If you are going to fly these days you may want to familiarize yourself with hub and spoke organization of airlines (except Southwest which does not do this). - Connect through your nearest hub so you have option to take yourself home if needs be. - Connect at airports closer to your destination than you are so you are not in a worse position - if you are on a schedule (wedding, funeral...) then consider paying for a refundable ticket (check the rules!) So you have cash to drive if your flight is canceled. - mimize connections to reduce exposure to chance of cancelation - storms are an issue in Dallas in the summer - direct flights are ideal even if they cost more (but can still be canceled) - budget extra time if possible I don't know if travel insurance is a scam. My guess is that it is.