We’re back from a girls weekend in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and we have a lot to talk about. Mostly because getting there was a complete disaster.

In this episode of But Did You Die?, we’re taking you along on our trip to Ridgeland, Mississippi, a small city just north of Jackson that surprised us with how much there was to eat, see and do. We ate our way through the Ridgeland steak trail, explored the Natchez Trace Parkway, spotted a gator at Cypress Swamp, rode bikes around town, had afternoon tea, got a 90-minute head spa treatment and ate some very memorable fruit-shaped pastries.

We also learned that a relaxing Mississippi girls weekend can apparently include a field of wildflowers, hot air balloons and a lot of steak.

But first, we had to survive the journey.

Our flight through Charlotte turned into hours of delays, a canceled flight, a questionable explanation involving weather, lost luggage and a frustrating fight over refunds. We talk about what we learned from the experience, including why you should screenshot every airline notification, why travel insurance is worth having and what exactly a “trip in vain” is.

We also share one of our favorite accidental travel hacks: volunteering for an oversold flight. Rachel managed to turn a flight home from New York into a $700 travel voucher, and we discuss whether it’s worth gambling on an even bigger payout.

Plus, we catch up on our recent sibling trip to New York, talk about Rachel’s latest walking adventures, discuss the latest travel news and debate the question of which musician we’d actually spend serious money to travel to see.

And then there’s the big question we ask at the end of every trip: But did you die?

Spoiler: We did not.

If you’re planning a Mississippi trip, a girls weekend, a weekend getaway or a drive along the Natchez Trace, we’ve got plenty of ideas for what to do, where to eat and why Ridgeland deserves a spot on your list.

Follow But Did You Die?, leave us a review and send this episode to your favorite travel buddy. And follow us, the Jet Sisters, for more travel stories, questionable decisions and adventures along the way.

Welcome to Episode 31 of But Did You Die? where we’re asking, WHAT IS GOING ON?!

From chaos in the skies to wild world events, we’re breaking it all down. Come with us on a girls' getaway to Tupelo, Mississippi, the cutest little Southern town you've ever seen.

And, Rachel’s pregnancy rage is in full force, our thoughts on Super Bowl advertising and of course we’ve got thoughts on air travel madness and flight anxiety in these scary times. Buckle up—this one’s a ride!

1:00 Angie takes it to a really dark place

2:45 Travel themed baby shower for Rae

5:50 "Du-vaaaaallllll" The new Jags coach ain't right

6:50 DESTINATION OF THE WEEK - Tupelo, Mississippi

8:30 Watch for Elvis in your daily life

15:00 3 Fun Things to do in Tupelo; Fresh Farm, Charcutie and Blue Delta Jeans

20:00 Tips for visiting Tupelo and Mississippi in general

21:29 Natchez Trace Parkway, 444 fabulous miles

How to Visit Tupelo, Mississippi:

Where to stay in Tupelo: HOTEL TUPELO

Where to shop in Tupelo: Relics Marketplace, Reid's Department Store, Tupelo Hardware

22:00 DISASTER OF THE WEEK + TRAVEL NEWS

23:00 What to do if your aerophobia is acting up Fear of flying resources: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/getting-over-fear-of-flyinghttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/fear-of-flying-airplane-tips-experts/ https://parade.com/health/flight-anxiety-therapist-tips

25:28 Rachel's tip for flying anxiety

28:20 Life is short, don't forget to text your loved ones

Have a story for BUT DID YOU DIE? Get in touch with us! instagram.com/angieawayinstagram.com/thejetsisters

Don't miss the sparkling 30th episode of the BUT DID YOU DIE travel podcast with your favorite travel blogging sister duo, where we discuss: the new visas Americans need to travel to Europe, the fees to drive in New York City, our favorite things to do on Hawaii's Big Island including snorkeling with manta rays, summiting Mauna Kea to see the clearest skies in the world, visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park when it's not erupting.

01:00 The last Christmas before the baby

01:29 How Angie ended up in the trunk on Christmas Eve

02:30 Dad wrote new lyrics for Feliz Navidad

04:15 Potential names for Baby Miller

05:45 Angie plans her unpaid maternity leave

06:15 TRAVEL NEWS OF THE WEEK: Americans will soon need an ETIAS to go to Europe

09:15 Americans now need an ETA to visit the UK

12:48 DESTINATION OF THE WEEK: The Island of Hawai'i

13:24 Why is it called the Big Island

16:10 Rae is very confused about volcanoes

17:45 Where to stay on the Big Island - The Outrigger

21:00 Snorkeling with Manta Rays

24:00 Sea to Summit tour with Hawaii Forest & Trail

30:30 Kona coffee culture

32:00 DISASTER OF THE WEEK

34:10 TRAVEL TIP OF THE WEEK

Links to all the tours and excursions we did on the island of Hawaii:

Where we stayed on the Big Island:

ETIAS (EU) details: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en

ETA (UK) details: https://etauk.co.uk/apply/

Stay in touch with us:

Instagram.com/angieaway

Instagram.com/thejetsisters

instagram.com/raeaway

https://angieaway.com