‘Tis the season for holiday travel. Many of us travel for fun or to visit family during Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. I wanted to share with you some of my top holiday travel tips to help your family if you’re traveling, whether by air or car.
AIR HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS
Check-in Early
Go ahead and take advantage of the 24 hr advance check-in offered by most airlines. That way if you happen to run into a delay you don’t risk being bumped from your flight. If you’re not checked in for the flight, and your flight is overbooked, there’s a chance you’ll be chosen to be bumped from the flight.
Allow Extra Time
Lots of people travel for the holidays, so the airport will see some higher traffic than normal. This includes in parking lots and departure/arrival drives. It’s much less stressful to wait on the gate side of security for your flight than standing and worrying on the ticket counter side!
Know Your Flights
Stay up to date on your flight status. Winter weather can impact flights all over, so be sure you know what the status of your flight is. Many airlines have smartphone apps so you can stay up to date on your flights, and you can sign up for text or email flight alerts.
If you have a connection, make sure you have an idea of the layout of the connecting airport so you can make swift time to the connecting flight. If your initial flight is delayed, you might have a short window to make your connecting flight. That’s not the time to stand to look at airport maps trying to think of where to go next.
Talk to your flight attendant because they may be able to let the other gate know you’re on your way when you land or get you off the plane first, however, this is a slim chance and many people will not stay seated when the attendant asks for them to allow connectors off first.
Reserve Car Parking or Shuttle
If allowed, it’s a good plan to reserve your parking spot at your airport parking lot. You don’t want to arrive and find the lot full. Some lots might be so big, they don’t worry about running out of spaces, but it’s something to look into.
If you’re taking a shuttle, make your arrangements early. If you’re getting a ride from a friend, be sure to politely remind them of when to pick you up (take into account if they’re likely to be on time) and also mention the idea of having plenty of gas. 🙂
Gifts
Don’t wrap your gifts. They need to be open for inspection. We liked to pack some Christmas gift bags with tissue (and/or Christmas decorated boxes) and “wrapped” our gifts when we arrived. However, I do know many people that have never had issues with wrapping their gifts and if they are inspected you could always rewrap them at your destination.
Also, take care and don’t bring a gift that’s not allowed to be brought on your flight. Liquids are restricted in carry-on luggage, so you’ve got to keep that in mind with gifts as well. We had to check a suitcase once for a snowglobe; that was one expensive snowglobe!
Carry-on
If possible carry-on your luggage. I know with gift-giving this can be hard. However, you don’t want to take a chance of having all your gifts and personal items lost or damaged during the holidays. However, take note that the flights are going to be full and carry-on space will be at a premium.
A few tips: board early if possible (perhaps because of upgraded ticket options or airline program status), make sure your carry-on fits the size specified by your airline, have enough time between connections to wait for the plane to clear in case your carry-on gets placed towards the back of the plane.
CAR HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS
Prep Your Car
Make sure your car is ready for your roadtrip. Check out my winter road trip packing list. This includes having a winter weather emergency road kit
Know and Verify Your Route
Make sure you know where you’re driving and that all the roads are open. Some roads (mountain roads) can close during winter weather. Most states have road conditions and closures listed on their department of transportation websites. Also, have a road atlas handy just in case you have issues with your GPS devices.
Gifts
Don’t leave your presents visible in your car. When stopped at a hotel or restaurant, you don’t want someone to see all your nice gifts and decide to break into your car to steal them.
GENERAL HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS
Keep it Fun for the Kids
Be sure to pack them a kids travel bag, and plan some fun family travel games. Perhaps you can download some new Christmas apps for them to play. You can also rent/buy/download a fun Christmas movie(s) for them to watch during the flight/drive. Lastly, consider a visit to your local library or bookstore for some Christmas books or audiobooks for them to read/listen to along the way..
Patience, Patience, Patience
If you’re like me, busy travel and strict time plans can make me a little stressed. If you prepare your mindset for the chaos, you’re much more likely to remain calm and stay patient during your holiday travel. Expect hiccups, then when they come, you can patiently deal with them and move on. Remember that traveling as a family gives you the opportunity to show your kids how to handle stressful situations and problems. Be a good role model! 🙂
I hope these holiday travel tips will help your family. Do you have a holiday travel tip to share? Leave a comment below and let me know.
