Vancey Jackson and Desiah Goodson say their flights were canceled Monday because of severe weather and it left them stranded in Orlando.
ATLANTA — Vancey Jackson and Desiah Goodson decided to take a last-minute trip to Disney over the weekend. But when it was time to return home on Monday, their travel plans quickly unraveled.
“I look at her, she looks at me, I said, ‘Look, you want to get a U-Haul?” and she was like, ‘I was thinking the same thing,'” said Jackson.
Jackson says their flight from Orlando back home to Atlanta got canceled.
“We’re calling around, calling around. And I’m like, “Okay, flights aren’t being rebooked because everybody is staying the night in the airport. It’s just crazy, like, there’s no flights going in, there’s no flights going out. It’s crazy. Like, oh my gosh,” recalled Jackson.
With no flights available and no rental cars left, the pair came up with a different plan: rent a U-Haul box truck and drive back to Atlanta.
They loaded their two suitcases into the cargo area and hit the road.
They said the drive took about 6.5 hours.
“I’ve never drove in a U-Haul before, but when I tell you, she did amazing. I was kind of nervous, like, ‘uhhhh okay,’ but she did really good I swear. She pushed it up the highway. I was so proud of her,” said Goodson.
In total, they say the trip cost them less than $600 — a price they say was well worth it to get home.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to get stuck. I needed to come home to do my clients. I stand on being there for my clients, being on time, and showing up, so we’re like, you know what, we’re going to get home no matter what,” explained Goodson, who is a hair stylist.
11Alive’s Chase Houle reached out to U-Haul to ask whether more people are turning to their trucks as rental car options run out, but did not receive a response.