After Bahamas Trip, Bachelorette Party Decides Last Minute to Drive 20 Hours to NYC amid Historic Blizzard

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• A group of 10 women faced travel chaos after their flight was canceled due to historic snowstorm

• Six of these women rented a minivan in Miami for the hours-long drive to New York City, Casey Licari tells PEOPLE.

• The group documented their journey on TikTok, turning the unexpected journey into a fun and unforgettable experience

What started as a bachelorette party in the Bahamas quickly turned into a travel nightmare for a group of women amid a historic snowstorm in the northeastern United States.

Casey Licari, a 35-year-old mother of two from New York, tells PEOPLE she flew to Harbor Island in the Bahamas early Friday morning, Feb. 20. There, she was celebrating her friends’ bachelorette party as part of a group of 10 women, including two mothers, a teacher and a “very pregnant girl.” When they got there, “there was no inclination that the storm was coming,” Licari said.

During the trip, the women participated in a boat day, drank at bars, saw some wildlife including sea turtles and pigs, and even sang karaoke at Daddy D’s NightClub. Licari says the trip, full of unforgettable moments, was first booked months ago in November 2025.

But during dinner on Saturday evening, the group “giggled nervously” after receiving a message from the airline.

“We were out to dinner and had just finished our drinks when we all got the notice that American Airlines had canceled our flights,” Licari says. “We were like: ‘Oh my God, there are 10 of us.’ “We must take action and think about how to return home.”

The traveler said all other alternative flights and accommodation sold out “within minutes”.

“There really was no other option. We were looking at Amtrak flights, and then we said, ‘Let’s get a car, just in case,'” he says.

Eventually, the women changed their flight destination from New York to Miami and booked the “last available car” for rental in the area; this was at a rental car location 20 to 30 minutes from the Florida airport.

“I personally have two young children, ages 2 and 3. My husband also had a stomach bug, so he was parenting alone,” Licari says. “That’s why I wanted to return home as soon as possible.”

But not everyone was sure about their plans to return home. “Miami Customs, when we walked through there, they started laughing at us,” Licari says. “An Uber driver told us you wouldn’t make it… But we wanted to prove everyone wrong.”

So six of the women officially set off on the hours-long journey by van to New York City, after the other group members had gone home elsewhere.

“I would say you have to embrace the craziness of it all,” Licari says. “I’d never been on a road trip with six people. I found it a little easier because there were more people we could turn on and off with. And there was always at least one awake person to talk to.”

He adds: “When we got in the car, got our snacks, took out our meals, it wasn’t raining at all. It was a beautiful, sunny day. [on] “We were pretty confident in our decision on Tuesday morning.”

Licari was sure to capture images of unexpected travel delays and mishaps along the way. He compiled the clips on February 23. tiktok this included the beginning of the journey.

“We were doing the best we could, making some funny videos along the way and trying to have as much fun as we could during those 20 hours of work,” Licari says. “This is the only team I’ll be traveling with this many people, for this many hours. We’ve all known each other our whole lives, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

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On Tuesday afternoon, Licari confirmed to PEOPLE that his group had returned safely to New York.

Read the original article People