Whether you are looking to enjoy the ocean air at a links style golf course, or to accept the challenge of one of America’s toughest courses, the United States has plenty of incredible options for a golf vacation. In fact, of the 34,000 golf courses worldwide, over 15,000 are in the US. Here are four of the best golf cities in the United States.

1. Colorado Springs, CO

Along with dozens of public and private courses, Colorado Springs promises three-hundred plus days of sunshine per year, making it an inviting destination for golfers. While the peak golf season is from April to October, Colorado Springs’ location at the base of the Rockies keeps it shielded from most of the extreme weather affecting the rest of the state. The Broadmoor Resort plays host to the US Women’s Open and boasts three courses, luxury accommodations, and three swimming pools. If you prefer something quainter, the Cheyenne Canon Inn is a Bed and Breakfast less than a mile away from the Broadmoor Golf Club.

2. Kohler, WI

Kohler is home to five of the midwest’s best golf courses, all within 20 miles from each other. The Whistling Straits, a walking-only, links-style course will host the 2015 PGA Championship and the 2020 Ryder Cup. The American Club, a five-diamond hotel located in between Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits, is a great option for those looking to hit both courses. A half-mile north, is the Inn on Woodlake, a small boutique hotel on the shore of Wood Lake.

3. Kiawah Island, SC

In a 2014 poll, Kiawah Island was voted No. 1 island in the US and No. 2 island in the world by Conde Nast Traveler Readers, and the Kiawah Island Golf Resort had a lot to do with it. With 90 holes, and five championship courses designed by the likes of Klaus, Johnston, Fazio and Player, many will choose the torture of playing what is widely considered the toughest course in the US, The Ocean Course. Designed by Peter Dye, the course has superslick greens, massive sand dunes, and trying pot bunkers.

4. Pebble Beach, CA

Pebble Beach Golf Links was once again voted America’s Number 1 Public Golf Course by Golf Digest. Providing sweeping vistas along the coastline, this course has undoubtedly made it into many a golfer’s must-play list. The Lodge at Pebble Beach encompasses the 18th hole of Pebble Beach Golf Links, and it’s only five minutes from Spyglass Hill Golf Course. The Inn at Spanish Bay overlooks The Links at Spanish Bay — a true links course, rooted in Scottish tradition — as well as the Del Monte and Peter Hay Golf Courses.

And it has nothing to do with trends.

Your style changes so much between middle school and college that of course, they’re going to be some regrettable outfit choices along the way. Everyone has them! But avoiding these common fashion mistakes will help you own your style — sans any major outfit regrets.

1. You spend all your money on the newest trendy clothes and accessories. If you’re constantly buying fast trends that go out of style the next season, you’ll end up with a closet full of stuff you never actually wear. Bye, money! Instead, balance a few new trendy pieces each season with classic items you’ll wear forever, like a goes-with-everything dress and a pair of jeans you love.

2. You wear whatever your friends are wearing, even if it’s not really your style. Sure, it’s much easier to just fall in line with what everyone at school is wearing, but it’s much more fun to stand out with your own personal vibe. It might take you a while to figure out, but if you only buy and wear what YOU like, you’ll feel so much more confident, and over time, you’ll start to develop your own unique style.

3. You wear something just because your mom or dad doesn’t want you to wear it. When it feels like your parents are totally trying to control every aspect of your life, including your style, it’s tempting to wear things you know they won’t like just to spite them. But you know that amazing feeling you get when you win an argument over your outfit? It usually goes away as soon as you realize you actually aren’t into it at all. Like that super-short skirt that your mom didn’t like but you wore anyway to make a point, and then you were uncomfortable all day pulling it down.

4. You buy clothes that don’t fit because you’re worried about the size on the tag. You might be one size in one store and a totally different size in another. It doesn’t mean anything, except that stores can’t get their sizes straight! Don’t even look at the size, and instead pay attention to how it fits. You’ll look and feel your best when you’re wearing something that fits you well, regardless of what’s on the tag. And if you’re really worried about anyone else seeing what’s on the tag, just cut it out!

5. You wear what you think your crush thinks is hot. You might think your crush will notice you if you start wearing mini-skirts, or maybe if you dress sportier, they’ll think you’re hot. When in reality, there’s nothing hotter than showing you’re confident enough to rock your own kickass style.

6. You wear shoes that KILL your feet. No matter how ~gorgeous~ a pair of heels are, if you can’t walk in them, then they aren’t worth it. Flats are just as cute, and won’t stop you from running around all day and showing off the rest of your cute outfit.

7. You have no idea what’s in your closet because it’s so messy. Cleaning out your closet is a huge pain, but you’ll spend half as much time finding something to wear in the mornings if you can actually see all your clothes. Ditch whatever you don’t love or doesn’t fit you well, and only keep what you’re excited to wear every day.

8. You don’t know how to wash your clothes properly, or you don’t pay attention to garment labels. While sorting your clothes or even drying cleaning them (UGH) is such a pain, it could seriously save that shirt you just spent your entire measly paycheck on.

9. You compare your style to your fave celeb’s style. It’s fun to get inspo from Kylie Jenner’s Instagram, but since you aren’t a gazillionaire who gets paid to look perfect, it’s pointless to try to compete (and trust me, it’s exhausting trying!). You don’t have to have a new outfit for every hour of the day or endless designer clothes to look amazing. Plus, celebs often mix in affordable finds, and you can find tons of less expensive alternates to their designer duds at stores like Zara, Topshop and H&M.

10. You’re afraid to experiment with your style. Everyone has regrettable fashion moments in middle school, high school, college and beyond! It’s totally part of finding your style. If you don’t try out different looks, how will you ever figure out what works and doesn’t work for you? Plus, fashion is supposed to be fun, and what’s “in” and what’s “out” is constantly changing. So, don’t be afraid to take some chances. You might cringe when you look at old OOTDs, but that’s all part of finding your style.

11. You listen to to what friends/magazines/ANYONE else says about what you “should” or “shouldn’t” wear based on your body type. Guess what? Your body isn’t shaped like any type of fruit, and no one knows what really looks hot on you. So forget the “rules” about how to dress for your body type, or what anyone says you can or can’t wear. Focus on playing up your fab figure, and highlighting whatever you love, whether it’s your strong legs, or your booty. Bottom line: Wear what makes you feel amazing, and everyone will think you’re *flawless*.

It has happened to many of us: Just when you think you’ve found a great deal on airfare, you realize the price doesn’t include those annoying fees for everything from checking a bag to selecting a seat.

Those little additions can sometimes add big bucks to the ticket price.

However, as Consumer Reports explains, there are some simple ways to avoid them.

1. Research ahead of time so you aren’t surprised by extra costs

Start by checking out the airline’s website to find out exactly what’s included in the price for the type of ticket you are considering. Then decide what extras you’re willing to pay for. Baggage is the most obvious—even carry-on baggage. Others can include a seat assignment and early boarding.

If you’re trying to avoid a checked-bag fee by packing only a carry-on, CR says to remember that there are very strict rules on the sizes of any carry-on items you may have.

2. Search for airlines that have deals

Many airlines have loosened or even eliminated change or cancellation fees. Southwest, for example, allows two free checked bags.

3. Frequent flyer? Airline credit cards offer perks

If you’re a frequent flyer on one airline, consider using that airline’s credit card, which could offer valuable perks such as free checked bags, priority seat selection and boarding, and other travel treats.

4. Book your fare now if you plan to travel this summer

A final piece of advice to snag a decent fare: If you see a fare right now and you think you’re going to be traveling this summer, book it!

Bad weather can hamper many travel plans – especially if that weather involves ice or snow. And given the dangers involved with flying in wintry conditions, it would be smart to check up on how well airplanes can operate in snowy and icy weather.

So, can airplanes take off and land in snow and ice? Yes, airplanes can take off and land in snow and ice – if the right precautions are taken. Plowing the runway, and de-icing both the runway and the plane can make it safe for airplanes to operate in wintry conditions. However, sometimes conditions are too dangerous for any flying to take place. 

In this article, we will take a look at the steps that must be taken for airplanes to take off and land in snow and ice safely. We will also cover the relative safety of flying in snowy weather, and hopefully, we’ll put your mind at ease about flying during the winter.

Is it safe to take off and land in snow and ice?

Some of the busiest airports in the world, like the ones in the United States and Europe, see a lot of snow and ice during the winter season. And coincidentally, the holiday season for both these regions also falls in winter. So reducing air traffic is not an option for airports and airlines during this time. Life has to go on, and in fact, at a higher volume than usual.

To enable air travel in harsh winter conditions, airport officials and airlines have developed certain procedures to make it safe to take off and land during snow and ice.

Unless conditions are extreme, airport officials usually allow for takeoff and landing in snow and ice. However, they do take numerous precautions before approving aircraft for takeoff or landing. As mentioned above, these precautions include plowing and de-icing runways, as well as de-icing planes.

Plowing snow & de-icing runways

As we’ve already mentioned above, it is technically possible to land on an icy or snowy runway. Since airplanes are extremely heavy, it is unlikely they will skid like a car or truck would on icy roads. Also, they can easily pass through snow or slush.

However, these do conditions do greatly diminish the airplane’s ability to apply its brakes. This is why airport officials try to keep the runway clear of snow and ice.

Snow is easy to deal with: it can simply be plowed or shoveled out. Then to remove the remaining slush or the ice that can form on the surface of the runway, airport officials use sand or a chemical that breaks the bonds of ice and snow (like potassium acetate).

Most airport officials don’t allow take-off or landing on snowy/icy runways. If the pavement isn’t completely clear, they will almost always delay outbound flights and ask inbound planes to maintain a holding pattern until the runway can be cleared. And sometimes, if the conditions are too harsh for easy clearing, planes may divert to an alternate runway or airport.

However, in some rare instances, planes are allowed to land on sub-par runway conditions. This will only occur if the plane is experiencing a mechanical malfunction or a lack of fuel. It’s still not unheard of, though.

It’s important to note that merely removing the snow and de-icing the runway isn’t enough for a plane to take off or land. While it is technically possible for a plane to use a snowy/icy runway, there is one other factor that prevents them from taking off in these conditions: ice on the plane itself.

De-icing aircrafts

Airplanes are huge metal tubes, and therefore accumulate a lot of ice on their surface. If not removed, this ice can prove to be more dangerous than landing on a snowy runway.

Aircraft designs are so meticulous and precise that even a small layer of snow or ice on their surface can hamper their performance. This is why airport officials and airlines have to perform a de-icing of an aircraft before allowing it to take off again. If you’ve flown during the wintertime, you most likely have experienced a de-icing delay.

Why is de-icing airplanes important?

To understand why de-icing the aircraft is so important, you must understand how it is that airplanes take flight.

There’s a physical force known as lift that arises when any solid object (like an airplane) deflects the flow of a fluid (like air). The resulting force counters the gravitational pull experienced by the plane, helping it take flight and stay in the air. The propeller or the engine of the airplane helps it move forward.

The aerodynamic design of the aircraft is the most crucial element in helping it stay in the air. Of course, a little bit of ice is bound to accumulate during a long flight. But if proper precautions are not taken, and ice is carelessly allowed to accumulate on the surface of an airplane, it could seriously alter the streamlined flow of air over the aircraft body.

An accumulation of ice on an aircraft can result in some serious turbulence or aerodynamic failure that results in a crash. The tragic crash of USAir Flight 405 is one example of ice causing a fatal accident.

Safety of Flying in snow

There is one more scenario that we would like to discuss in this article: the safety of flying in the snow. What if a plane decides to take off while it’s snowing? Or if it simply starts snowing while the plane is in flight?

First of all, it seldom snows at the altitudes at which your typical commercial airline flies. Most commercial planes fly at between 31,000 and 38,000 feet. And while clouds can form at any altitude up to 60,000 feet, the types of clouds that create snow (frontal cirrostratus, altostratus and nimbostratus clouds) typically form at below the 10,000-foot mark.

Also, the temperature at which an airplane cruises is usually around -70ºF (or -56ºC). This temperature is safe for an airplane to fly in. So unless the visibility is seriously impaired due to bad weather, flying in typical winter conditions is usually pretty normal.

If you want to feel even safer, know that modern airplane pilots are well trained on how to navigate and land an aircraft during extreme conditions. So you can rest assured and trust your pilot to land you safely even if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Conclusion

It is technically possible for airplanes to take off or land in snow and ice. And in emergency situations where there isn’t enough time for the runways to be cleared, they may actually need to do so. The one major problem with landing in snow or ice is that the braking mechanism of the plane becomes inhibited.

However, despite it being possible to land and take off in snow or ice, airport officials take the proper precautions by clearing the runway beforehand. They may use sand or chemicals like potassium acetate.

But just clearing the runway isn’t enough. One of the most crucial steps in taking off during snow and ice is the de-icing of the airplane itself. Airplanes accumulate ice particles and snow on their surfaces while flying/grounding in cold and icy conditions. The de-icing removes the accumulated ice and helps the plane regain its aerodynamic streamline design, which is necessary for taking and maintaining flight.