It always seems like the holiday season is one of the absolute worst times of the year to travel. Airports are jam-packed, kids are cranky, which makes the parents cranky, and all the roads are full of traffic. If you are planning on traveling this holiday season, here are a few tips from me to help your travels go a little smoother.
Before Your Trip
Pack Lightly – Think about possibly shipping your gifts to your destination ahead of time to keep from having to pack them. If you can’t send your gifts ahead early, don’t wrap them if you are flying, as the airlines requires that you keep all gifts un-wrapped for security measures. One year my mother spent hours wrapping gifts, only to have TSA tear open the paper the very next day.
Confirm Your Flight Time – Call the night before for early morning flights, or early morning day of to confirm your flight status.
Check-in Online (if possible) – A lot of airlines now allow customers to check-in online. This could help save you a long wait at the check-in line.
Plan Out Your Trip (if driving) – Before you go, sit down and plan out at-least one route to drive. Planning out a second, backup, route can also come in handy of there is a lot of traffic on the interstates.
Take Your Car in for a Check-up Before Your Long Road Trip – No one wants to get stuck during the trip, so take some preventative measures to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Day of Your Trip – If you are flying
Start Your Trip Early – If you are driving, try to hit the road by 4:00 a.m. for an easy few hours of driving. If you are flying, opt for early morning flights (before 8:00 a.m) as these are the least packed.
Try to Avoid Peak Travel Days – Generally, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day are the worst days to travel.
Hopefully these tips will help make your holiday travels go just a little smoother!
