(CNN) — Xavier Vega and his partner, Soluna Vega, cheered in relief as the “Welcome to Connecticut” sign came into view. It marked the end of an unplanned 17-hour highway odyssey home after their flight became one of more than 1,000 cancellations on Saturday alone tied to the ongoing government shutdown .

The couple, who had to take a train, bus and a rental car on Saturday to drive over 1,100 miles from Florida, are among thousands of travelers whose plans have been derailed by the widespread cancellations – and are searching for other ways to get where they’re going.

Rental car companies have been flooded with one-way bookings. Avis, Hertz and Turo all reported sharp increases in demand as passengers scrambled to make it to their destinations by any means necessary.

An end to the t

See Full Page