure, get your painter’s tape and just tape the floor and see how it fits in the room. If you have dreams of a king bed, don’t buy the king bed without making sure it’s going to fit in your bedroom. And the same thing goes for a sofa. You don’t want a living room that just has a giant sofa and nothing else in it.

[00:06:10]
Amanda Greene: Jami is great at helping us decide how to make our first place nice and we’re going to come back to her, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves first. We have to get there. Moving is notoriously stressful. Packing up and transporting everything you own in a short period of time is not easy, but it can and is done all the time by Rob Shetler of Shetler Moving & Storage.

[00:06:38]
Rob Shetler: My family, we’ve been in the moving business for 125 years. We’re one of the founding agents of Atlas Van Lines, and I run our operation in Cincinnati, Ohio.

[00:06:48]
Amanda Greene: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve ever moved?

[00:06:52]
Rob Shetler: The needle on top of the Empire State Building. We moved all that up to New York.

[00:06:57]
Amanda Greene: Claim to fame.

[00:06:59]
Rob Shetler: I mean, it’s not just household goods. We move anything and everything.

[00:07:03]
Amanda Greene: I feel like this is next-level adulting, the act of moving without bribing your friends with pizza to help you. Like, actually hiring a company to help you do it. But regardless, moving is stressful. And if you hire a company, how do you choose who to go with?

[00:07:19]
Rob Shetler: Well, if they’re worried about choosing a mover, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is a good place for a person to start to make sure that the company they’re talking to is a licensed company. They have a Department of Transportation number, they actually have an address. One of the things that Van Lines fights all the time are rogue movers. Small moving companies can be licensed properly insured, and they do a fantastic job. It’s the guys that are out there that don’t have a license, don’t have DOT numbers, just fly-by-night companies.

[00:07:48]
Amanda Greene: What’s the worst thing that could happen?

[00:07:52]
Rob Shetler: Worst case scenario, they never see their household goods again. It’s always good to get three estimates. If you get three estimates and they’re all fairly close, then all of a sudden one of them’s half the price, it’s something to reconsider there I think.

[00:08:04]
Amanda Greene: Something to keep in mind is that what movers will cost you has a lot to do with weight. And there are other factors like is there elevator access or stair access? Can a large truck park outside your house or is it limited access? And a small truck has to shuttle your stuff out of the neighborhood. Then there is distance and the cost of gas. All in, Rob says a small one bedroom move could be as little as about a thousand dollars, but an entire house could cost easily $15, 000 to move. So decluttering is important and economical, but don’t wait to do it until the last minute. I remember the last time that I moved, I actually watched videos to get an idea of the better way to pack our stuff because I’m wrapping things in towels and I mean, it was just kind of crazy. Do you find that people underestimate how much stuff they have or how much time they should give themselves?

[00:09:01]
Rob Shetler: We run into it on a daily basis where customers say they’re going to pack themselves and the driver gets out there and half the house is not packed up. They get to a point where they’re just overwhelmed and they’re exhausted and then we have to come in and finish the packing. Packing takes time. For a moving company to pack, we’re a lot faster at it, so we’re going into a closet or anything. We’re packing everything up into wardrobe boxes, whatever it may be. If a customer’s packing themselves, they’re slowly going through and everything, which I think is a good idea to pare things down, but it takes a lot longer for them to pack than it does for us to pack.

[00:09:33]
Amanda Greene: There’s more emotion attached to the stuff.

[00:09:35]
Rob Shetler: Absolutely. It’ll start reminiscing and they say, “Oh, look at this.” So it happens almost every move.

[00:09:41]
Amanda Greene: Talking packing, are there any items that you would suggest someone take themselves and move personally, even if they’re using a moving company? Any specific items that you might say you might want to hang onto that and move that yourself?

[00:09:54]
Rob Shetler: Yeah. We give customers a moving checklist that helps them prepare for the move, but also lists out things that we want them to take. We want customers to take documents they need to get their hands onto: birth certificates, passports, insurance, stocks. They’re heading to the closing of a house. They need to have all their closing documents. If it’s inside the truck, it’s not going to be an easy thing to find. Medicines, jewelry, money, high-value items like that we want them to take. If they have small children and there’s a blanket or toy or whatever, they better set that aside. So we always direct people to set certain things aside, designate a closet or portion of the house where they can put everything that they’re going to take with them in the car or on flight, and then that’s off limits to us, and then we come in and pack everything else up.

[00:10:38]
Amanda Greene: We found books were the biggest pain point during the moving process. Do you have any hot tips on how to move books, how to store them? They’re so heavy.

[00:10:49]
Rob Shetler: Well, we don’t want books packed in a box any larger than a one and a half cubic foot box or in an office, you see the box for paper.

[00:10:57]
Amanda Greene: Yeah.

[00:10:58]
Rob Shetler: We don’t want books in a box any larger than that because to your point, they’re heavy. You put them in a box, that’s too heavy. It takes two people to carry a box and the box can’t hold that kind of weight. People get connected to their books and they don’t want to get rid of them. And I understand that. At the same time, when we move somebody, on an interstate move, it’s all based on weight. So if you have a lot of books, your weight jumps up considerably.

[00:11:18]
Amanda Greene: Ooh, that’s a really good tip. You might save money by taking your books yourself or paring down the books before you even begin packing. That’s a really good tip. I’m so glad that you’re here and I can ask you this question because it’s something that’s come up a number of times for myself, for friends. Gratuities and tipping. Let’s say you had an amazing experience and you’re feeling really grateful for the service you had provided, and the movers are there and they’re getting ready to leave. Are we tipping? Is it a certain amount?

[00:11:46]
Rob Shetler: It is not unusual for our drivers and our crews to get tips. $ 50, $ 20, $100. It just depends on the size and distance. Some of our customers, they buy them lunch every day. They’re in their homes for two to three days packing and loading, and then they get to destinations. So they spend several days with the crew, so they almost become friends with them. And I would say anywhere from $20 to $100 generally per person.

[00:12:11]
Amanda Greene: So if you want to leave a tip, that’s a great guideline. Thanks so much for the information, Rob. Okay. We need to pack books in small boxes. Get organized well before you need to because it’s going to take you longer than you think. And always use a reputable company. All great advice.

So let’s just say your old place is packed up and empty. Everything is on its way. How do you prep your new home? Let’s check back in with Jami. What are some things that you should buy before you move in and maybe some other things that you should wait to buy until you’re more settled in and you are more familiar with your space?

[00:12:50]
Jami Supsic: I think a great thing to buy before you move in are rugs because you don’t want all of your furniture to come in and then have to move it all out and put the rug down. And I know that maybe rugs sound fancy, but there’s so many great affordable options out there. They really make a space cozy. They really hide ugly floors and they block noise and help with your downstairs neighbors from complaining if you’re coming home at 1:00 a.m. in heels or having friends over. So that’s definitely something to think about.

[00:13:20]
Amanda Greene: Okay, so a lot of apartments, as we mentioned, especially your first apartment, can be on the smaller side. Mine was a studio apartment in New York and it was tiny, literally one room. I mean, truly a true studio.

[00:13:34]
Jami Supsic: There’s lots of hacks you can do to maximize smaller apartments. I think sofas with single cushions are much more practical than sofas with multiple cushions because you can pile more people on there or if you have an overnight guest, it’s much more comfortable for someone to sleep on a sofa that just has one cushion versus multiple. So look, you have an instant guest room right there. If you can’t fit a dining table, I suggest maximizing your coffee table, kind of getting the largest one that you can that will make sense in there. Getting something that you can have your dinner on every night, have game night, have friends over. I think beds with under storage are awesome, ones that come with drawers, those hold so much stuff. And then even just getting storage bins for under your bed. But if you can get a bed that has under storage, those are amazing in studio spaces or smaller spaces.

[00:14:25]
Amanda Greene: Let’s talk color palettes because I want to say over maybe the last five years or so, gray has been everywhere and people are starting to want to incorporate more color back into their homes to reflect their personal style, their preferences. How do you decide on a color palette?

[00:14:42]
Jami Supsic: Gray was everywhere. Gray and stark white were really the thing for a long time. People are embracing warmer tones like brown and beige again. I never thought we would see beige paint on walls, but a lot of paint brands have pre-existing palettes, so they’ll have multiple options if you go to a paint store and they’ll have five different curated palettes where you with five different colors that you could use throughout your space. Most of these paint companies have these amazing apps where you can upload an image of your room and then try out different colors, or you could say, “Oh, I have a blue rug and a yellow lamp.” And then they’ll suggest other colors that would go with that. So those resources are amazing. I highly suggest using them. And then when it comes to painting, if this is a rental, you do want to check with your landlord to make sure if that’s okay, and you’re probably going to have to paint it back when you leave.

[00:15:35]
Amanda Greene: What’s another essential interior design consideration that you think every space needs?

[00:15:42]
Jami Supsic: I think every space needs a mirror. You want a really big mirror if you can. You need great lighting. You can’t only rely on overhead lighting. You need lamps, especially in your bedroom, at least one lamp in the living room. It’s just cozier and nicer and you need good light bulbs. Under no circumstance should anybody ever buy cool white light bulbs.

[00:16:04]
Amanda Greene: Okay.

[00:16:05]
Jami Supsic: They’re so harsh and they’re not going to make you look better. They’re not going to make this space look better. Always when you’re buying light bulbs, look for the ones that are the warm or soft in the description or amber.

[00:16:15]
Amanda Greene: Okay, so you feel strongly about a warm light?

[00:16:19]
Jami Supsic: Yes. And then I think, yeah, just personalize your space. Add some cute throw pillows. If you love plants, have some plants in there.

[00:16:27]
Amanda Greene: Furnishing a new apartment can be very expensive. So do you have any tips on how people can save money on things like furniture?

[00:16:35]
Jami Supsic: Yeah, I think that there are so many used furniture sites now. Even in my first apartment, back in the day I was finding things online. Buying from your neighbors or from estate sales or yard sales is really a great option. So I suggest scouring these marketplace sites that have secondhand furniture. And don’t be afraid to bargain. Don’t be afraid to ask the origin, ask questions, but that’s a great option. And one tip I will say that I’ve noticed is if you buy something that is a name brand and then say years later you go to sell, it holds its value. It’s going to go more quickly on these resale sites. What I do is I screenshot everything I buy so that later if I have to sell it, I can say, “Look, here this is from this website. I spent $ 800 on it and now I’m selling it to you for five.”

[00:17:27]
Amanda Greene: What about in the kitchen? There’s really not a ton you can do in the kitchen. Do you have any ideas about how to make the kitchen feel a little bit more like you?

[00:17:34]
Jami Supsic: Well, I think there is actually a ton you can do in the kitchen. There’s actually amazing peel and stick floor tiles. I mean, they’re unbelievably good and beautiful, and you can replace a bad linoleum floor with something patterned and colorful. There’s also peel and stick backsplash tile. I know that sounds crazy, but it really does look good and it really is practical and wipeable. I just bought these round wood knobs. They were less than $2 each. I painted them a color and I put them on my cabinets and it’s really fun. And then certain things like a kitchen runner, like a 2 x 6 rug can disguise a floor, or little potted herbs, colorful canisters. The overhead lighting in your kitchen may be really bad.

[00:18:16]
Amanda Greene: Your job sounds like a lot of fun. Thank you so much, Jami. This has been really good.

[00:18:20]
Jami Supsic: Thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

[00:18:24]
Amanda Greene: Hey.

[00:18:25]
Friend: Hey.

[00:18:26]
Amanda Greene: Guess whose turn it is to be the contestant today, my former roommate?

[00:18:30]
Friend: Oh, no. Okay.

[00:18:33]
Amanda Greene: Okay. So number one, which season is considered moving season?

[00:18:39]
Friend: A part of me wants to say the fall because there are so many students moving, but I think I’m going to go with summer.

[00:18:46]
Amanda Greene: That was good thinking and smart. And it is summer, it’s peak season, and if you move over the summer, you need to keep in mind that moving companies might have higher prices, limited availability and much less flexibility probably for the exact reason you noted, which was school starting.

Number two, according to Steinway Moving & Storage, how many times does the average American move in their life?

[00:19:09]
Friend: Ooh, I could be way off, but I’m going to say eight times.

[00:19:15]
Amanda Greene: That sounds like what I would’ve guessed also, but it’s almost 12 – 11.7 times in their life. Between the ages of 18 and 45, the average American will move five or six times, and then once you reach the age of 45, you’re likely to move only two or three more times.

[00:19:32]
Friend: I’m tired just thinking about that.

[00:19:34]
Amanda Greene: How many moves are you up to?

[00:19:35]
Friend: Five, I guess.

[00:19:37]
Amanda Greene: So you’re pretty average.

[00:19:38]
Friend: Nice.

[00:19:40]
Amanda Greene: In that way only.

[00:19:42]
Friend: Thank you. Thank you.

[00:19:44]
Amanda Greene: Okay, number three. What do you think the top three reasons for moving are?

[00:19:47]
Friend: Ooh. Anytime there’s a big life change so like new job or maybe if your parents and your kids move somewhere and you want to be closer to them, or a breakup, any kind of big life adjustment.

[00:20:01]
Amanda Greene: The top reasons are a new job, a better neighborhood, a change in family size. And another fun fact, moving is considered one of the top three stressful things a person can do. I agree.

[00:20:15]
Friend: Yeah, I would too.

[00:20:16]
Amanda Greene: And how many bedrooms are you allowed to create yourself in a rental using plywood and nails? Trick question.

[00:20:25]
Friend: : I don’t know. I’m going to go out on a limb and say, it’s a big fat zero.

[00:20:31]
Amanda Greene: Right. None. Don’t do that. No one’s going to be happy about that.

[00:20:35]
Friend: Thankfully, we never did that. We did some crazy stuff, but we never put up plywood.

[00:20:39]
Amanda Greene: I did sleep in my car once. There’s so much you can do to make your first place feel like a home, and it doesn’t have to break the bank or get you in trouble with the landlord. Start by figuring out what you like. Feel free to borrow other interior designers’ ideas. You don’t need everything on day one. Slowly build while you collect things you love, including secondhand furniture found online and in estate sales. And the most important tip of all, measure, measure, measure. Good luck watching your TV show from your gorgeous new couch that is jammed in the stairwell outside of your apartment.

You’ve been listening to Merging into Life where we navigate life’s milestones one episode at a time. Brought to you by AAA Northeast with assistance from Jar Audio. I’m your host, Amanda Greene. If you’re learning as much as I am, follow us wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think. Email us at podcast@aaanortheast.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA, and or its affiliates.

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RESOURCES

AAA Renters Insurance

AAA Home and Condo Insurance

First-Time Homebuyers Guide

Your Guide to Renters Insurance Coverage

Top Tips for a Stress-Free Move

How to Pack a Moving Truck

Shetler Moving & Storage

HGTV Magazine

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

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Want to Learn More? Drop Us a Note

*The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA and/or its affiliates.

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IN THIS EPISODE

Getting the garbage out on time for pickup, staying on top of the dishes, exercising regularly … these are all small but mighty everyday accomplishments. However, few small tasks are as satisfying or as impactful as creating a budget that actually works.

So, what is the easiest way to start a budget?

In this episode, Ashley Bove, workplace financial consultant with Fidelity Investments, shares simple and straightforward budgeting 101 pointers for beginners. Listen for tips on how to allocate for living expenses, save, build an emergency fund, repay debt and stop living paycheck to paycheck, while still having money leftover each month for yourself.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:47] – Ashley Bove’s key to budgeting: the 50/15/5 rule
[10:32] – How to start the budgeting process
[11:44] – How to balance paying off debt while saving up

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WATCH ON YOUTUBE

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00]
Amanda Greene: Hey, what should we have for dinner tonight?

[00:00:05]
Amanda’s Daughter: Hibachi.

[00:00:06]
Amanda Greene: Oh, that does sound really good. But I meant, what should we make for dinner tonight? We should probably eat at home.

[00:00:12]
Amanda’s Daughter: But it’s so good. And then you won’t have to cook.

[00:00:15]
Amanda Greene: Oh, that’s true. And today has been a really long day. Wait. No, we just went grocery shopping. We need to cook dinner at home tonight. Should we do tacos or pasta?

READ MORE

[00:00:24]
Amanda’s Daughter: My favorite: tacos.

[00:00:26]
Amanda Greene: Okay, tacos it is. Let’s go make them together. You almost had me there for a minute.

[00:00:31]
Amanda’s Daughter: Tacos.

[00:00:33]
Amanda Greene: Welcome to Merging Into Life, where we navigate life’s milestones one episode at a time. Brought to you by AAA Northeast. I’m your host, Amanda Greene. Today we’re going to talk about budgeting. Getting the garbage out on time, staying on top of the dishes, exercising regularly. When I manage to do these things, I feel like I’m winning at life. But I would argue that none of them compare to the glorious satisfaction of staying on top of my money. Having a realistic budget and sticking to it feels amazing. It can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. So to make things easy, I’m talking to Ashley Bove. She’s got simple, straightforward ways of tracking what’s coming in, what’s going out and how to get it all under control.

Ashley is a workplace financial consultant with Fidelity Investments. She’s worked with tons of people to wade through the financial and emotional difficulties of making and not breaking the budget. I want to note that the following conversation contains great guidelines and best practices when it comes to budgeting, but does not constitute financial advice. Thanks for being here, Ashley. Let’s take it from the top. What are the key components of a good budget?

[00:01:47]
Ashley Bove: So, we’re going to go back to elementary school with buckets and blocks and start at the beginning. You want to have a bucket for each expense in your life, and we can categorize them. It’s so funny because ‘budget’ is such a scary word. But once we sit down [with clients] and go through it and really look at it, 45 minutes later, they leave and you can just see the relief. So, the way that I recommend to my clients to budget is a 50/15/5 rule.

You look at your take-home pay and you want to make sure that your essential expenses – your housing, your food, your car, everything that’s essential to your life – is less than 50% of your take home pay. So there’s your 50 bucket. Then, 15% should be going into retirement, and that is including an employer match; the goal is to have at least 15% to try to reach a year being contributed to your retirement accounts, whether that’s through a workplace plan or an account on the side. And then 5% should always go to emergency savings with three to six months living expenses. If you’ve already reached that three to six months emergency savings, just a general savings.

[00:03:07]
Amanda Greene: So that’s 50%, 15% and 5%, and that leaves us with 30% to do what with?

[00:03:13]
Ashley Bove: To do whatever you need to do. That is your spending money. If you want to take 10% and put it away so you can have a girls’ night out or have a night out, that’s for you. If you want to put that towards a vacation fund, that’s for you. If you have debt and it’s more than your monthly minimums. Your monthly minimums would be included in your essential expenses because that’s part of your bills, but any money over those minimums, that’s part of that extra 30.

[00:03:41]
Amanda Greene: And you’re saying every dollar should have a job, but I feel like I get lost in the area of miscellaneous. I live in an area of miscellaneous. So tell me more.

[00:03:53]
Ashley Bove: Yes.

[00:03:53]
Amanda Greene: Do you have money assigned as miscellaneous?

[00:03:56]
Ashley Bove: Yep. So that is completely on an individual level. What are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing? What makes life exciting for you? Every dollar does have a job, but you have to make sure that you’re enjoying your time. You work hard. Yes, retirement is important, paying off debt is important, but if you don’t give yourself a little bit of leniency to have fun and to enjoy what you’re passionate about, you’re never going to be able to stay on budget because it’s going to get to a point where you’re so exasperated and so stressed that you don’t have an outlet to be able to bridge that gap. You need that. That is where that 30% comes in. So, if you dedicate a portion of that to debt, you dedicate a portion of that to a vacation fund, or maybe gifting is something that you enjoy doing, it brings you joy. And that is another area. There you go. That’s where that miscellaneous comes in.

[00:04:56]
Amanda Greene: If you’ve never had a budget before, how do you get started?

[00:05:01]
Ashley Bove: The first step to any of this and what I recommend to everyone– and I hear the sigh of, oh gosh, whenever I say this – pull your bank statements, pull your credit card statements. Everywhere you have spent in the last 90 days, you have to pull. You look at every expense, and this is the worst part. I know you are not alone if this is intimidating and scary, but you cannot move on if you don’t do this step. So pull your 90 days of statements from anywhere that you’ve spent and you have to literally categorize every single thing that you spent on. So you went to the grocery store X amount of times, you spent this much each time in three months. This was the balance for that. You went to dinner and you went out to dinner X amount of times. This is how much you spent. That was the balance for that.

And once you have that, you’ll see exactly where your money is going. You’ll see what’s important to you at that point because it really puts it out there for you. And that’s where you now start to break it down. Okay, I spent $600 on going out in three months at restaurants. Clearly that’s something important. I’m going to budget $200 a month towards going out. And there you go, now you have that bucket. Whether you take that money and you put it into a separate checking account, whether you take it out and leave it on you as cash or whether you put it in envelopes – it’s completely up to you – whatever is going to have the biggest effect on you and the most lasting impact that you will actually follow through with it.

[00:06:27]
Amanda Greene: Sticking with it seems like a difficult part. Do you have any advice about sticking with it?

[00:06:32]
Ashley Bove: It’s hard. Nothing about this is easy, but in the long run it’s so beneficial. And for your mental health alone, to feel like you have it under control and to feel secure, it’s worth it. So my advice as far as sticking with it is having the self-control to make sure you do, to know that at the end of the month you can breathe a sigh of relief. And if you are in a place where you hate that feeling of, I don’t know where my money’s going, I am stressed. Can I afford this? What if this happens? Just having that cushion and knowing that mentally you’ll be in an okay space if you do this, is worth everything. And that motivation after the first month or two should be enough to really push that budget to stick.

[00:07:22]
Amanda Greene: I don’t know if this is too specific, but you know certain expenses are coming every single month. You have your rent or your mortgage, you have your car insurance, maybe a car payment, your cell phone, groceries, you know which ones are coming every single month. But what about the ones that are, I don’t even want to say unexpected, but those too. What about when your child wants to play a sport that’s maybe a seasonal thing? How do you file those into the budget when it’s not a regular monthly occurrence?

[00:07:50]
Ashley Bove: That’s where you would look at where you’re currently budgeting and take away from a different bucket that is on that miscellaneous side, reduce expenses on the essential side, if possible. Or, if you’ve already had your savings account with that three to six months living expenses, maybe take a little bit away from that. It’s just to afford that short-term loss. So it’s not something that you want ongoing. If it’s an ongoing unexpected expense, like your child is starting to become a star gymnast and you need to pay for a gymnastics program for the next 18 years, that’s different. That’s an ongoing expense. That would now go into your essential expenses category. And you have to tweak where your money is going in other places to make up for it.

[00:08:32]
Amanda Greene: It doesn’t matter if you’re making a little or a lot or somewhere in between, you should know where your money’s going.

[00:08:37]
Ashley Bove: Absolutely. And your spending is always relative to what you’re making. So someone who’s making $50,000 a year versus someone who’s making $200,000 a year, their budget is going to be very similar, they’ll just have larger amounts and higher bills in the $250,000 category as opposed to the $50, 000. But everyone needs housing, everyone needs insurance. These are standard bills that everyone has.

[00:09:02]
Amanda Greene: : So your tips for creating a budgeting routine that’s really realistic enough to stick to really depends on preference. Some people are going to like sitting down with a spreadsheet, others might want to stuff envelopes.

[00:09:16]
Ashley Bove: I am a digital person. I like to open my banking app and say, ‘Okay, I have X amount of dollars in this category. I have X amount of dollars for this.’ So I am kind of bank based. So every two weeks when I get my paycheck, it goes into my checking account and then I have it automatically put a set amount into the other accounts based on what my budget is for those. That’s my way. It’s kind of like a cash stuffing, just not physical. So it’s more digital.

[00:09:45]
Amanda Greene: Are there any methods that you see work really well for someone who’s just getting started, maybe opposed to someone who’s really mastered this already?

[00:09:52]
Ashley Bove: Keep it simple. That’s what I would say about budgeting for beginners. You don’t need 17 different categories of budgeting to be able to master it. It’s only 30% that you really are doing yourself, everything else is fixed. That 50, 15 and 5, that’s a fixed amount. So you want to keep it simple. We don’t need a category for nails, and then a category for hair and then a category for going out. It all goes under personal spending. As your bills become higher and as your priorities change, those categories will change. So you want to keep it general so that you don’t get overwhelmed and that it isn’t too much.

[00:10:32]
Amanda Greene: Where do people get stuck in the beginning?

[00:10:35]
Ashley Bove: ‘I don’t make enough.’ That’s what I hear. ‘I don’t make enough for my lifestyle and everything’s expensive.’ And it’s 100% true and I sympathize with that, I understand that. But you will be so surprised that when you actually go through everything, and I hate this, it sounds so cliche, but getting that $5 coffee – yes, it’s fine if it’s budgeted for – but when you’re doing a $5 coffee four or five times a week, you’re at over $ 100 a month, that’s a bill. That’s a bill.

But there are a lot of people that come back and just say, ‘You know what? Life is short. I work hard. I want my coffee.’ And to that, I say, absolutely, you deserve that coffee. You have 30% of your take home budget that you can find an amount to dedicate to that coffee. But that’s it. You want to make sure that at the end of the month you didn’t spend your entire budget on coffee and now you’re stressed out because you didn’t get to go out to dinner with friends or you didn’t get to buy a gift that you wanted to. So it’s really your priorities.

[00:11:35]
Amanda Greene: Truly. That’s something we’ve started saying in our house: We can’t do it all. So where are the priorities?

[00:11:41]
Ashley Bove: Exactly.

[00:11:45]
Amanda Greene: In your opinion, what’s more important? Paying off debt or saving money?

[00:11:49]
Ashley Bove: Paying off debt. You always want to pay your minimums. But the hierarchy of saving is what we call it, or the hierarchy of budgeting, is to make sure you have that three to six months living expenses saved. That is priority. Once your three to six months living expenses is saved, you want to then put as much as you can towards retirement because that’s in the market, it’s growing. Once you’ve hit that ceiling where you’re doing at least the employer match, if you want to then pay off debt, you can. Anything that has over a 6% interest rate is going to be your priority, which right now is pretty much everything. So the interest rate on debt right now is extremely high. Anything over 6% is a priority. That’s what you want to pay down. So to answer your question, yes, paying off debt is important, but it’s equally important to make sure that you are in a space where God forbid something happens tomorrow, you can afford it.

[00:12:43]
Amanda Greene: Ashley, when is the best time to start budgeting and saving? And don’t say when you were younger.

[00:12:50]
Ashley Bove: Yesterday.

[00:12:52]
Amanda Greene: Yesterday. What do you see to people who feel like they’re too late to this party?

[00:12:57]
Ashley Bove: Oh, it’s never too late. It’s never too late. Let’s get started today.

[00:13:01]
Amanda Greene: Can you give an example of the difference it would make to start investing earlier, maybe a 30-year-old who’s listening to this right now, versus someone who does start later though?

[00:13:11]
Ashley Bove: The biggest thing is compounding. But the more you save and the better position you put yourself in, the more you will end up having at the end. So if you think about it, if you invest $100 today and you are young, you’re 30 years old, you have a lot of time before you need that $100, that $100 will grow. Even at 5% per year, it’ll continuously grow. And because you had 30 years of that balance continuously growing at 5% per year, at the end, you’re going to end up with – I’ll just throw a number out there – say $500,000. Now, if you start later, say you are pre-retirement, you’re close to retirement or you’re close to needing that money and you put in $100. If you only have five years for it to continue to grow, you might be at a couple thousand dollars. So the number gets bigger every single month, every quarter, every year. And that interest continues to build, your money starts to work for you. The longer you have, the better. But there is no better time than today to start that process.

[00:14:14]
Amanda Greene: And I imagine seeing it grow is also very fulfilling and exciting, almost as exciting as maybe buying $100 pair of shoes that you really wanted. But knowing that you’re going to be set up later in life could maybe give you that same thrill if you’re watching it grow, right?

[00:14:28]
Ashley Bove: Yes, absolutely. And it’s so funny, I have a teenager, so I have a 14 year old who had her first job last summer babysitting. And she was so upset with me, we opened up a Roth IRA and I said, ‘You’re earning money, we’re going to put a little bit away. Not all of it, just a little.’

[00:14:45]
Amanda Greene: ‘Mom.’

[00:14:46]
Ashley Bove: Oh, she was so mad. And it’s funny, so that was last summer and she forgot about it. And we didn’t put much in there, I think it was $100, nothing crazy. And this summer, she’s starting her job and I pulled up the account and I said, ‘Okay, what are we budgeting to put in there each paycheck?’ And the account said it was up to $137 or something. It had grown. And she was like, ‘Wait, I thought it was only $100.’ And I was like, ‘No, it’s grown, Rosalie. That’s what’s exciting about it.’ And she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can afford the backpack I want.’ I was like, ‘No, you can’t.’

[00:15:21]
Amanda Greene: ‘I’m leaving it in there.’

[00:15:21]
Ashley Bove: It’s going to grow. Even just that little amount, seeing that difference and starting young, it made an impact.

[00:15:31]
Amanda Greene: She’s lucky to have you showing her the ropes to start young because it’s easy to be excited about your paycheck and want to just spend it all. But for her to actually have seen it grow year over year, that’s thrilling.

[00:15:43]
Ashley Bove: My biggest piece of advice if you are looking to sit down with an advisor is find someone you connect with. So it is not a one fits all rule. It is not a one fits all personality. Getting into this business, people are like, ‘Oh, you deal with numbers, how intimidating, and math.’ And I always say, this is a people business. I am in this not because I love to see a positive bank balance at the end of the month for clients – which obviously I do – but I love to see, and what internally fulfills me, is seeing someone come in nervous, of course, and then leaving the appointment.

And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been hugged, I’ve been given thank you cards because it’s just the weight of that stress and having that plan being put into place and just having that camaraderie, having someone that has your back in a lot of ways and wants what’s best for you and is in a judgment free zone. This is not a numbers position, this is a people position. And at the end of the day, that’s all it is, that’s what sitting with a financial planner is, it’s someone who wants you to maximize your dollars for the best of you.

[00:16:53]
Amanda Greene: And not everyone has been given the tools to know how to do that.

[00:16:56]
Ashley Bove: Exactly. My biggest piece of advice along with that is to look at it, whether it’s quarterly, whether it’s semi-annually or whether it’s annually, stay on top of your plan. And if you need to make adjustments, make adjustments, but always have a plan in place.

[00:17:10]
Amanda Greene: I love the way you radiate positivity about the budget. This is really nice and I feel like I have homework to go and do. Thank you so much for coming on today and sharing all of your knowledge in this area. It is very helpful and I feel like I need to go make a spreadsheet now.

[00:17:26]
Ashley Bove: I love it. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. It was a complete joy.

[00:17:34]
Amanda Greene: This has been so helpful. First things first, take a good look at what you spend. Pull up your accounts from the last three months and see where your money went. Half of it should be going to necessities, 15% should go towards saving for your future and 5% goes toward an emergency fund. If you have debt, prioritize paying off the bills with the highest interest rates. And like most things, it’s easy to let it stress you out, and it will if you don’t do something about it. So give it a try. Sit down and take a look at where your money goes. Knowing is half the battle and it will be such a relief. Ashley says, ‘The time to start is yesterday.’ And I wish I knew all of this when I was younger. So why wait? Dolly, come here. Can you answer a few questions for me?

[00:18:19]
Dolly: Hello.

[00:18:20]
Amanda Greene: Are you ready, my girlie?

[00:18:22]
Amanda’s Daughter: No.

[00:18:22]
Amanda Greene: If you make money at your lemonade stand, should you spend it all on candy?

[00:18:27]
Amanda’s Daughter: No, I would save it.

[00:18:29]
Amanda Greene: All of it?

[00:18:30]
Amanda’s Daughter: Yeah.

[00:18:31[
Amanda Greene: Let’s start with 15%. We can put it aside for you and you’ll still have some money to spend now. What about if you want candy, should you borrow money to buy it or save up and buy it with money we have?

[00:18:44]
Amanda’s Daughter: Save up.

[00:18:48]
Amanda Greene: Yes, I agree. It’s way more fun to earn the money first anyway. If you do happen to borrow money from your sister, when should you pay it back?

[00:18:56]
Amanda’s Daughter: July.

[00:18:58]
Amanda Greene: Why in July? It’s best to pay it back as soon as you can because paying off your debt is important. When do you think the best time to start saving is, now or later?

[00:19:09]
Amanda’s Daughter: Never. Now.

[00:19:11]
Amanda Greene: Now is correct. What’s the best way to keep track of how much money you have?

[00:19:18]
Amanda’s Daughter: Keep it in your bank and don’t use it.

[00:19:21]
Amanda Greene: Sounds good to me anyway, as long as you’re paying attention to what you have. Is it more affordable to make dinner at home or eat at a restaurant?

[00:19:29]
Amanda’s Daughter: Make dinner at home.

[00:19:30]
Amanda Greene: It is much more affordable to eat at home, and that’s why we’re having tacos here tonight. But you do have a birthday coming up, so why don’t I put aside some money for us to go get hibachi on your birthday?

[00:19:43]
Amanda’s Daughter: Yes, I can’t wait. Thanks, mom.

[00:19:47]
Amanda Greene: You’ve been listening to Merging Into Life, where we navigate life’s milestones one episode at a time. Brought to you by AAA Northeast with assistance from JAR Audio. I’m your host, Amanda Greene. If you’re learning as much as I am, follow us wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review, we’d love to know what you think. Email us at podcast@aaanortheast.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA and/ or its affiliates.

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*The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA and/or its affiliates.

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IN THIS EPISODE

Usually, when we hear about people driving impaired it’s because of drugs or alcohol. But did you know that getting behind the wheel when you’re tired is just as dangerous? Drowsy driving is impaired driving, and we often don‘t even know we‘re doing it.

In this episode, Jennifer Pearce will talk about how she lost her sister, Nicole, in a crash caused by a driver falling asleep. Now a victim’s advocate for traffic safety, Pearce discusses the risks of pushing ourselves to drive when we are tired.

You’ll also hear from Alec Slatky, AAA Northeast’s managing director of public and government affairs, about how AAA is working to better understand and prevent drowsy driving.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

[3:24] – Jennifer Pearce talks about the dangers of drowsy driving and losing her sister
[10:51] – How does lack of sleep affect driving? We explore how drowsy driving compares to driving while impaired
[13:33] – The dangers of distracted driving

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00]
Amanda Greene: Just a heads-up before listening. This episode concerns the dangers of drowsy driving, including loss of life and can get emotional. It’s a serious but important subject. In fact, I remember a time when I got a call from my husband a few years ago. My husband was driving home late at night from a meeting that was two hours away. He had stopped for gas, and I remember feeling like he was way too tired to continue driving on. He knew he was tired, I knew he was tired, but he just wanted to get home. And after talking for a few minutes, I came to the conclusion that he was just too drowsy to keep driving. So I said, “Go get a hotel, stay the night, come home tomorrow.” And he resisted for a minute because he wanted to sleep in his own bed, the cost of a hotel. But once he agreed, I could hear the relief in his voice. He got a room, he got home safe. And I’m so glad that we made that decision because all too often we as drivers don’t even think to make that call.

Welcome to Merging Into Life where we navigate life’s milestones one episode at a time. Brought to you by AAA Northeast. I’m your host, Amanda Green. Today we’re going to talk about the dangers of drowsy driving and how to make sure we never do it. We’ll speak to one of AAA Northeast safe driving experts, Alec Slatky, about how to be alert and stay safe on the road. But first, Jennifer Pearce. She knows firsthand how devastating the effects of drowsy driving can be. Her younger sister, Nicole, died in 2008 when the driver of the car she was in fell asleep at the wheel and crashed.

Jennifer has been a victim advocate for traffic safety ever since because we know not to drive drunk or impaired. Speeding is dangerous and so is driving while distracted, but just as dangerous though less talked about, is drowsy driving. So, Jennifer is going to share her story with us and it’s heartbreaking. But Jennifer does this work to help other families avert disaster through education and awareness because as you’ll hear, one of the biggest problems with drowsy driving is that we often don’t even know we’re doing it.

Hi, Jennifer. Thank you so much for joining us today.

READ MORE

[00:02:24]
Jennifer Pearce: Thank you for having me.

[00:02:25]
Amanda Greene: Could you tell us a little bit about your sister and what she was like?

[00:02:30]
Jennifer Pearce: She was brilliant. She was smart, straight A student, very well liked, very empathetic. She was an athlete. She was interested in her church and community service. She was just really a great human being and she was very loved, not only by me, but she has a lot of friends that are still very tight today that honor her on a regular basis still. Whatever they’re doing, she’s always still present with them. And I think because of who she was in life, her death is more impactful in some ways. This is horrible to say, but she’s kind of a great poster child for traffic safety because she did everything right usually. She was even president of Students Against Drunk Driving in high school, so she was around the ideas of destructive decisions, and still something like this could happen. And I think that that’s important for people to know: that you don’t have to be out there doing the wrong things on a regular basis for you to find yourself in a situation one day. It only takes one time, one day to lose your life.

[00:03:35]
Amanda Greene: Can you tell us about the day that the tragic accident or crash happened?

[00:03:41]
Jennifer Pearce: Yeah. Well, first of all, let me start with addressing why people in traffic safety don’t want to call it an accident. They want to call it a crash, and the reason is because it’s very preventable, right? Accidents imply that there was nothing you could do to prevent your circumstances. In the case of drowsy driving, there’s absolutely things that the driver can do to make sure that they’re not involved in that kind of crash. So, that’s the first thing. And then as far as Nicole’s last 24 hours, she had gone to a party. I think all the other students that were in the car were also at that party. They had stayed up sort of late the night before. I think they were dancing, listening to music or whatever. And then they had all decided they were going to go skiing the next day and they drove from Virginia Tech to Snowshoe early in the morning.

I think they were all pretty decent skiers, so they were skiing Black Diamond runs, which is physically exerting. They had gone and eaten and then got back in the car. Because they had all stayed up late they had all fallen asleep in the car. And then the driver did as well. He drove off the side of the road hitting a tree impacting Nicole’s side of the car. All four boys had significant injuries and were hospitalized, but Nicole was the only one who succumbed to her injuries. And my family, we were all in different places, so we all were driving from different areas of the Northeast towards this hospital, and we were getting updates somewhat regularly. About 20 minutes outside of the hospital, we got a call that she didn’t make it. And so none of my family members got to say goodbye.

[00:05:33]
Amanda Greene: Jen, I am so sorry for your loss. So over time, you took your pain from this awful tragedy and turned it into a message to help others. How did you find the courage to do that?

[00:05:47]
Jennifer Pearce: My mom was sort of the driver in this. She wanted other people to know that this was a thing. We, almost right away, within a few months, started giving out coffee and pamphlets about the dangers of drowsy driving on rest stops on 95 as a family and as her friends. We would take over these rest stops a couple of times a year and just stop drivers and tell them all about the drowsy driving issues on the road. We would get a lot of truck drivers. We’d get a lot of people. We’re from Maryland, so there were a lot of people traveling the East Coast Corridor on 95 and a lot of snowbirds coming back and forth, but when we were out at the truck stops or the rest stops, we were anecdotally finding out that the numbers were significant.

Everyone knew of someone that was impacted or they themselves had fallen asleep. I think that is what drove us to talk about it more because it wasn’t being talked about. Even if we just saved one life, that was one family that didn’t have to go through what we went through, and we knew how significant that could be to that one family.

[00:07:02]
Amanda Greene: We hear about a lot of other different kinds of impairments, but do you think people don’t think of drowsy driving in the same way?

[00:07:08]
Jennifer Pearce: Yeah, there’s a lot of reasons around that. I think one, there’s a psychology around sleep. Somehow we’ve sort of made it cool to power through without sleep. It’s not something people talk about. It’s not only a public safety issue, but also a public health issue. There’s studies out that say that they’re working towards all kinds of cures for diseases, and there’s all kinds of talk about health and food and water, but sleep, which is a necessity for life, is not really talked about. And if anything, when it is, it’s sort of cool to not sleep or to stay up and binge-watch your favorite show and then go to work or push as many things in your life as possible. I call it busy shaming. We shame people to be busier and busier, and that’s sort of the accolades you get in life. That’s a problem, right? That people have empty tanks when it comes to sleep.

But then when it comes to driving, either people are completely unaware that drowsy driving is deadly and that the numbers are significant. Or they have this mentality that even if they know they’re tired, that they have superhuman strengths around sleep because they do it all the time in other areas of their life. So it’s an issue. Most people I talk to have no idea how much of an issue it is on the road.

[00:08:29]
Amanda Greene: What would you like listeners to take away from your story?

[00:08:33]
Jennifer Pearce: I think sometimes people are willing to risk their own life and they think they’re invincible. But when you put yourself in that scenario and if something should happen to you, it is life altering for everyone that loves you. We are fundamentally different, every single person in my family for generations, right? I have nieces and nephews that are too young to remember Nicole, that are affected to this day. We have friends of hers that are affected to this day because of her crash. My parents will never be the same. My siblings and I will never be the same. It’s life altering. And I hope that if you’re willing to put yourself at risk, that you would think twice about doing that to somebody else in your family, your loved ones. And I hope if they take anything away from this podcast that the next time they get in the car or behind the wheel, they think about that. And that again, covers all traffic safety issues. It’s not just drowsy, distracted, drunk, prescription drugs. All those things can have the same impact on a family.

[00:09:43]
Amanda Greene: Thank you so much for coming on and sharing Nicole’s story and remembering her and honoring her in this way and raising awareness in this way because it is an important message that everyone needs to receive.

[00:09:57]
Jennifer Pearce: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Thank you for spreading the word.

AAA Defensive Driving Courses

[00:10:03]
Amanda Greene: Jennifer’s heartbreaking story is just one example of what’s at stake when it comes to road safety. Now let’s look at the scope of the problem.

[00:10:14]
Alec Slatky: I’m Alec Slatky. I work here at AAA Northeast in our public affairs department. I’ve been here 10 years trying every day to do what we can to make the road a safer place.

[00:10:25]
Amanda Greene: One of those things is studies around traffic safety. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety did a study on drowsy driving. It found that people are not a good judge of how tired they really are. When drivers rated their level of drowsiness as low, most of them, a full 75% were in fact moderately or severely drowsy. In the study, how were you able to determine how tired the participants actually were?

[00:10:54]
Alec Slatky: There were two measures of drowsiness. One was subjective, just how drowsy people said they were on a nine point scale. The other was objective that looked at how often was a driver’s eyes closed in a certain period. And a lot of the times when people said they weren’t very drowsy, that objective measure found, no, you’re pretty drowsy. Your eyes are closed more often than we would like when you need to be looking at the road.

[00:11:21]
Amanda Greene: Wow, that’s really fascinating and I feel like this is something that isn’t really talked about a lot. There’s a lot of conversation and advocacy surrounding drunk driving, even distracted driving, but drowsy driving is just not something that you hear about. Why do you think that this isn’t discussed with the same level of seriousness or as often?

[00:11:43]
Alec Slatky: I think there are a few reasons. I think the first is that the crash statistics don’t accurately reflect how prevalent drowsy driving is. So if you look at the police reports on crashes, they’re going to say about one to two percent of crashes are related to drowsy driving, which makes sense. If you’re drowsy and you get in a crash, you’re probably going to have some adrenaline pumping, and you’re probably not going to tell an officer, “Hey, I was falling asleep before the crash.” You might not even realize you were falling asleep before the crash. But we’ve done studies that look at in- camera video and other crash reports that are very, very thoroughly investigated and found that drowsy driving is way more prevalent than statistics would lead us to believe. In fact, about one in six fatal crashes is related to drowsy driving. That’s way, way more than the estimates we have from crash reports.

[00:12:38]
Amanda Greene: Do your findings say that it is a similar level of impairment as distracted driving, drunk driving?

[00:12:44]
Alec Slatky: It is a similar level of danger to drunk driving because if you get the recommended, say, seven to eight to nine hours of sleep a night, I mean, that’s great. If you get a little bit less, your crash risk is elevated. And then if you get significantly less, the risk goes way up. So if you get four to five hours of sleep in a night, your crash risk is about four times what it would be if you got the recommended seven plus hours, that’s like a drunk driving risk. And then if you sleep less than four hours in a night, it’s about 11 times the crash risk, so that’s an even more impaired drunk driver. I think it’s very important to set an example for your family, for your friends, that it’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to take a nap.

I can remember a time when I was up on a college visit. We had left Friday night, my dad and I, we drove five hours up, probably got to a hotel at 1:00 a.m. We went on the college tour the next morning, and then we were heading down. And after an hour or so, my dad said, “I’m pulling over and taking a nap.” So then he switched over. I got the keys. I was driving for maybe a half hour, and I said, “I’m tired. I’m pulling over.” And we both napped in the parking lot of a rest area for probably a couple hours, and then we got home safe. And I think that was a good example for him to send to me that you don’t need to push through it, you can pull over. You can keep yourself safe. And that’s a lesson that clearly I remember to this day, and I think it’s something that’s worth sharing with friends and family as well.

[00:14:20]
Amanda Greene: So I think a common thing to do is grab a coffee or something with caffeine for a little boost. What’s your take on that?

[00:14:27]
Alec Slatky: The evidence shows that caffeine gives a small boost, but it’s not going to cure the reality that you are drowsy. And all the other tricks, having the windows down, blasting the AC, chewing gum, blasting the radio, none of those things have any evidence that they work in any substantial way. Maybe the benefit is for 20, 30 seconds, but after that you’re back to square one.

[00:14:53]
Amanda Greene: So the only thing that really works is pulling over to a safe location and taking a little nap?

[00:14:59]
Alec Slatky: Naps are golden. I think people should make sure they’re in a safe place, absolutely. But if you take a half hour nap, an hour nap, there’s every reason to believe that you’ll wake up and you’ll be refreshed. Ideally, you get enough sleep that you don’t need the nap, but if you do need one, it’s really the only thing that’s going to seriously help you.

[00:15:21]
Amanda Greene: Other than drowsy driving, what are some other driving habits that are very dangerous?

[00:15:26]
Alec Slatky: Obviously, impaired driving is bad. People know distracted driving is bad. But what they might not realize about distracted driving is that it’s not just when you’re driving. Our foundation did some research and found that if you say look at a phone while you’re at a red light, you’re checking a text, you think you’re being safe by doing it while you’re at a red light and stopped, your reaction time is actually impaired for up to 27 seconds after that distraction ends. So even though you might put the phone down, the light turns green a couple seconds later, and then you speed off, your mind is not necessarily fully recovered from the act of looking at the text.

[00:16:06]
Amanda Greene: So, if I’m at a stoplight and I check my text messages – which I think I would’ve considered that safe – I’m still distracted even after I put it down and the light has turned green because what, I’m lost in thought about it or determining how to respond?

[00:16:19]
Alec Slatky: Exactly. And one of the clearest measures of distraction is reaction time. And the study found pretty clearly that the reaction time penalty for being distracted, it didn’t end when the distraction ended. So your mind is still going to be on something related to that text, even if you’re not consciously thinking of it necessarily, your brain still might not be back to what we would hope is normal driving mode.

[00:16:46]
Amanda Greene: Okay, focus on the road and make sure you get enough sleep. That sounds easy enough.

[00:16:50]
Alec Slatky: It’s easy to make substantial changes in your habits that let you drive more safely. And I probably did that when I started working at AAA because it was my job to go through the newspapers every morning to see what articles were out there about transportation and traffic safety. And every day, here’s an article on page 27, three paragraphs, driver critically injured. Page 10, driver killed in a crash. Page 12, pedestrian killed in a crash. Unfortunately, it’s so common that it’s not front page news, but it kills so many people and injures so many people across this country that we’ve got to make at least whatever changes you can make as a driver.

[00:17:36]
Amanda Greene: How often should you take breaks during a long road trip?

[00:17:40]
Alec Slatky: We recommend every two hours or a hundred miles or so, but really whenever you need to, in addition to that, is very appropriate.

[00:17:48]
Amanda Greene: During which hours of the day are drowsy driving crashes most likely to occur?

[00:17:53]
Alec Slatky: Late night and overnight are the times when drowsy driving is most common.

[00:17:58]
Amanda Greene: True or false, teenagers experience more peer pressure and are therefore more likely to drive drowsy.

[00:18:05]
Alec Slatky: Teenagers are more likely to drive drowsy, but I feel like everyone experiences peer pressure and we want to make sure nobody is on the road while they’re falling asleep.

[00:18:16]
Amanda Greene: Can you name one activity that people might not consider distracted driving, but would still definitely cause distraction?

[00:18:24]
Alec Slatky: Talking on a hands-free cell phone is something that might not take your eyes off the road, it might not take your hands off the wheel, but it certainly will take your mind off the task of driving.

[00:18:35]
Amanda Greene: Speaking of, what’s the safest way to handle a phone call while driving?

[00:18:39]
Alec Slatky: To not. Send it to voicemail. Have that alert on if you get a text that says, “Hey, I’m driving and I’ll get to your message when I’m at my destination.” If you can pull over to a parking lot, that’s great. If not, wait until you get to wherever you’re going because that’s how crashes occur when you take your eyes off the road and hands off the wheel.

[00:19:00]
Amanda Greene: Thank you, Alec, for joining us today and sharing all kinds of road safety tips to help us have better safe driving practices. And thank you to Jennifer Pearce for coming on and sharing her story. So the thing to remember, even if you aren’t driving is to get enough sleep. If you are getting behind the wheel and you have any of these symptoms – having trouble keeping your eyes open, you’re catching yourself drifting from your lane or all of a sudden you realize you don’t remember driving the last few miles – do the right thing and pull over. You’ve been listening to Merging Into Life where we navigate life’s milestones, one episode at a time. Brought to you by AAA Northeast, with assistance from JAR Audio. I’m your host, Amanda Green. If you’re learning as much as I am, follow us wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think. Email us at podcast@AAAnortheast.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA and, or its affiliates.

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RESOURCES

AAA Defensive Driving Courses

How to Avoid Drowsy Driving on a Road Trip

Bad Driving Habits and How to Fix Them

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: Study on Drowsing Driving

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Want to Learn More? Drop Us a Note

*The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA and/or its affiliates.

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IN THIS EPISODE

If “catfishing” and “pig butchering” sound like life on a farm — listen up! These days any one of us could be reeled in or led to slaughter when it comes to identity theft, particularly online. So, what is identity theft? It’s a serious and widespread threat where criminals aim to steal your savings and your identity, often through cleverly named online schemes. These are some of the common identity theft scams to avoid.

In this episode, we explore the critical topic of identity theft protection. We talk to Robert Siciliano, CEO of cyber security training company Protect Now, and Mike Breummer, vice president of consumer protection for Experian. They reveal the modern tactics thieves use and provide expert advice on how to prevent identity theft and protect your personal information online, so you don’t take the bait.

AAA members get exclusive access to identity theft protections services with ProtectMyID by Experian. Learn more.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

[5:27] – How can I protect myself from identity theft?
[12:58] – Are young people at risk?
[14:09] – How to protect your personal information online
[19:37] – Tips for good password hygiene

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00]
Amanda Greene: So the other day I saw the cutest pair of shoes online. I clicked the ad and ordered right away because they were so cheap. And then as soon as I completed the transaction, I felt instant dread. Why was it so cheap? Was it too good to be true? As I’m running through everything in my head, wondering if I just got scammed, my phone rings. It’s the bank. Or at least he says he’s the bank.

[00:00:26]
Scammer: Hi, this is the bank. Is this Amanda Green?

[00:00:28]
Amanda Greene: Yeah.

[00:00:29]
Scammer: We’re going to need you to answer a few questions to confirm your identity. What’s your address?

[00:00:33]
Amanda Greene: I’m not comfortable giving that information out over the phone.

[00:00:37]
Scammer: Well, I need to confirm that you’re really Amanda Green.

[00:00:39]
Amanda Greene: How do I even know you’re really my bank?

[00:00:41]
Scammer: Ma’am, it’s the bank’s policy to confirm our client’s identity with just a few questions.

[00:00:45]
Amanda Greene: But you called me. You have to understand I need to know that you are actually who you say you are.

[00:00:52]
Scammer: How about just your PIN number?

READ MORE

[00:00:56]
Amanda Greene: Welcome to Merging Into Life, where we navigate life’s milestones one episode at a time. Brought to you by AAA Northeast. I’m your host, Amanda Green. Today we’re going to talk about protecting your identity. We live in a complicated digital world. Data breaches, scams, identity theft. I try to be careful. We all do, but scammers are always developing new and better ways to trick us out of information and money. It takes constant vigilance and skepticism to always be on the lookout for someone, somewhere trying to get something from you that you don’t want to give.

So today we’ve got two guests here to tell you everything you need to know about protecting yourself online from identity theft to scams. We’ll hear from Robert Siciliano, CEO of Protect Now, but first, Mike Bruemmer, Vice President of Consumer Protection for Experian. Mike works with clients who have suffered data breaches and consumers who have fallen prey to online scams. What are some of the more common types of scams that you think people should look out for?

[00:02:04]
Mike Bruemmer: Sure, I’ve got a laundry list. So, romance scams. They’re big anytime of the year, but there’s something beyond a romance scam called pig butchering scam that’s happening right now. Now it sounds a lot worse than it is, but basically you would fatten up a hog before you’d take it to slaughter. It’s the same thing that’s done with the lead in a romantic relationship to get someone to invest. It’s generally cryptocurrency, it might be other assets. And then they get you to transfer those assets to someplace where they can control them and you’ve fallen for it because you think you’re following love, not following fraud.

[00:02:44]
Amanda Greene: So catfishing has now turned into pig butchering?

[00:02:48]
Mike Bruemmer: Yes, it’s another name. And who comes up with these? I don’t know, but that’s the one because of cryptocurrency in particular, it’s making a big headline. You let down your guard when you get in a romantic relationship. But just like having one too many drinks at the bar, your inhibitions go out of the way and you make some decisions that may not be good for financial health, let alone other things.

[00:03:12]
Amanda Greene: And it seems like these scams just come across very believable.

[00:03:16]
Mike Bruemmer: Yes. And then a couple more. Event scams, tickets that are 50% below the market.

[00:03:24]
Amanda Greene: Too good to be true.

[00:03:25]
Mike Bruemmer: Too good to be true. Just to round it out – this is a year- round thing with all the natural disasters that are happening – there are what we call charity scams. So you’ve had a forest fire, you’ve had a hurricane, you’ve had a power outage, and people are in need. They’ll send you a link to donate, even using different language and alphabets to spoof that site, then you’ve clicked on the link and it’s too late at that point because it may already be downloading malware in your system.

And then finally, when you talk about any type of retail, the scams that are involved, you should never use a debit card. You should always have a throwaway, low value credit card that you can use that limits your exposure if you’re shopping online.

[00:04:08]
Amanda Greene: I think everyone wants to believe or think that they would never fall for something like that, and yet it still happens all the time. Who do you think is most vulnerable of falling for a scam?

[00:04:21]
Mike Bruemmer: We’ve seen the most vulnerable classes of folks are young people under the age of 30 because they don’t understand cybersecurity and they have big social media footprints. They’re not aware of some of the cyber hygiene and they’re very trusting. At the same time, the senior citizen class, because they are not as confident with their devices, they also are trusting and they also don’t maybe have the faculties there. But I think what’s important is that even in the middle, everybody – because we’re human – can make a mistake. A determined hacker is going to figure out what your weakness is.

Let’s say you’re into model airplanes or you’re into cars or you’re looking for romance. They will do the work individually to find your weak spot. And so the center of it, we also say that 90% of all the data breaches occur not because of software, not because of hardware, not because the hackers are so smart. It’s because humans are vulnerable and they make mistakes.

[00:05:27]
Amanda Greene: What can people do to recognize these scams as they’re happening and protect themselves from scammers?

[00:05:34]
Mike Bruemmer: Don’t answer unknown numbers. If you hear that space at the beginning of the sentence, it’s generally an auto- dialer.

[00:05:40]
Amanda Greene: So we really shouldn’t be answering inbound calls that we don’t recognize.

[00:05:45]
Mike Bruemmer: Same thing with text. I don’t respond to text unless I’m expecting that text from the person. Because if someone gets into your active directory on your phone and steals any of your contact information, they can go ahead and pose as a good friend of mine sending me an email: ‘Hey, I happen to be in town. I’d like to go ahead and get a seats for the basketball game. Will you Venmo me $ 500 and I’ll buy them for us?’

[00:06:10]
Amanda Greene: I didn’t know someone could log in and get your contact information. Didn’t realize that was even a possibility.

[00:06:16]
Mike Bruemmer: That’s why you should always lock your phone. There was a scam that went around a local airport recently where there were people on the other side, they’d already gone through screening, they were waiting for you, but they were watching for you to have an unlocked phone. So you were on a phone call going up security and how some of us do say, ‘hold on, let me put the phone in the bin and I’ll pick up the call on the other side.’ So ,the phone is unlocked. The person on the other side creates a diversion, gets your phone, takes it off into the bathroom around the corner and within a couple of minutes they can download everything on your open phone. Then they come back to security, you’ve gone through and you go, ‘Oh my gosh, where’s my phone?’ And all of a sudden the phone appears at the end of the line, and you think, ‘Oh hey, I got my phone back.’ You don’t report it, you don’t say you lost it to your company if it was a company phone. And then all of a sudden you have identity theft occurring because someone’s downloaded all your contacts, particularly with personal identity information.

[00:07:14]
Amanda Greene: Wowie, how else can we protect ourselves?

[00:07:18]
Mike Bruemmer: I would say that things that most people don’t do that are really simple and easy and they’re in most cases free. One, make sure that you have a password manager and there’s two reasons for that. One, it’ll store all your passwords without remembering one thing except a master password. Second thing is it will auto- generate complex and long passwords so that you can have them securely on the site.

[00:07:43]
Amanda Greene: All right, what else are we doing to protect ourselves?

[00:07:45]
Mike Bruemmer: Well, the other thing that I think is very available and people don’t think about it is having multi- factor authentication on your account. So banks, insurance companies, anything associated with your financial history. This is a username and a password, but then they’ll put on there that they have to call your phone or they have to text you to authenticate you to a third piece of equipment so that your identity can’t be just spoofed if somebody gets your username and password.

[00:08:18]
Amanda Greene: What is your opinion on using face ID to unlock information on your phone to open up apps like your banking app? Does that open you up to additional risk or is that safe to use?

[00:08:30]
Mike Bruemmer: I think anything with biometrics, whether it’s a retinal scan, a face ID, a fingerprint or a voice print, is much harder to spoof than a password that’s been out there. And in many cases, unfortunately, a lot of people reuse their passwords. That’s another reason why you have a password manager so you don’t reuse that. Biometrics in general, let alone face ID, are a good thing.

[00:08:54]
Amanda Greene: Mike will be back with more. But right now I’d like to get into another online risk, identity theft. Here to guide the way is Robert Siciliano.

[00:09:03]
Robert Siciliano: I am CEO of my company, ProtectNowLLC. com. We provide security awareness training, so I speak on how to avoid and remove yourself from dangerous situations in the virtual world.

[00:09:17]
Amanda Greene: Let’s start here. What is identity theft?

[00:09:21]
Robert Siciliano: Identity theft is when somebody takes your personal identifying information, which generally includes, first and foremost, your name, your social security number, and then your date of birth, and in some cases your physical address. And they use that information to open up new lines of credit, get a loan for a home, a car, a boat, a utility, and so forth.

When they use your PII, personal identifying information, including your social, that is pure identity theft and that can lead to bad credit because when the bad guys open up new lines of credit under your name, they’re not going to pay the bill, they’re going to max you out and they wreak havoc.

[00:10:02]
Amanda Greene: How big of a problem is this?

[00:10:04]
Robert Siciliano: Well, certain studies show that there are billions and billions of our records exposed. And what that means is your name, your address, your phone number, your social security number, your email address, and in many cases your passcodes are out there on the dark web being bought and sold, traded and being used to access existing lines of credit or opening new lines of credit.

They may not have got to you yet, meaning they may not have used your social security number yet to open up new lines of credit. They may not have used your usernames and passcodes to access your accounts, but it’s just a matter of time until they do.

[00:10:41]
Amanda Greene: Do you have any real stories of how someone was affected long- term consequences of identity theft?

[00:10:49]
Robert Siciliano: Oh, man. I get calls and emails from victims of various crimes weekly, and it’s heartbreaking. For example, years back I was involved in a construction project in my own property. There was this one particular job revolving around installing concrete on the property, and there was this one kid that was on the job. I was like, “So what are you doing here, man? How’d you get involved in concrete?” He’s like, “Yeah, I’m really not supposed to be here.” I go, “Well, what does that really mean?” He’s like, “Well, I applied for college out of high school. I was an honor roll student and I just couldn’t get in because I couldn’t get any loans.

Somebody stole my identity and I didn’t know about it. And when I applied for loans to get into college, I was denied. I’m doing this job until I get that straightened out.” So here’s a kid just starting off in the world. His identity’s stolen and he’s in a job that he’s not good at. He doesn’t want to be in. His future is already stunted because he can’t go to college to pursue his dreams because his identity’s stolen. He can’t get the loans to go to school. It happens all the time simply because people don’t know what their options are ahead of time.

[00:12:00]
Amanda Greene: I guess I’m surprised to hear that an 18- year-old could already have their life sidetracked because of identity theft. How did that happen so young?

[00:12:08]
Robert Siciliano: So we live in a society, in a culture, in a system where we identify people based on their social security number. And so when you apply for a loan, when you apply for credit, the very first thing they ask for is your social security number. And that is used to access and check your credit. Now, the US government and the IRS has required that parents provide the social security number of their baby in order to claim that child on their taxes for refunds and rebates and so forth.

So, what that means is babies can have credit because we use the social security number as the primary identifier. The very first application for credit that’s signed up for a child at the age of one and the identity thief lies and says that they are 19 opposed to one. The credit bureau is taking it at face value and establish credit on that baby’s identity, and that’s likely what happened to this kid and it can happen to anybody.

[00:13:18]
Amanda Greene: Zooming out a little, can you speak about why having your identity stolen in a modern society is so devastating?

[00:13:26]
Robert Siciliano: We are a credit-driven society, plain and simple. If you have a credit anything less than 500, you are considered irresponsible and you’re just not going to get along in a credit-driven society. So if you are not doing what’s necessary right now to reduce the risk of identity theft, to mitigate identity theft now and something bad happens in the future, you in your twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, or even sixties for that matter, who have been paying your bills all along are now all of a sudden looked at as being irresponsible and you have to do something today proactively to reduce that risk.

[00:14:05]
Amanda Greene: What do you suggest people do to avoid this happening to them?

[00:14:10]
Robert Siciliano: As far as your identity is concerned, the way you make the social security number relatively useless to the thief is by engaging in either or both identity theft protection services, which are certainly an option. A paid service that you pay for monthly or annually where it monitors your credit, it monitors new applications that are being filed in real time using your social security number to determine if you are credit- worthy. And that identity theft protection, that credit monitoring lets you know in real time whether or not somebody’s out there using your personal identifying information to apply for credit and you can react and respond in real time to say, ‘No, that wasn’t me,’ or ‘Yeah, that is me actually, I’m applying for an American Express card.’ It’s fine, it’s all good. Go for it.

Credit monitoring by itself, which often can be procured for free, lets you know generally after the fact that your credit has been accessed and a line of credit has been opened, that’s a little late to the game. Cat out of the bag, horse out of the barn so to speak. But really the best thing that consumers could engage in or should engage in is credit freezes. Today you can apply for credit freeze online or over the phone through the three major credit bureaus, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax and essentially lock down or freeze your credit in such a way where going forward you have an access to all three credit bureaus. You have an account at each one, username and passcode, and you can go in anytime and temporarily thaw your credit. So for example, if I’m going to get a new credit card, if I’m going to refinance my house, I’ve got to go to my credit freezes to each of the three credit bureaus and temporarily thaw my credit so that that lender can check my credit and over the course of a week, give them that little window to check my credit over the course of five to seven days, and then it automatically refreezes after a period of time. So between credit monitoring, identity theft protection and credit freezes, all three. You have full control of whether or not somebody can open up new lines of credit under your name with or without your authorization.

[00:16:29]
Amanda Greene: So a credit freeze means no one, including yourself, can take out new lines of credit, but you can thaw your credit when you need to. Does this affect your credit score like a applying for a credit card would?

[00:16:42]
Robert Siciliano: No, not at all. So a credit freeze does one thing and one thing only. It provides you the opportunity, the ability, the resources to freeze and then unfreeze and then refreeze, then unfreeze your credit, and that is all it does. That is the only effect it has is really whether your credit’s frozen or not.

[00:17:04]
Amanda Greene: You have given us a lot of information to go and take and apply, and I would hate to find out what happens if you don’t follow all of these steps because this is some real scary stuff and all of the work to undo it sounds more complicated than the work to try and avoid it.

[00:17:22]
Robert Siciliano: Agreed. This is Adulting 101. This is stuff that you should be doing at 18 years old and following through for the rest of your lives. It’s not complicated, it’s not difficult, it’s easy. It’s like baking a cake. You may have never baked a cake before, but once you pull up a good recipe and get the right ingredients, you follow the instructions. Bang, you got a cake.

[00:17:45]
Amanda Greene: I’m going to add some of those ingredients to my shopping list. So get a trusted password manager, use multifactor authentication when offered, don’t click on unsolicited links and don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t know. It’s a good idea to use a low- limit credit card for online shopping. And above all, assume your information will be stolen. With so many data breaches happening, make your information as useless as possible, freeze your credit and use identity protection services. The ProtectMyID Essential plan is free with your AAA membership. Here’s Mike.

[00:18:20]
Mike Bruemmer: Well, with AAA, they have a firm belief in safety, security and peace of mind. And we have our ProtectMyID product that’s actually both free as well as paid- for versions of that. And identity theft protection is a great thing, not only to monitor your accounts, not only to have insurance to cover any funds lost or paid back for time spent on doing it, but the secret sauce with identity theft protection is you have access to a dedicated fraud resolution agent and they can solve any issues. They can answer any questions, and you have the peace of mind. So it’s a great thing.

It also has ability to monitor your minors in your family as well as it gives you real- time alerts as monitoring your credit file. If something changes on your credit report, you’re going to get an alert and you don’t have to worry about it. Giving you the peace of mind you need.

[00:19:15]
Amanda Greene: Before we let Mike go, it’s time for a little rapid- fire quiz section. Here we go. What is the best action to take if you receive a suspicious link in a text message?

[00:19:26]
Mike Bruemmer: Don’t click on it.

[00:19:27]
Amanda Greene: What is one thing you should never share on social media?

[00:19:31]
Mike Bruemmer: Your social security number.

[00:19:32]
Amanda Greene: What is your number one tip for a strong password?

[00:19:37]
Mike Bruemmer: Make it a long phrase. Length trumps complexity every time, so make it as long as you possibly can.

[00:19:45]
Amanda Greene: And how often should you change your passwords?

[00:19:48]
Mike Bruemmer: I suggest changing your passwords at least twice a year.

[00:19:51]
Amanda Greene: And what’s something you should look out for when you’re downloading a new app?

[00:19:56]
Mike Bruemmer: Don’t download any apps from an email. Go to the app store and make sure that that app has been rated. It’s certified and download only from a reputable store.

[00:20:09]
Amanda Greene: Last one. Has anyone in your circle ever fallen for a scam? And what kind was it?

[00:20:16]
Mike Bruemmer: Whether it has been family or friends, I think I’ve had probably two or three dozen people fall prey to scams that I have known and have come to me. Romance scams. Travel scams. They downloaded some malware onto their computer that was key logging software so that the hacker on the other side could see all your keystrokes. And this was years ago. But then they figured out they could act as the person because they knew what kind of typing convention that they had and who they were sending stuff to. And this person actually copied information to be able to have a wire transfer done out of their brokerage account because of key logging software.

So I’ve seen quite a few, and unfortunately everybody’s susceptible. Even with really good hygiene, you might be better protected than the person that doesn’t do the things that I’ve talked about on the podcast, but everybody, because we’re humans, you’ll make a mistake once in a while.

[00:21:13]
Amanda Greene: Thanks so much to my guests, Mike Bruemmer, Vice President of Consumer Protection, and before that, Robert Siciliano from ProtectNowLLC.com. You’ve been listening to Merging Into Life where we navigate life’s milestones one episode at a time. Brought to you by AAA Northeast with assistance from JAR Audio. I’m your host, Amanda Greene. If you’re learning as much as I am, follow us wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think. Email us at podcast@AAANortheast.com.

Whose number is this? ‘Greetings, Amanda. It’s been quite a while. Want to go to a game this weekend maybe? I will buy tickets if you send money now.’

And a link that looks very sus. Not falling for that one.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA and/or its affiliates.

---

RESOURCES

Experian ID Theft Protection for AAA Members

Identity Theft Scams to Keep an Eye On

Tips for Understanding Your Credit Report

Pig Butchering Scams Are on the Rise

Protect Now

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Want to Learn More? Drop Us a Note

*The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA and/or its affiliates.

---

IN THIS EPISODE

Seeing the world (or exploring another state) with family and friends is amazing, but traveling solo is a freedom unlike any other. You get to do exactly what you want, when you want.

Is it weird to travel alone? Not at all. In fact, there are many benefits of traveling by yourself. It’s an opportunity for self-discovery and building confidence, pushing you out of your comfort zone and into new and exciting experiences.

In this episode, avid solo traveler Kim Rodrigues leads the way with her best tips for solo travelers, including how to stay safe when traveling alone. On the logistics side, Jillian Young of AAA Northeast’s Public Affairs team shares insight on the best times to travel and how to beat the crowds.

This is your essential guide to traveling solo.

---

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[6:32] – How to plan your solo trips
[9:49] – Tips and tricks for staying safe when traveling solo
[13:31] – The best times to travel by plane and by car

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:05]
Amanda Greene: Hey, welcome home.

[00:00:06]
Amanda’s Husband: Thanks. I have bad news. You’re not going to like this. Listen, I have to work this weekend. I cannot go away like we had planned.

[00:00:14]
Amanda Greene: Oh no. Are you serious?

[00:00:16]
Amanda’s Husband: Why don’t you go? I will take the kids. It’ll be okay.

[00:00:19]
Amanda Greene: I think I’d feel weird going alone, and with you and the kids at home.

[00:00:23]
Amanda’s Husband: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

READ MORE

[00:00:26]
Amanda Greene: I mean, I guess I could bring a book and catch up on sleep a little bit. You’re sure it’s okay if I go by myself?

[00:00:34]
Amanda’s Husband: Of course. We’ll be fine. Have a good time.

[00:00:41]
Amanda Greene: Welcome to Merging Into Life where we navigate life’s milestones one episode at a time, brought to you by AAA Northeast. I’m your host, Amanda Green. Today we’re going to talk about solo traveling.

Isn’t a change of scenery nice once in a while? Whether that means a once-in-a-lifetime voyage to a far-flung locale, or a quick trip to the next spot on the map, seeing new sights and meeting new people is one of life’s true joys. Traveling with family and friends can be wonderful, but similar to herding cats, it can also be a little frustrating. There’s something to be said for deciding to go and just going. Forget a consensus or comparing schedules, traveling alone means you can do what you want, when you want. Maybe that’s why more people are doing it. Searches on Pinterest for solo traveling increased by 145% in 2024.

We’re going to talk with Jillian Young about timing your trip to make it as smooth as possible. She’s a member of AAA Northeast’s public affairs team. But first, let’s talk to Kim Rodrigues. She’s an avid solo traveler who blogs about her adventures in hopes of inspiring others to take the leap and see the world on their own terms.

[00:01:57]
Kim Rodrigues: I started solo traveling, 10, 11, maybe, almost 12 years ago, and I did it because I was tired of waiting on other people to see the world. I had this long bucket list and all these places that I wanted to see, and I was tired of waiting on friends and family, so I just took the leap and did it myself.

[00:02:16]
Amanda Greene: I know what you mean about having to wait for other people when you’re trying to plan a trip with others. Two people are in, but they haven’t actually totally committed and everyone’s dragging their feet.

[00:02:25]
Kim Rodrigues: Yes, exactly. And I think I saw a meme somewhere once that was saying something like, ‘The travel group chat is all good until it’s time for payment,’ or something like that, and then everyone just drops off.

[00:02:37]
Amanda Greene: What was one of your favorite solo trips that you’ve done?

[00:02:41]
Kim Rodrigues: I once took a solo trip to Granada, which is in the south of Spain, and that was so much fun. I had so many things that I wanted to see and I spent a lot of time walking and just had a really good time just taking in the sun and all of the amazing attractions. So that was a good one.

[00:02:58]
Amanda Greene: Did you find yourself talking to the people around you more often than maybe you would’ve if you were traveling with friends?

[00:03:05]
Kim Rodrigues: Yes. I feel like that happens for me. I’m also an extrovert as well, which is surprising because I feel like sometimes a lot of people think that it’s more for introverts, but I’m an extrovert and I solo travel. And for me, it’s almost like I feel like I am more open when I’m traveling by myself because I am looking to connect with other people. So I do find myself, especially when I go to restaurants and when I do tours and things like that, I tend to just start chatting with the people around me. And then you have a friend.

[00:03:34]
Amanda Greene: Would you say that’s one of the things you love most about traveling by yourself?

[00:03:37]
Kim Rodrigues: That is one thing I really like. I feel like I get to connect with people that I otherwise wouldn’t. I also love that I can do what I want. I love the freedom of it because I think that sometimes, especially when you have a location and a destination that’s really high on your list and you have a lot of attractions that you want to see within that, it can be a little challenging when you’re traveling with friends or you’re traveling in a group because you have to compromise to some extent. When you’re traveling on your own, you get to see everything. You get to do everything at your pace, and you get to cram in as much as you want or take it easy. But I think that probably one of my favorite things is the freedom.

[00:04:18]
Amanda Greene: So you have named a lot of very positive things that glamorize solo traveling, but what are some of the challenges you might face traveling solo?

[00:04:29]
Kim Rodrigues: Yeah. I think for me, one thing that is a challenge that might be a little surprising is loneliness. I think that there are times that I have been lonely on a trip or I go to an incredible attraction or an amazing destination or viewpoint, and sometimes I think, “Oh man, this would be so nice if there was someone else here to share this experience with me.” Or maybe sometimes you’ll try to relay the message with friends, but it’s almost like looking at a photo and sometimes a photo doesn’t do it justice and you’re like, “You just had to be there.”

[00:05:03]
Amanda Greene: Absolutely.

[00:05:05]
Kim Rodrigues: So much more beautiful in person.

[00:05:06]
Amanda Greene: Do you keep a journal or anything?

[00:05:08]
Kim Rodrigues: I definitely have a travel journal. I take a lot of pictures and videos. I have so many pictures and videos that haven’t even seen the light of day. I’m also a big notes person, you know the little notes app in the phone, and I just take notes. I write whatever city, what date, and then I’ll jot down what I did, my favorite parts, things I didn’t like. So I just am constantly taking notes and sometimes I’ll go back and read journals or in the moment I’ll carry it with me and I’ll just sit and have a moment and reflect.

[00:05:42]
Amanda Greene: I imagine traveling solo, that feeling of wanting to share it with someone, journaling would be a nice way to channel all of that.

[00:05:48]
Kim Rodrigues: Exactly. I know that it happens to me where we’re so wrapped up in our day-to-day life, and we’re so wrapped up in the next trip and the next adventure that sometimes I take these really amazing trips and I forget elements of it, but then when I go back and read my journal. I’m like, ‘Oh, I forgot about that lookout point in Vancouver and the old man that I was talking to and the glass of wine that I had.’ It’s almost like you get to relive the experience and all the memories at the same time.

[00:06:15]
Amanda Greene: In a way that photos really don’t give you.

[00:06:18]
Kim Rodrigues: Yes, exactly.

[00:06:19]
Amanda Greene: Those little details.

[00:06:20]
Kim Rodrigues: Exactly. Yeah.

[00:06:22]
Amanda Greene: Sounds very glamorous, honestly.

[00:06:25]
Kim Rodrigues: It’s nice.

[00:06:28]
Amanda Greene: Let’s talk logistics. How do you like to plan your solo trips?

[00:06:32]
Kim Rodrigues: I’m very type A, so I like to have a lot of things planned out. I think one of the first things I take into consideration is safety. So I try to look at the things that are going to keep me safe. So, for example, I think about if I’m flying to a destination, how am I going to get from the airport to my hotel or to the city center? And then I think about how I’m going to stay in touch with family and friends. I like to use different apps and things like that. I like to share my location with certain people. I think about those things first. I try to plan those things out, and then after that I do an extensive deep dive on attractions for a solo female traveler and food, restaurants, things to do and see. And I will have all of those things mapped out, like a light itinerary. And then when I get to my destination, then I say, ‘Okay, I have this list and I can do all these things, but if I just want to walk around the city for four hours and soak it in, I can do that too.’

[00:07:28]
Amanda Greene: Okay. So you’re planning your solo travel. Do you stay in hotels or somewhere else?

[00:07:32]
Kim Rodrigues: I stay in hotels. I mean, I will switch it up depending on where I’m going. For example, if I have a really good friend in a destination, I might stay with them for a little while if they’re inviting me or sometimes I’ll do a vacation rental or something like that. But for the most part, I like to stay in hotels.

[00:07:51]
Amanda Greene: Do you have any hotel booking tips?

[00:07:53]
Kim Rodrigues: I would say book it as far in advance as you can because you can get really good deals and rates that way. Also, I find with hotels too, you never know until you ask. I have gotten a lot of things like free room upgrades, early check-in, free breakfast – all of these things simply because I asked. I didn’t do anything special, I just said, ‘Hey, can I check in early? I know it’s 11 o’clock and check-in is at three, but if my room is available, is it okay if I go ahead and check in?’ And a lot of the time they say yes. I have had a few no’s, but sometimes they’re like, ‘Yeah, sure, why not?’ AAA is actually a really great way for solo travelers to get deals and discounts on hotels and rental cars.

[00:08:36]
Amanda Greene: What about getting around a new place?

[00:08:39]
Kim Rodrigues: Look into public transportation, if it’s reliable and if people use it. In certain cities they have train maps and things that you can use to help you navigate. It depends because a city like London has really easy public transportation, but then where I’m from in Atlanta, it’s really hard to get around with our public transportation if you aren’t already familiar with it. And then you want to look into ride-share programs, if they have them, because there are some cities that ban them. How walkable is it as well? Is it safe to walk, especially as a solo female? And then sometimes I’ll also look into renting a car if it’s an option for you because I know sometimes they can be a little pricey, but that’s always a good option too because I think you have a lot more freedom when you have a car.

[00:09:23]
Amanda Greene: You have mentioned staying safe quite a few times and I want to dive a little deeper into that. What are some mistakes people might make that make them more vulnerable than they may realize?

[00:09:35]
Kim Rodrigues: I know there’s so many of us on social media and we love sharing our trips on Instagram and other platforms, but I would resist the urge to post in real time or geo-tag anything in real time. So, I would wait until you moved on to a new city or you’re back home and then you can start sharing because you just never know who’s watching. Another thing is sharing everything with friends and family. If I’m going on a trip, I will share my whole itinerary with them and I’ll say, ‘Okay, here’s the hotel I’m staying at. Here’s my flight, here are my flight numbers. This is what time I’m expected to be at the hotel. I’m doing this city for three days and then this city for another three days,’ so they have an idea of what I’m doing and I check in with them as well. So I will send them photos, I’ll send them text videos to be like, ‘Hey, look, I just did this today,’ and so I know they know that if they don’t hear from me, then they can look at my itinerary and see what’s going on. And another thing is don’t tell people that you’re traveling alone. I’m waiting for friends, I’m meeting my husband. I will make up all sorts of different things before I tell someone I’m traveling alone.

[00:10:45]
Amanda Greene: Do you have anything that you like to bring on trips to help make it safer?

[00:10:48]
Kim Rodrigues: I have a personal alarm that I always carry with me. I also like to carry crossbody bags, so things are close to my body when I’m traveling, especially in cities that have really high pickpockets. I also have a door stop that I like to use at the hotel that has an alarm on it. So if someone comes into my room, it’s immediately stopped by the door stopper and I can hear the alarm so I know what’s going on and it might scare them away. And I also try to be aware of my surroundings because there are a lot of cities where you’re walking down one street and it’s totally fine, you cross one street parallel and it’s a different world. So just try to be aware of your surroundings. Don’t walk with headphones in, stay alert because a lot of the times when people are looking to do harm, they’re looking for people that are vulnerable and they’re looking for people that are not paying attention, that are really distracted. So you want to get rid of distractions and make sure you’re staying focused, you’re aware. That’s a huge one.

[00:11:47]
Amanda Greene: How important is it to read reviews when you’re doing your research and you’re checking out the places you want to visit? How important is it to read all the reviews online?

[00:11:56]
Kim Rodrigues: I think the more research you do, the better prepared you’re going to be. So reading reviews is also a big part of it, even if it’s just reading reviews for hotels to figure out what area it’s in, reading reviews for different tours, reading reviews for restaurants. I mean, reviews can really give you an insight into what’s going on because they’re written by the people, so it’s a good indicator.

[00:12:19]
Amanda Greene: Researching the trip is half the fun. I find that’s where all the dreaming comes in and you get to decide what you really want to do. Kim’s coming back soon, but I want to bring Jillian Young in to talk about timing your trip. She’s with AAA and knows who’s going where, when. So let’s get the insider info on the best times to travel. Jillian, what kind of travel trends are we seeing right now?

[00:12:43]
Jillian Young: When you look at what has happened this summer, we’ve seen travel trends exceed the numbers we saw last year. So the anticipation is that we will see those numbers be higher this year-end, which means you’re going to have a lot of company if you’re traveling this fall for Thanksgiving or as we look to the end of the year for holiday, New Year’s, getaway travel.

[00:13:05]
Amanda Greene: What do all of the stats that you have at AAA tell us about when the best time to fly is?

[00:13:12]
Jillian Young: Great question. We actually analyzed some data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, and what we found was that morning flights, early morning specifically, are significantly less likely to be delayed or canceled than flights later in the day. Once something starts to get delayed, it impacts everything else later in the day. We actually looked at the busy summer travel season when we do see just so many flights between June, July and August in particular and at the 30 largest US airports, the percentage of on-time flights peaked during the 6:00 a.m. hour, and then it dropped every hour until 7:00 p.m., which had the worst percentage of on-time flight departures. So the numbers are right there for you. If you can get out in the morning, do it.

[00:14:01]
Amanda Greene: What about if you’re traveling by car? What are the stats saying about the best and worst time to hit the road if you’re driving?

[00:14:07]
Jillian Young: Yeah, so what you want to do when you’re taking a road trip is make sure that you’re not mixing with typical commute times. When we look at a lot of holidays, whether it’s a long weekend like a Memorial Day or a Labor Day or a Thanksgiving where that Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a notoriously tough traffic day, what you see is people who were doing their vacation drive or their holiday drive are mixed with people who are doing their regular commute, and that is when things start to get really congested on the roads. And so if you can, avoid those commute times, that’s really going to help you out. And looking at a travel forecast like ours, you’ll be able to see, ‘Oh, this is when the roads are going to be the worst time, and if I early in the morning or late at night or just before this peak window of travel is going to start.’ It’s just going to get you there hopefully a little bit faster and keep you out of some of that worst traffic.

[00:15:02]
Amanda Greene: Totally guilty of what you just described, because we drive that Wednesday before Thanksgiving to Rhode Island, we get stuck in Hartford at 5:30 p.m. and it’s like we don’t learn. We do it every single year.

[00:15:14]
Jillian Young: That is one of the toughest days. I mean, I remember when I was in college, that Wednesday afternoon, it’s like there aren’t any classes then and it’s just a mass exodus and we’re talking cars, but trains are also really, really packed that day as well. So I mean, that’s something also to consider when it comes to buying tickets in advance for any train or bus you might need for some peak travel times, but again, if you can go off- peak, it’s going to help you out.

[00:15:47]
Amanda Greene: So what can we do to help get ahead of any of those unplanned snags?

[00:15:53]
Jillian Young: Having a backup plan is really your best bet, knowing what some of those other options are. I like to have the app for not just the airline I’m flying, but for another airline that flies into that destination on my phone ready to go. If there’s a delay or cancellation, that’s going to be a really easy way to see what your other options are and rebook if you need to. And just knowing are there driving possibilities? Are there train possibilities? Just having some of those things in the back of your mind make it much less stressful to really start from square one if you do need to adjust your plans.

[00:16:29]
Amanda Greene: We’ve talked too about really getting to know the map of where you’re going to even know about public transportation and have those backup plans, maybe not planned, but a general idea of how might I get around if plan A doesn’t work out?

[00:16:43]
Jillian Young: 100%. Less about having a fully baked plan B and more just a general awareness of what your options are if you need to start crafting that other plan.

[00:16:53]
Amanda Greene: How about when it comes to solo travel? What are some of the pros and cons of being by yourself when things come up?

[00:17:00]
Jillian Young: One of the biggest advantages is that you can just be more flexible. You’re not relying on anyone else in terms of what time they might want to leave to get somewhere. It’s always tough when you are an early arriver to the airport and you’re traveling with someone who is a late arriver to the airport. That can make things tough if you need to adjust your plans. I was just talking about this with someone yesterday, actually. He was traveling with a group of eight people and their flight got canceled, and it’s not easy to make arrangements for a group of eight people when something like that happens. But I was traveling solo just a few weeks ago and my flight got delayed, and I immediately started looking at what are my other options? Are there other airports in my area that flights are still going into where I could snag just a single seat? And because it was just me, that was a really easy thing to start thinking about and to do it really quickly without even checking with anybody else, ‘Hey, does this sound good?’ I just started searching, and so that makes it a lot easier.

[00:18:01]
Amanda Greene: So true. Thanks, Jillian. This year could be one for the books as far as the number of travelers go. So keep in mind what Jillian said. The earlier in the day you fly, the less likely you are to have your flight delayed. Book your train and bus tickets as early as possible, especially if you’re traveling near a holiday and if you’re driving at a peak travel time, don’t leave your house just in time to get caught in rush hour traffic in another city like Hartford. Let’s bring Kim back for the final word on solo travel.

[00:18:36]
Kim Rodrigues: I think that what people may not recognize is that solo travel is for everyone. So you could be married, you could have kids, you can be single. It’s for everyone. There are just so many things in our daily life with work and responsibilities and family that sometimes it is nice to just have – even if it’s two days – to yourself to do whatever you want and just prioritize yourself. It’s so special. Just take the leap. I know it seems a lot scarier than it is. Just know that there’s so many hard things that we all do in life, and if you can do those hard things, you can solo travel. Just make sure you do your research and go have fun.

[00:19:11]
Amanda Greene: It really does sound special. Before we let you go, let’s do some rapid fire questions. Are you ready?

[00:19:19]
Kim Rodrigues: I am. These are fun. I’m ready.

[00:19:21]
Amanda Greene: Where are you going next?

[00:19:23]
Kim Rodrigues: I’m going to Dallas, Texas, in a couple of months. I also plan on going to Japan with my mom later this year, so that’s really exciting.

[00:19:32]
Amanda Greene: And special to do it with your mother.

[00:19:34]
Kim Rodrigues: Yeah, I do a lot of trips with my mom. She’s such an amazing travel partner.

[00:19:39]
Amanda Greene: Amazing. What is the most spontaneous trip you’ve ever gone on?

[00:19:43]
Kim Rodrigues: I would say the most spontaneous trip that I’ve ever gone on is to a tree house that I found on Instagram. I saw a couple of days open, I booked it and I just drove and stayed at this really beautiful tree house for a couple of days, just unplanned.

[00:19:57]
Amanda Greene: Actually, a house up in a tree, like you had to climb a ladder?

[00:20:00]
Kim Rodrigues: Yeah.

[00:20:01]
Amanda Greene: Stop it.

[00:20:01]
Kim Rodrigues: Yeah, it was amazing.

[00:20:03]
Amanda Greene: That sounds literally magical.

[00:20:04]
Kim Rodrigues: It was. It was. It was so nice.

[00:20:07]
Amanda Greene: Okay, so when you’re flying, are you checking a bag or trying to squish everything into a carry on?

[00:20:13]
Kim Rodrigues: I only check bags if I’m going to a place for a really long period of time, and I know I want to bring a lot of stuff back, but I am definitely team carry on. I try to squash everything into my bag as best as possible.

[00:20:26]
Amanda Greene: What is the craziest food you’ve ever tried while traveling?

[00:20:31]
Kim Rodrigues: Oh, I don’t know how crazy this one is, but I have tried alligator.

[00:20:35]
Amanda Greene: Yes.

[00:20:36]
Kim Rodrigues: In Florida. I don’t know.

[00:20:37]
Amanda Greene: Same. That might be the most adventurous thing I’ve tried too.

[00:20:40]
Kim Rodrigues: Yeah. I don’t know. Yeah, I’m like, I don’t know how out there that is, but it’s pretty good. I didn’t mind it.

[00:20:45]
Amanda Greene: You are so interesting, and I can imagine that your trips are really memorable and fulfilling and adventurous, and we appreciate you coming on and sharing your experiences with us.

[00:20:57]
Kim Rodrigues: Thank you so much.

[00:20:58]
Amanda Greene: Safe travels.

[00:20:59]
Kim Rodrigues: Thank you.

[00:21:04]
Amanda Greene: I don’t know about you, but I’m inspired. Kim has such great tips for traveling alone. Do lots of research, figure out where you want to go and when. Share your itinerary with friends and family, but save the social media posts for later. You only want the right people knowing exactly where you are. Stay alert, pay attention, keep your valuables safe and bring a personal alarm and a doorstop, but most importantly, have fun. There’s a whole world out there.

You’ve been listening to Merging Into Life where we navigate life’s milestones, one episode at a time, brought to you by AAA Northeast with assistance from JAR Audio. I’m your host, Amanda Greene. If you’re learning as much as I am, follow us wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think. Email us at podcast@AAAnortheast.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA and or its affiliates.

---

RESOURCES

AAA Travel

Cruising Solo? You’re Not Alone!

Dive Deeper on a Small Group Tour

Rent a Car

K-Rod Collective

---

Want to Learn More? Drop Us a Note

*The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA and/or its affiliates.

You are finally ready to buy a house and like most folks, you need a mortgage. Traditionally, big banks beckon, but increasingly people are seeking out mortgage brokers for more personal attention and expedited service.

Mortgage brokers work as intermediaries between homebuyers and lenders to find customers the best mortgage for them.

Find out how AAA can help you with your mortgage.

Mortgage Brokers vs. Banks

Consumer appetite for mortgage brokerage services has been growing and is anticipated to increase significantly in the coming years, according to a forecast by Allied Market Research.

The demand for mortgage products is highly dependent on the loan interest rates and housing market, according to Steven Vieira, AAA Northeast’s director of mortgage sales and operations. “Although both are severely depressed right now, it’s expected to turn around dramatically in the summer when the Federal Reserve begins to lower interest rates for the first time in several years,” he added.

When you compare AAA mortgage brokers to big banks, the two experiences are vastly different. “We have wholesale rates versus the retail rates,” Vieira explained. “Big banks have behind-the-scenes costs. We can access those same programs without the extra costs.”

AAA is paid by the lender for its services, Vieira said. “This covers our expenses.” The borrower still has traditional closing costs like attorney’s fees, title insurance, appraisals and recording fees.

Choices Make Choosing a Mortgage Easier

The biggest advantage of mortgage brokers is they have access to a variety of lenders and can compare rates, terms and other factors. When people apply for a mortgage with a bank and they don’t get it, they need to find another bank and apply again, which eats up valuable time.

In Vieira’s case, if the first mortgage application he submits to a lender is not approved, he simply goes to the next lender on his list. “When buying a house, the most important thing is not the rate and closing costs, but if a lender is going to approve you,” Vieira continued. “A lot of first-time homebuyers are concerned about rate, but you want to know if a lender is going to deliver an answer to you quickly and easily, because you need to have everything ready quickly.” If the loan application is delayed or rejected, the buyers run the risk of losing the house they had their eyes on.

“The biggest thing to do is to get preapproved for a mortgage,” noted Vieira. “Sellers move fast, and you have to have your financing set.”

Learn more about how to be the best mortgage candidate.

Get Extra Help

AAA loan officers also assist members by participating in regular free homebuying webinars, where members get advice on what to look for when buying a house and ways to prepare before making an offer. “We look at the entire process,” Vieira said. “Buyers have to do more themselves now and it’s good to bring along someone who knows what to look for.”

Mortgage brokers are required to keep up with industry regulations. New requirements for mortgage brokers were developed after the 2007-2009 financial crisis, when thousands of foreclosures flooded the market, primarily due to banks and brokers approving home loans people could not afford.

Now brokers now need to take courses to earn certification, and according to Vieira, are held to a high standard. “With a mortgage broker, the federal government wants to make sure the education is up to par.”

Regulations passed after the housing market collapsed in 2009 outlawed many subprime mortgages, established separation between the appraisers and the lenders and created a licensing and registration system for all loan officers, according to Vieira.  “The reforms have stabilized the mortgage industry and made it much more resilient against challenges,” he said. “When you look at the whole industry today, it’s so much better than before.”

Schedule a meeting with an experienced loan officer or start your mortgage loan application online today.

Have you ever used a mortgage broker? How was your experience?

While the end of daylight saving time brings an extra hour of sleep, adjustments in sleep schedules combined with darker evening commutes can lead to drowsiness behind the wheel — and result in more traffic crashes.

After the clocks “fall back” at the beginning of November, 5 to 6 p.m. becomes an increasingly dangerous time, according to a AAA Northeast analysis of crash data available in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.

Data from the Connecticut Crash Data Repository shows that from 2020 to 2024, there was a 35% increase statewide in crashes in the 5 p.m. hour during the month of November (4,555) compared to the month of October (3,370). For pedestrians, the danger is especially alarming. During the same five-year period, there was a 147% increase in pedestrian crashes in the 5 p.m. hour in November (106) compared to October (43).

According to a AAA Northeast analysis of data from the MassDOT Crash Data Portal, in 2024, there was a 37% increase in crashes in the 5 p.m. hour from October to November. For pedestrians, the risk increases even more dramatically: There were double the number of pedestrian crashes in the 5 p.m. hour in November than October.

AAA Northeast’s analysis of NY DMV data reveals that in 2023, there was a 73% increase in crashes in the 5 p.m. hour from October to November. For pedestrians, the risk increases even more dramatically: There were 98% more pedestrian crashes in the 5 p.m. hour in November than October.

New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety preliminary data from Numetric indicates that in 2024, there was a 35% increase in crashes in the 5 p.m. hour from October to November. For pedestrians, the risk increases even more dramatically: There were 58% more pedestrian crashes in the 5 p.m. hour in November than October.

AAA research indicates that drowsy driving is a serious traffic issue — in part because many drivers fail to realize when they’re in danger of falling asleep. During a simulated nighttime driving experiment, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 75% of participants who rated their level of drowsiness as low were, in fact, moderately or highly drowsy.

“As it starts to get darker earlier in the coming days, the end of daylight saving time may also alter our sleep cycles,” said Mark Schieldrop, spokesperson for AAA Northeast. “To ensure a safe evening commute as we adjust to the time change, it’s crucial to be well-rested and extra vigilant behind the wheel.”

AAA offers the following tips as drivers adjust to darker conditions:

• Ensure lights are in good working order. Headlights can show signs of deterioration after just three years. Check for yellowing, clouding and other changes in appearance. Replacement and restoration services are available at most repair shops, including AAA Approved Auto Repair (AAR) facilities.
• Keep your windshield clean. Make sure your wiper blades aren’t leaving streaks and that you have enough wiper fluid.
• Decrease your speed to compensate for reduced visibility. Increase your following distance to four or more seconds behind the car in front of you — and more time if you’re behind a motorcycle or if weather conditions are poor.
• Turn slowly at intersections, particularly in areas with poor street lighting or where pedestrians are likely to be present. Slow your speed to 5 mph when you turn and don’t try to speed through a yellow light and turn at the same time.
• Avoid being blinded by oncoming high beams. If a driver of an oncoming vehicle fails to dim the lights, look down toward the right side of the road. You should be able to see the edge of the lane or the white edge line; stay on course until the vehicle passes.
• Keep your eyes moving. Don’t just focus on the middle of an area illuminated by your headlights — watch for flashes of light that might indicate the presence of another vehicle on top of hills, around curves and at intersections.
• Beware of glare. The time change means that sun glare may affect commuters at earlier hours. Use your sun visor, invest in polarized sunglasses and leave extra room between you and the car in front of you when the sun is in your eyes.
• Prioritize getting at least seven hours of sleep before hitting the road. If you’re fighting to stay awake following the time change, pull over to a safe location, lock your doors and take a quick nap.

Pump prices across the region are little changed from last week as oil prices hold steady in the $59 to $64 a barrel range and domestic inventories of gasoline tighten on higher demand and a widening import and export imbalance.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) last week reported a 470,000 barrel a day jump in gasoline demand, rising to a solid 8.9 million barrels a day. While strong for a late October week, the figure landed 230,000 barrels a day lower than the comparable week last year.

Gasoline exports, on the other hand, fell last week by 363,000 barrels a day to 849,000 barrels a day, according to the EIA, but imports fell as well. All told, 2.7 million more barrels of gasoline left United States than came in last week, which contributed to a sizable 5.9 million barrels decline in inventories, which are now 3% below the 5-year average for the season.

“Along with tightening supplies, petroleum prices gained momentum last week after reports of a temporary trade agreement between the United States and China, which could spur economic activity – and demand for oil and gas,” said Mark Schieldrop, senior spokesperson for AAA Northeast. “Pump prices could stabilize in the short term if inventories stay below seasonal averages.”

AAA Northeast’s Nov. 6 survey of fuel prices found the current national average up 5 cents from last week ($3.03), averaging $3.08 per gallon. Today’s national average price is 5 cents lower than a month ago ($3.13) and 2 cents lower than this day last year ($3.10).

Region	Current Price*	One Week Ago	One Month Ago	One Year Ago
Massachusetts	$2.99	$2.99	$3.06	$3.04
Rhode Island	$2.93	$2.91	$3.03	$2.95
Connecticut	$3.05	$3.03	$3.11	$3.05
New York	$3,11	$3.10	$3.17	$3.18
New Jersey	$2.97	$2.94	$3.04	$2.92

*Prices as of Nov. 6, 2025

Today, Oklahoma and Texas have the lowest prices in the nation at $2.54 and $2.55, respectively. California and Hawaii hold the highest prices in the nation this week at $4.65 and $4.47 respectively. Massachusetts holds the 18^st place on the list of highest gas prices in the nation.

The AAA Gas Prices website is your resource for up-to-date fuel price information. Search for average gas prices on national, state and metro levels by regular, plus, premium and diesel.

Does it seem like more drivers are cutting you off, honking, tailgating and making interesting hand gestures every time you get behind the wheel? You are not imagining it.

In a recent AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study a whopping 96% of respondents admitted to driving aggressively in the past year. The survey pool included participants in several focus groups and more than 3,000 drivers. Topping the list of aggressive driving behaviors were passing on the right and speeding up when a yellow traffic light is about to turn red. Road rage incidents are more prevalent also with 11% admitting to acting violent against another driver.

Members visiting the AAA Northeast branch in East Meadow, New York, had no trouble believing the survey’s findings. Driving is becoming increasingly stressful, they noted, citing behaviors that bothered them the most and admitting to sometimes slipping into bad habits themselves. Here’s what they had to say.

“I’m surprised by the number of people who are in such a hurry — people are zooming through changing lights — it’s dangerous. If the light changes, (and they are behind you) they beep immediately.” As for her own behavior: “Maybe I honk if I’m irritated.”

— Traci Casalino

“I’m not surprised by the findings. Sometimes I wait when a light turns green to make sure the intersection is clear and no one is coming, and people behind me are honking. People are feeling stressed, they need to hurry. Everyone is in a rush to get nowhere — they have no patience. I hate when people cut you off to get to a red light. No, I don’t drive aggressively — I mind my own business and only honk if someone is about to crash into me.”

— Juan Cruz

“I’ve noticed a lot of poor driving. People are not signaling, they are not caring about the rules of the road. I dislike when people are cutting in front of me, especially when several people are doing it, switching lanes left, right, center at high speeds. In my younger years, I was more aggressive, I did more speeding. But you outgrow that, you mature, you realize you have a lot more to lose.”

— Raymond Pagano

“That’s pretty surprising (96%), but I guess people feel urgency to get to places and they don’t leave themselves enough time. I’m irritated by people weaving in and out of traffic, and a lot of people don’t merge safely and don’t wait until they clear the other car. I try not to speed — I only do it if the road is empty. I wouldn’t put other people at risk. But I’ve seen people drive 100 mph on a crowded road.”

— Daniel Vanefsky

“Part of it could be based on a person’s perspective, as to whether they are aggressive or not. But maybe people are in more of a rush. When I drive in New York City, it’s so congested and people are always trying to cut you off. So when I drive in the city, I sometimes prevent people from merging.”

— Sue Damassia

“I’m not at all surprised — I agree 100%. It goes back to the way of life — the world is changing dramatically. I drive all day, I drive a lot in the city, and sometimes, I find myself driving aggressively in traffic. It’s also because of the volume of traffic There is no reason driving 2 miles should take 20 minutes. I am definitely guilty of going faster than I should and changing lanes. I have to remind myself to settle down. I hate people who tailgate, especially if they are weaving in and out (of traffic). I’m always afraid of a chain accident. It seems like anyone who drives slower than you is an idiot, and anyone who drives faster is a lunatic. But we are the ones always driving at the optimum speed.”

— Ana Camacho

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If you are wondering whether your own driving behavior has crossed the line, check out Are You Guilty of Aggressive Driving? and learn about ways to curb aggressive driving habits.

Which aggressive driving behaviors irritate you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Knowing what can be recycled and what can’t is confusing. We all want to contribute to a healthy planet, but so many things we use and throw away on a daily basis could go either way — trash or recycle.

Take plastic, for example. There’s a gray area when it comes to plastic items like soda bottles, straws or food wrap. If they’re all plastic, why can’t they be recycled in the same way? Similar obscurities surrounding other household disposables from batteries to cardboard create uncertainty about how to discard certain items properly.

Understanding the difference between items that belong in the garbage, recycling or neither is vital for making sure our environmental impact is a positive one. Let’s break down what can be taken to the curbside on trash day and what other items should be disposed of elsewhere.

Plastic Bottles and Containers

Recycle

You may see the recycling symbol on the bottom of a plastic container and assume it’s 100% recyclable — but there is some nuance.

Only plastics with the numbers 1 and 2 in the middle of the recycling symbol are widely recyclable. Plastics with the numbers 3 through 7 may not be — although 5 is becoming more accepted. This helpful guide from Good Housekeeping breaks down the meaning of every plastic recycling symbol and how to recycle each.

Most plastic bottles and containers, such as water bottles, milk jugs and yogurt tubs are recyclable. Make sure to rinse them out before tossing them in the recycling bin to avoid contamination.

Trash

Some plastic items like plastic grocery bags, straws and wrappers are not recyclable as they can become tangled in the machinery at recycling facilities. Plastic bags are now banned in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island with a partial ban in Massachusetts, but if you have some that need to be disposed of, find local recycling drop-off points or try to reduce your use of them entirely.

Neither

Polystyrene foam, or Styrofoam, is not recyclable and takes over 500 years to degrade in a landfill. For this reason, look for biodegradable alternatives like paper or bamboo for insulation purposes or mushroom packaging for foam needs.

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Cardboard and Paper

Recycle

Paper makes up 23% of municipal solid waste generated each year, more than any other material, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Cardboard boxes (including pizza boxes), newspaper, magazines (including those ad stacks we get in the mail) and printer paper are all recyclable. One caveat to remember, however, is that any cardboard should be free from food residue and that paper products are clean and dry.

Trash

Paper towels and napkins, especially if they’ve been used for food or cleaning chemicals, should go in the trash. They are often too soiled for recycling and can contaminate other paper products in the recycling system.

Glass Bottles and Jars

Recycle

Glass, as a general rule, can be recycled; think beverage bottles, jam jars, candle containers, etc. Rinse them out to clean any food or other kind of residue and remove any metal lids (which should be recycled separately or thrown out if they are mixed with other materials.)

Trash

If the glass is broken, it should be disposed of in the trash because it is too dangerous to handle in recycling plants.

Neither

Some glass items like mirrors or window glass are not suitable for curbside recycling. These types of glass have different chemical compositions and can interfere with the recycling process. Look for special disposal services in your area instead.

Metal Items

Recycle

Aluminum cans — like soda cans — are highly recyclable and should always be placed in your recycling bin. Be sure to always rinse the cans before doing so.

Trash

Some metal items such as aluminum foil and pie tins may not be accepted in curbside recycling. If they are dirty or have food residue, they may need to go in the trash.

Neither

Large metal objects like old appliances or scrap metal need to be taken to designated recycling centers where they can be processed correctly.

Electronics

Neither

Electronics like laptops, TVs, cellphones, etc., should be taken to a SERI-certified electronics recycling facility. Some states and municipalities hold special electronic waste collection events; check your state’s website for more information.

If you have an old phone that still works, consider putting your old phone to good use rather than throwing it away.

Batteries

Recycle

Rechargeable batteries and single-use batteries (like AA, AAA and 9-volt batteries) should never be thrown in the trash, even if they are marked as non-hazardous. Instead, look into your community’s designated battery recycling program.

Neither

Lithium-ion batteries often found in laptops and power tools can pose a fire risk and require special handling. They should always be disposed of at designated e-waste or hazardous waste recycling facilities.

Hazardous Waste

Neither

Hazardous waste should never be thrown away with regular garbage or poured down the drain or on the ground. Household items like paint, solvents, thermometers and fluorescent lights, motor oil and pesticides are all considered hazardous waste.

As with e-waste, many states and municipalities hold special events to collect such waste. Local businesses that sell the products will sometimes accept them for recycling.

Clothing and Fabrics

Recycle

Many fabric items (old clothing, linens or towels) can be donated, repurposed or recycled. Some organizations specialize in textile recycling, so look for drop-off locations for items like worn clothes.

Trash

Clothing or fabrics that are beyond repair and cannot be reused should be placed in the trash.

Neither

Items made of synthetic fabrics like polyester are not biodegradable and are hard to recycle through standard textile programs. Look for specialized textile recycling programs to handle these types of materials or consider donating.

State Recycling Resources

• Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

• Massachusetts Recycling Guidelines

• New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

• New York Department of Environmental Conservation

• Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation

Are you a stickler when it comes to recycling? What recyclable/non-recyclable household items did we miss? Let us know in the comments!

Many travelers experience some level of flight anxiety, whether it’s the anticipation before the trip, the stress from potential delays and cancellations, the discomfort of being in a confined space or fears heightened by alarming news reports.

If you have anxiety about flying, you certainly aren’t alone: 1 in 3 people has some degree of fear of flying, and 1 in 6 is unable to fly because of that fear, according to the SOAR fear of flying program.

Our nerves can often get the best of us when traveling, but fortunately, it’s manageable. After all, you’ve got places to go and people to see! Here are a few ways you can stay grounded while flying.

Anxiety 101

Nearly 20% of American adults live with an anxiety disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. This mental health condition has many possible symptoms, including:

• Persistent feelings of dread.
• Difficulty relaxing.
• Trouble concentrating.
• Being jumpy or easily startled.
• Difficulty controlling worries or nervousness.

Of course, you can experience flight anxiety even if you don’t have a disorder. What sets the condition apart, experts say, is persistent, intrusive worry or discomfort — both at home and on the airplane.

How Different Types of Anxiety Affect Travel

Anxiety comes in many forms. Each type might affect how you feel differently.

Consider these possible scenarios:

• With generalized anxiety disorder, you might feel a vague sense of jitteriness or dread about flying. This could be exacerbated by fear of the unknown, memories of a negative experience or even hearing about someone else’s negative experience in the news.
• With panic disorder, you might avoid travel because of fear that dangerous driving conditions, airplane turbulence or being trapped in a crowded space will trigger an attack.
• With phobia-related anxiety, you might have an irrational fear of specific travel situations, such as heights, waterways, flying, driving over a bridge or going through a tunnel.

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✈️ Beat flight anxiety with these simple tips! 🧘‍♀️💺 What are your go-to strategies? Share in the comments! 👇 . . #airplane #flightanxiety #flightanxietytips #aaa #aaanortheast #travelhacks #anxiety #anxietyrelief #mindfulness #deepbreaths #airplanetiktok

♬ Airplane Noise – Hypnotic Frequencies

Methods to Overcome the Fear of Flying

There’s no quick fix for flying anxiety, but there are steps you can take to manage the issue.

Identify Your Triggers

The first step to getting over a general fear of flying is pinpointing your triggers. What is it about flying that makes you break out in a sweat? Fearful flyers might worry about turbulence, the strange sensations of takeoff or the impact of landing.

Learn as Much as You Can

A cognitive-behavioral therapist might help you overcome flight phobia by reinforcing the idea that airplanes are safe. Knowledge is power. You can help minimize the fear of the unknown and reassure your brain that flying is safe by arming yourself with as much information as possible about the plane, its safety features and upcoming weather patterns.

Try Virtual Reality

Research has shown that exposing yourself to flight through virtual reality programs is effective at helping participants get over their fear of flying. With virtual reality, you can experience a flight simulation without ever leaving the ground.

Soothe Yourself With Distractions

If you experience more mid-flight anxiety than preflight anxiety, distracting yourself with a good book, funny movie or soothing music might help. The more you can keep yourself from obsessing over your fears, the better.

Talk to a Pro

If flight phobia keeps you from enjoying life with family and friends, consider getting professional help. A therapist can lead you through cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy or whatever else you need to conquer your fear for good.

Preparing for Stressors Like Delays and Cancellations

Flight delays and cancellations are an unpleasant reality of air travel that can heighten your anxiety, but there are things you can do to soften the blow and stay calm.

Start by being prepared. Weather-related delays are the easiest to anticipate. Look up the forecast at your location, destination and the airports you’re traveling through. Get ahead of the game by knowing how your airline deals with weather delays, what alternate flights are available and where you can get a hotel reservation.

Have your phone charged, your airline’s app downloaded and your frequent flyer phone number and/or the number of a travel agent in your contacts.

If you find yourself faced with a delay or cancellation, try a little mindfulness.

“Between the moment I hear that my flight is canceled and the moment I react, there’s a space, and that’s where choice, possibility and freedom is,” said Elisha Goldstein, founder of the online Mindful Living Collective. “With mindfulness, we widen that space, and we’re more aware of the choices. And then we make the best decision based on that instead of a snap decision that we might later wish we hadn’t made.”

So, instead of yelling at the gate attendant, downing a bag of potato chips or drowning your sorrows at the bar, remember the acronym STOP:

• Stop and be still.
• Take a breath or two.
• Observe tension in your body and try to relax and release it.
• Proceed by focusing calmly on what you need to do.

Another helpful technique is what Goldstein calls being the ambassador of compassion. If your flight is canceled or delayed, there’s a plane full of people nearby with the exact same problem. Realize you’re not alone and focus on the sentiment “may we all be at ease” to help you feel calm and connected.

“When we’re in heavy emotional states, you see a retraction of blood flow from the part of your brain that’s involved with impulse control, with emotion regulation and also just conscious perspective,” Goldstein said. “Being able to soften the body, release and relax allows you to bring blood flow back to that area right behind your forehead, called the prefrontal cortex.”

With the blood flowing where it needs to, you’ll feel more of a sense of control and make better choices.

It’s not always easy but try not to let fear and stress keep you from traveling.

Do you have flight anxiety? What helps you? Share in the comments below.

This article is for informational purposes only. If you are struggling with anxiety, please consult with a mental health professional to find a solution that works best for you.

Whether you’re a frequent flyer or you only get on an airplane occasionally, it’s important to understand what protections and benefits you have as an airline passenger.

Being familiar with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Fly Rights can help you feel more confident and prepared when facing unexpected situations at the airport or in the air. These guidelines cover key areas like ticket pricing, baggage policies and how airlines handle delays and cancellations. Keep this valuable knowledge in mind for your next trip.

Travel insurance offers additional protection. Learn about your options with AAA.

Ticket Pricing

When you pay for a flight ticket, you should know the full cost of the ticket — including government taxes and fees —  as part of the DOT’s full fare advertising rule. You also have a right to know about all fees pertaining to baggage, meals, reservation changes, cancellations and advanced or upgraded seating before your flight.

Ticket Changes and Cancellations

As part of the airline passenger bill of rights, airlines must let you change or cancel your reservation within 24 hours of booking without charging a fee. But be sure to read the fine print. A non-refundable ticket could become refundable if the airline is the direct reason for your cancellation, such a nonstop flight being converted into a connecting flight.

Delayed and Canceled Flights

There are no federal requirements for compensation regarding delayed or canceled flights. So be sure to check your airline’s policies — listed under “contracts of carriage” — to see what you’re entitled to when your flight is delayed, such as meal vouchers or free hotel accommodations for overnight delays.

If you’re stuck on the tarmac during the delay, airlines must give passengers food and water no more than two hours after the delay begins and keep the bathrooms operational. They must also let passengers off the aircraft within three hours for domestic flights and four hours for international flights, provided that there are no safety, security or airport operations repercussions.

Keep in mind, though, that if you get off the plane during a tarmac delay, the airline doesn’t have to let you back on or take your luggage off the plane.

Bumping

If you volunteered to give up your seat on an overbooked flight, you’re entitled to rewards such as vouchers for future travel, a hotel stay or even cash. Be sure to communicate with the airline for specific rewards.

If you are involuntarily bumped from your flight, you have the right to ask the airline to explain your rights in a written document, detailing how the airline decides who does or doesn’t get to stay on the flight. Your ticket may be used on another flight or you can request an involuntary refund for it. You are also entitled to compensation (although there are exceptions). Bumped passengers can get as much as double the price of their tickets.

Lost Bags

Airlines are required to pay passengers for loss of, damage to or delay in receiving their baggage. Additionally, if a bag is lost, airlines are required to refund any fees associated with it.

Traveling With Disabilities

If you have a disability, you generally don’t need to notify the airline ahead of time. But if the airline needs to make certain accommodations, you may be required to give a notice 48 hours before your flight. Additionally, you may employ an off-duty crew member or a volunteer as your attendant for the duration.

Filing Complaints

You have the right to file a complaint with the airline and the DOT. Complaints should be made after the flight has ended unless the they relate to emergency situations.

AAA travel advisors are happy to help you plan your trip and answer all your questions along the way. Connect with an advisor.

This article has been updated and republished from a previous version.

If you’re looking for a truly star-studded vacation, Nevada is home to some of the darkest skies in the country. Trade the glitz of Las Vegas for a quiet road trip along the Great Basin Highway filled with stunning stargazing and other desert wonders.

Make Tracks to Pioche

From Vegas, your first overnight stop is Pioche, a once-booming mining town rich with Wild West history. But before you arrive, you’ll journey even further back in time, uncovering traces of ancient life along the way.

At the Mount Irish Petroglyph Site near the town of Alamo, you can marvel at stunning Native American rock art that dates back over 4,000 years. These ancient carvings offer a captivating glimpse into daily life long ago, inviting you to imagine how people once lived among this dramatic desert landscape. There are interpretive trails and guides available at visitor registration boxes to help you navigate the site.

An important note: The rocks on these unpaved roads can damage your tires, so ask for a rental car outfitted for tough terrain and bring along more than one spare tire.

Leaving Mount Irish Petroglyph Site, you’ll travel north to Caliente, where you’ll find Side Track Restaurant and its full menu of burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, salads and more.

Continue north to Cathedral Gorge State Park. The cave-like formations and cathedral-like spires of this otherworldly natural wonder were created tens of millions of years ago by volcanic activity on the valley’s soft bentonite clay. Hiking trails provide more scenic views throughout the park.

Upon arrival in Pioche, check into the Overland Hotel & Saloon, where you can also grab a bite to eat. The rooms are cozy and comfortable but be aware that they are all located on the second floor and inaccessible to wheelchairs.  

Once the sun sets and the skies turn dark, take the short drive out to Echo Canyon State Park. A recognized Dark Sky location, you are welcome to kick back and take in the view of twinkling stars and the Milky Way. The park is open 24 hours, so stay as long as you like.

Hit the Road to Baker

To continue your journey, drive to Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, south of Ely. As the name implies, this park features six beehive-shaped charcoal ovens used to process silver ore from 1876 to 1879. After checking out the ovens, walk the interpretive loop trail to see a bit more of the park. There are longer trails if you prefer more of a challenge or additional exploration.

From there, drive to Great Basin National Park in Baker. Start your visit with lunch at the cafe inside the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. Then, head out on a tour of the Lehman Caves, the longest cave system in Nevada. Book your tour tickets in advance as these tours often sell out.

Upon your return to Baker, check in at the Stargazer Inn & Bristlecone General Store. This quaint property includes four traditional hotel rooms and three tiny home-style cabins. Regardless of which you choose, you’ll get a good night’s sleep. But before you do, return to the park for some breathtaking stargazing.

Start by visiting the Astronomy Amphitheater, where you can lie down on a stone bench and gaze up at the blanket of stars. You also can drive the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive and stop at the Mather Overlook for a panoramic view. Be sure to bring a red flashlight to help you navigate when walking. The park grounds are open 24 hours, so there’s no need to rush your visit. Check the park’s schedule for ranger-led stargazing events to learn more while here.

Don’t Skip Ely

Baker doesn’t offer many eating establishments, so you may want to grab some meals in Ely. It’s about an hour-long drive between towns, so plan accordingly. Restaurant choices include Economy Drug, which has an old-fashioned soda fountain, and Margaritas, a Mexican restaurant and steakhouse located inside the Prospector Hotel & Gambling Hall. The Prospector Hotel & Gambling Hall also is a great place to stay if you want to extend your trip.

While in Ely, take time to visit the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, which is set on the grounds of a former rail yard. You’ll see artifacts from the time the railway was operational, and you can even ride the rails on one of the museum’s historic trains.

For a unique souvenir, drive out to Garnet Hill and see if you can find your own gems to take back home. At Cave Lake State Park, try to land the big one in the lake’s turquoise waters (make sure you have a fishing license), or hike some of the park trails. Once evening arrives, enjoy more stargazing from the lakeshore.

Yes, Nevada offers plenty of opportunities to see the stars far from the neon lights of Las Vegas. It’s a wonderful way to unplug and take in the area’s natural and astral beauty.

Plan your trip with a AAA travel advisor and rent your car with Hertz. AAA members can save up to 20% on Hertz rentals.

Featured image: Cathedral Gorge State Park

When our cat, Charlie, suddenly got sick, my husband and I were frantic.

Besides having no interest in sprinting down the hallway for treats (highly unusual in itself), Charlie was lethargic and hiding away. What did this mean? What was going on, and what should we do? Being only 6 years old, he’d never had a health scare before, and we were woefully unprepared. After many panicky phone calls, we were finally able to get him in to see an available vet.

Diagnosis: Tummy ache.

Cost: $600. No insurance. No financing options.

Although we were relieved Charlie would be OK, the worry and stress we experienced could have been avoided — or at least diminished — if we had a prior plan in place. Don’t make our mistake; read on to learn what to do in a pet emergency and how you can prepare for the unexpected when it comes to your best friend’s health.

Immediate First Steps in a Pet Emergency

• Stay calm and assess. If your pet seems sick or has had an accident, your initial reaction should be to stay calm. Hard as it may be, staying calm is imperative, as panicking can hinder your ability to make rational decisions. Begin to quickly assess your pet’s condition to determine if the situation is critical. Look for signs like difficulty breathing, excessive bleeding or unconsciousness.
• Seek veterinary care. If your pet is in severe distress or showing critical symptoms, contact your veterinarian or an emergency animal clinic right away.
• Know basic first aid. Familiarize yourself with first aid for pets, such as how to perform CPR or apply pressure to a bleeding wound. These skills won’t substitute veterinary care but could be crucial in stabilizing your pet until you can get them to a professional for further help.
• Transport your pet safely. Use a carrier to transport your pet to minimize any movement and prevent further injury. Try making them as comfortable as possible with blankets, treats or favorite toys. Of course, drive carefully.
• Monitor and document symptoms. Keep a detailed record of your pet’s symptoms including when they began and any changes in behavior. This information helps the veterinarian better diagnose and treat the condition.

Does Having Pet Insurance Help in an Emergency?

“Anyone with a pet can benefit from the peace of mind and financial freedom provided by pet insurance,” said Ashley Kehew, director of insurance sales with AAA Northeast. “Depending on the pet insurance you have, it can help provide financial protection for emergencies and for regular vet visits. Pet parents can choose the best care for their furry friend rather than what is most affordable.”

Specialized care treatments or advanced tests that could be crucial for your pet’s health are more accessible with pet insurance.

“Pet emergencies, while unpredictable, are almost inevitable and extremely costly,” said Kehew. “You can’t put a price on the peace of mind that comes from knowing you can afford to give your pet the best of care with the help of pet insurance.”

In the event of a pet emergency, vet bills can be upward of thousands of dollars depending on the severity of the health issue, and some clinics are unable to provide treatment without proof of ability to pay first. Pet insurance is able to help mitigate emergency vet costs by covering a significant portion of the expenses, depending on your policy. Knowing you have that support can keep you focused on what truly matters in the moment: Your pet’s wellbeing and recovery.

Health emergencies aren’t the only unexpected events you should prepare your pet for. Learn how you can plan to keep your pet safe during storms and hurricane evacuations.

Talk to a AAA insurance agent advisor about pet coverage options today

Getting into a car crash isn’t something we plan on. It’s a scenario we’d generally like to avoid. But when it does happen, how do insurance companies determine fault?

Unless the crash you were involved in can be considered no-doubt liability, such as rear-end or left-turn collisions, there will likely be a process you and your insurance company go through to determine who exactly is at fault. We asked a AAA insurance expert how it works.

Contributary vs. Comparative Laws

“There are different state laws that regulate fault, how it’s determined and even whether you can collect from the other party or not,” said Gregory Smolan, AAA Northeast’s vice president of insurance operations.

Whether or not you can collect payment after an accident depends on if you live in a contributary state or a comparative state. Living in a contributary state means that if you’re found to be even a small amount at fault, you can’t collect from the other driver. In comparative states, compensation is awarded based on your determined percentage of fault.  

This map shows contributary and comparative negligence laws by state.

In the Northeast, states like Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York have no-fault insurance, which are laws that require each driver injured in an accident to file a claim with their own insurance company, so that each person is compensated for their medical bills, regardless of who was at fault.

Determining Fault After a Car Crash

“Typically, when a collision happens, the first line of defense is self-reporting,” Smolan advised. There are many times the police are called, and they’ll do an accident report that then goes to the adjuster. Usually, the way the report is written will give you a determination of who was probably in the wrong.”

In many cases, bystanders have a part to play in determining who’s ultimately at fault. “If I’m an adjuster,” Smolan said, “I’ll look at the police report, take statements from our driver and get their version of events. If there are any witnesses, I’d even call them for a statement. But we also have traffic cams now.”

Speaking of cameras, how about dash cams? Are they a hindrance to the fault process, or do they help? Smolan said they’re a great tool to have in your arsenal in the event of an crash. “Certainly, if you’re in a collision and you’re trying to determine fault, a dash cam is video proof just like a traffic cam. It’s totally valid.”

Do you have usage-based insurance? Even better. “Some folks have UBI, so they’re tracking their driving habits on their phones. If you can go back and see proof in those stats, they can help disprove someone else’s accusation.”

Essentially, if you’re trying to build a case, accumulating proof with photos, witnesses and the police report are your best bet. “You may still technically be at fault,” said Smolan. “But at least you’ve produced as much evidence as you can to the contrary.”

Once all the information about the accident has been received and the insurance companies begin their investigation, each will submit a determination of fault percentages. Surprisingly, these percentages aren’t precise and are only an estimate. “There’s no mathematical equation,” Smolan said. A lot of what ultimately determines fault is good old negotiation with the other party. If there is a disagreement with the results and both parties can’t come to an agreement, the situation will be handled by an arbitrator who’ll review all the facts and make a final decision.

If you find yourself in a scenario where the other party involved in the accident doesn’t have insurance, not all is lost. “Check with your own carrier about your uninsured motorist or under-insured motorist coverage to see if you have coverage on your policy,” Smolan said.

Top Takeaways

• First and foremost, make sure nobody’s injured and that your vehicles are in a safe spot before starting the claims process.
• Take pictures of damage and the location.
• Exchange information with the other party and contact your insurance company right away.
• If there are bystanders, get their names and numbers.
• If there is any damage, get the police there to submit a report.
• Don’t admit fault at the scene. “It’s not up to you to determine fault or admit fault at the site,” said Smolan. “Let the process play out.”

Find Out More About AAA Auto Insurance

This article has been updated and republished from a previous version.

When thinking about the worse-case scenarios your insurance is designed to protect, it’s easy to let your imagination run wild with what-ifs.

What if the next big storm causes a long-term power outage?

What if someone breaks into your kid’s dorm room?

And (for the biggest overthinkers) what if a plane crashes into your house?

Some situations may be more extreme than others, but it’s normal to wonder if insurance would help if they ever were to happen.

Insurance policies aren’t exactly written in layman’s terms. Your insurance agent can show you coverages that may be hiding in the details.  

Here are 10 of the more “unusual” things your auto, homeowners or renters policies may cover, including a few you might not have even thought of.  

For all your insurance needs, AAA has you covered.

Lightning Strikes

Lightning strikes caused more than $1.04 billion in insured losses in 2024, according to the Insurance Information Institute. If your home is partially or entirely destroyed by lightning-caused fire, the damage may be covered by a homeowners policy. Electronic equipment such as computers, televisions and refrigerators that are damaged by lightning strikes could also be covered. Lightning also strikes autos, causing fires and damage to electrical systems, both of which may be covered by your comprehensive policy (subject to deductible).

Identity Theft

Millions of people are victims of identity theft every year. With an optional endorsement on your policy, your insurance may cover identity theft expenses up to a predetermined limit. These expenses may include reasonable attorney fees and earnings lost due to time taken off work to resolve the issue.

Safeguard your identity with ProtectMyID from AAA and Experian.

Spoiled Food

If an unexpected power outage occurs, food that spoils in your freezer and refrigerator may be covered under your homeowners policy, but the amount will likely vary from state to state. Some carriers require this coverage.

Student Possessions

If your child is a student and lives in a college dorm, their possessions may be protected by your homeowners or renters insurance policy. However, an off-campus apartment might not be covered. Check with your agent about the specifics of your policy before your student heads off to school.

Here’s what else college students should know about insurance.

Dog Bites

Dog bites and other dog-related injuries account for one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claims, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Your homeowners or renters policy may cover dog-bite liability expenses up to the liability limits. However, dog bite claims from dogs with prior bite history and/or breeds that are classified as vicious may be excluded in some policies.

Read more about how pets are covered by home and auto insurance.

Pothole Damage

If you have collision coverage, damage to your car from hitting a pothole may be covered, subject to deductible. Collision coverage is typically optional, so be sure to contact your insurance agent to ensure you have the coverage you need.

Tombstones/Grave Markers

Your homeowners policy may cover vandalism or damage to tombstones or grave markers, which are considered to be personal valuables.

Lost Wages

If available in your state, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) on your auto insurance policy can be used to recover a portion of lost wages, if you’re involved in an auto accident injury that causes you to miss work.

Riots

While rare, riots do happen. A homeowners or renters policy may cover damage to your home and possessions caused by rioting. If you have comprehensive auto insurance, damage to your car may be covered as well. Deductible may apply.

Aircraft Crashes Into Your House

Although the chances of it happening are slim, aircraft do occasionally crash into homes and the resulting damage may be covered.

Contact a AAA insurance agent to find out more about your insurance options and what discounts you might be eligible for.

This article has been updated and republished from a previous version.

If guided travel tours make you think of long bus rides and crowded groups shuffling from one tourist attraction to the next, it’s time to update your perspective.

AAA Travel advisor Wendy Marley answers our questions about guided travel, separating old truths from new realities and proving that today’s tours are better than ever.

For all your travel questions and trip-planning needs, schedule an appointment with one of our trusted travel advisors.

How has guided travel evolved?

A lot has changed in the last 10 or so years. Guided tours used to be strictly scheduled and focused on ticketed sites, but now there’s more flexibility, as well as more time to be immersed in the local culture and getting to know the destination and the people. You can go off the beaten path for unique experiences and visit the top spots, too. There are also more options than ever, including different group sizes, themed tours and many budget ranges.

What are some of the most common myths about guided travel?

There are so many guided travel myths to dispel. One of the biggest misconceptions is that you’ll be on a coach bus all day. Tour operators are exploring places in new ways now, so there’s less time on a bus and more time at your destination. There are also different modes of transportation, from dog sleds and trains, to tuk tuks (motorized rickshaws), trolleys and jeeps. And you’re not just staying in hotels anymore, either – there’s igloos, treehouses, manors, castles and chateaus!

Another myth is that it is more expensive to go with a guide, and that is simply not true; there are plenty of examples where the all-inclusive pricing of a tour is much less expensive than piecing together an itinerary and adding meals. Not to mention the added value a guide brings, or the time travelers save.

What are some other perks of guided travel?

Traveling with a guide makes all the difference; they provide background on the destination and heaps of information you wouldn’t receive traveling alone, such as local knowledge and tips on the best places to shop and eat.

It’s all about the storytelling. Your guide is going to share stories with you that you wouldn’t get anywhere else. Those stories are what you will remember and bring back to share with others. It isn’t only about getting the best picture!

Another perk of booking a tour is having all the details of your trip done for you in advance, so you know you will have reliable accommodations and transportation and a day-to-day outlined itinerary. There are also opportunities for free time and customizing your trip with additional excursions and pre- and post-trip city stays.

The amount of time – and stress – saved by not having to plan or figure out how to get around, and skipping the line for museum entrances and planned activities is endless. You can relax with your family and friends instead of worrying about logistics.

What are all the ways AAA members can go guided?

It is important to think about what is important to you. What do you want to see and how do you want to see it? There’s a guided tour for every age, interest and budget. You can explore options for various group sizes, food tours, photography tours, themes for families, active traveler itineraries and more.

Our preferred tour partner AAA Member Choice Vacations®, offers bucket list trips to all continents with great accommodations and optional add-ons.

Looking for something more high-end? Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold are the 4- and 5-star answers, providing amazing hotel stays, upgraded transport and additional inclusions.

And if you have your sights set on Ireland, Brendan Vacations will lead your Celtic journeys.

What are a few places you think are best experienced by guided tour?

Really anywhere, but especially any place you haven’t been before and want to immerse yourself in the local culture. This is especially true if it’s a destination where the language or culture is different from your own, or getting around is difficult (like driving on the other side of the road in the U.K.!).

Ireland is one of my favorite tour destinations, with castle stays and beautiful scenery along the drives. Italy is another example where you can experience so much more in a short amount of time with a guided tour, from Cinque Terre to the Amalfi Coast.

Exotic destinations like Morocco are a personal favorite, where I got to ride a camel in the desert and shop for textiles in the winding medinas of Marrakech.

The last trip I did was to Iceland with Member Choice Vacations, and I was so glad to be on a guided trip, especially when visiting some of the more remote areas like glaciers and lava fields. Our guide knew where to stop for food and breaks when there wasn’t a gas station in sight!  

Trending destinations right now are the three I’s – Italy, Iceland and Ireland. Greece has also been very popular, as well as Spain, Portugal and Croatia.

And don’t forget, going guided is not only about traveling to Europe or internationally. There are amazing, guided experiences right here in North America, such as national parks, Hawaii, the California Coast and the Rocky Mountains.

Interested in booking your next guided vacation? Go guided with AAA.

Have a question for our travel advisors? Ask away!

How do you feel about guided travel? Would you consider a tour for your next vacation? Tell us in the comments.

Buying a home is the largest expense most people will ever incur — safeguarding your money and property while securing a mortgage and filing documents is critical.

Sadly, there are unscrupulous people who want to take advantage of homebuyers. In 2024, there was more than an 8% increase in fraudulent mortgage applications.

What Is Mortgage Fraud?

There are different types of mortgage fraud. These include fake companies who advertise great interest rates online only to vanish later, online “consultants” who offer to negotiate better rates and scammers who post fake websites to obtain wiring instructions.

Mortgage fraud and other online scams have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic, which means consumers must be extra vigilant, said Steven Vieira, director of mortgage operations and sales for AAA Northeast.

The mortgage loan officers at AAA Northeast have tips for ensuring obtaining a mortgage and transferring funds goes as smoothly and safely as possible while avoiding all types of mortgage fraud.

One way consumers can safeguard their identities and receive alerts about suspicious activities pertaining to their accounts is by signing up for AAA’s free ProtectMyID identity theft protection service before they start their financial dealings.

“Notifications are the biggest benefit,” Vieira said. “If you can catch fraudulent activity in time, it can be stopped.”  

Consumers also can sign up for OptOutPrescreen.com, a service that prevents consumer credit reporting companies from providing your credit file information to data brokers. Credit reporting companies typically sell information to data brokers. There is a risk that the information will wind up in the hands of disreputable companies, leading to a type of mortgage fraud.

You Can’t Be Too Prepared

Preparation and verification are the best ways for consumers to protect themselves from all types of mortgage fraud when buying a home. “You need more financial information than ever before, so make sure you go with professionals you trust,” according to Vieira. “Make sure the loan officer is licensed, and the person is reputable.” You may see mortgage offers on the internet that look like great deals, he added, but it’s best to avoid them.

As much as possible, take a hands-on approach to securing a loan and transferring money, Vieira advised. Verify everything with your settlement agent and avoid relying on a computer when doing it.

Stay Offline, If Possible

Online criminals try to get their hands on wiring instructions, Vieira said, because there is a lot of money coming in and out of escrow accounts. They can set up fake websites and if someone clicks on the wrong link somehow, money gets diverted from the transaction and can be gone.

“That’s the reason for everything AAA does; we go into a lot of detail when it comes to a closing,” Vieira said. “We want money transactions to go smoothly. We ensure money is wired to the correct account. That’s the kind of relationship we have with the settlement process.”

If you are still wondering what mortgage fraud is, scams related to new mortgages/refinancing include:

• Foreclosure rescue: Your home is in foreclosure, and you are frantically looking for a solution. A company on the web promises to reverse the foreclosure if you pay an upfront fee. Don’t do it. This is often fraudulent, according to Vieira. After you hand over the money, the people on the other end disappear.
• Loan modifications: Similarly, an online company may promise to negotiate or modify your home loan. That also is likely a fraud. “Always call the company servicing your loan directly,” Vieira said. “Every loan company in the country has loan (assistance) programs, because everyone wants to avoid a foreclosure. Stay away from private companies — go right to the lenders.”
• Natural disaster schemes: Following a catastrophic event, offers may pop up on the web to assist homeowners who lost their houses to get government money to help pay off their mortgages. Again, the best thing to do is contact your lender directly.
• Home title fraud: Scammers illegally transfer the deed to your home to themselves or someone else. To avoid this, check with local government officials at least once a year to ensure no documents have been filed against your deed.

AAA Northeast has plenty of mortgage specialists available to help you begin and complete your home purchase. Contact AAA Financial Services for more information.

Buying a house is a major milestone in anyone’s life. Not only is it a new personal chapter, it also signifies you’ve reached a financial goal. After all, a house is the most expensive purchase you’re likely ever going to make.

There’s no question that purchasing a home can come with significant financial advantages. But knowing when you’re ready to buy instead of rent can take some figuring out. Here are a few reasons why buying a home instead of renting may be the right choice for you, as well as some ways to see if you’re finally ready to make the move.

Why should you buy instead of rent?

You can customize your house

Owning your home means you’re free to make any changes you like. Paint the rooms a different color, renovate the kitchen, create an addition. The best part is that these changes don’t just have to be cosmetic; they can also help you financially by lowering your home ownership costs and/or increasing the value of your house. For instance, installing solar panels or adding insulation will reduce your monthly utility bill and potentially help with resale value.

It forces you to save

While we all know we should be saving money each month, sometimes it’s easier said than done. Keeping up with your mortgage, however, forces you to invest in your own home, thus increasing your savings.

Homeowners are required to pay their mortgage each month, a portion of which is used to pay down the principal amount of the loan. The less you owe on your mortgage, the more equity you own in your house. Once your mortgage is paid off, you have the entirety of your home’s value available to you should you choose to sell. If you’re renting, however, your monthly payment goes to your landlord and you have no asset to show for it.

Your fixed mortgage rates won’t increase

If you have a fixed-rate mortgage, your monthly payments will never change, even if inflation and other costs rise. On the other hand, unless you live in a rent-controlled building, your monthly rent is subject to increase every year. Knowing what the bulk of your monthly housing costs will be for years in the future can create financial stability.

Reap the benefits of appreciation

Aside from the obvious benefit of having a place to live, owning a home can also be viewed as a strong financial investment because your home appreciates in value over time. This means you’ll likely make more money if and when you sell.

It’s also important to note that the appreciation occurs on the entire home’s value, not just your down payment, which may make it more appealing than other investment types, such as buying stock. As an example, say you purchased $20,000 in stock. If it appreciated 3.9% in one year, you’d have made $780. If instead you used the $20,000 as a 20% down payment on a $100,000 home, and the home appreciated by the same 3.9%, after one year you would have gained $3,900.

When you should buy instead of rent

Now that we’ve uncovered some of the benefits of owning a home over renting one, we need to know when you should buy instead of rent. While everyone’s financial situation is different, in general, you’ll know you’re in a financial spot to purchase a home if you’re able to secure financing. Lenders will look at your entire financial picture to determine if you qualify for a mortgage. This includes your credit score, income and employment security, and savings. If they give you the green light, you’re likely financially ready to move forward.

Then comes the question of how much you can afford. It’s a good idea to try to save enough for a down payment of at least 20% of the cost of your new house. Anything less than that will force you to pay private mortgage insurance. This is an additional fee tacked onto your monthly mortgage payment that protects the lender in the event you default on the loan.

Another number you’ll want to keep in mind is your debt-to-income ratio. This is a comparison of all your monthly debt obligations to your monthly gross income. The 43% debt-to-income ratio is generally used as a standard guideline for approving mortgages. This means that a homeowner’s monthly debts (car payments, student loans, credit cards, etc.) plus their potential mortgage payments should total 43% of their monthly gross income. If you owe more than this percentage, you may want to pay down some of your debts before seeking a mortgage.

If you believe you’re ready to purchase a home, or just have questions about the process, AAA is here to help. Learn more our home loan services or to speak to a mortgage specialist.

For ways to save even more at home, go to AAA.com/HomeServices.

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