5 Holiday Travel Tips

While some of us will be spending the next couple days (and weeks) and home for the holidays, the rest of us have to do a bit of traveling to go back to the homes we grew up in, visit our families, or to take a nice holiday vacation. Whatever your travel plans are for the holidays, nothing can make you more frustrated than a rough trip. Here’s a few holiday travel tips to keep you in good spirits before you take off and after you touch down.

1| Start Early. So this one might be a bit late for Thanksgiving but when it comes to making your holiday plans, the sooner you get started the better. Whether that means booking your flights way in advance or packing much before the night or week of your trip. Having your travel arrangements in as early as possible let’s you plan your trip on your terms and allows you to relax while everyone else is hustling around last minute.

2| Pack Light. Trust us, you don’t want to be the bag lady during some of the busiest travel times of the year. I know for some of us, this is easier said than done, but traveling light is a great way to make your trip much smoother. Not only does it take less time to pack, but if you’re flying, you can reduce your costs by not having to check your bags and even cut some time since you don’t have to wait for your luggage when you arrive.

3| Don’t Wrap the Gifts. This is a tip that not many people think about but is one that save you time and frustration by following it. If you’re bringing gifts for friends and loved ones, don’t wrap them. While wrapped gifts aren’t banned, that doesn’t mean they won’t be unwrapped during security. Save yourself the trouble and wrap the gifts when you arrive or ship them ahead of time so they’ll be wrapped and ready when you’re waiting.

4| Travel Off-Peak. If long lines and a ton of people make you shudder when you think about holiday travel, you might want to consider traveling off peak times. Instead of traveling the day before the holiday, don’t count out traveling the morning of. Not only will the crowds be a bit lighter but you could also save a few coins as well.

5| Stay Positive. Even if you do everything right the reality is, the holidays are busy and many people will be traveling at the same time. Sometimes mix-ups will happen, delays will occur, or you might get stuck next a crying baby on a flight. Keep a positive mindset and stay focused on the things that matter this season.