Quick Guide to Smooth Holiday Travel

The holidays are a popular time to travel. Whether taking a family vacation or traveling to visit relatives, we hope these tips help you have a smooth and easy travel experience this holiday season!

Line Up Transportation in Advance!

We usually love the convenience of Uber/Lyft when arriving at an airport or even just grabbing the next available taxi. However, during the holidays these aren’t something you want to rely on. Wait times can get much longer than usual during the busy holiday travel season! Instead, book your transfer with a trusted company or ask your travel advisor for local contacts they recommend. It doesn’t hurt to call/email your driver a few days before your departure to reconfirm your pick up either. While being stuck waiting for the next available taxi isn’t as major a setback as being stuck overnight in an airport, it’s still frustrating to be so close to starting your holidays but end up having to wait longer than necessary.

Mail Presents Ahead of Time!

Depending on where you are going for the holidays, you might want to consider mailing your gifts ahead of time. If you’re going to Grandma and Grandpa’s, it’s best to let Amazon Prime do the heavy lifting. Just order the gifts straight to your destination and wrap them when you get there. Or better yet, Amazon will even gift wrap the presents for you! If the destination or vacation itself is the main gift, in that case you can justify bringing small gifts along or even buying gifts at your destination. If you are traveling to a resort over the holidays, you can expect discounts on anything holiday related as soon as the holiday is passed.

Fly Direct

While direct flights aren’t always possible to every destination, don’t underestimate their worth during the winter holidays! Fly direct when you can, especially if you are coming from a place with snow. If the flights are ridiculously priced or a direct flight isn’t available to your destination, we recommend selecting flights with connections in Southern cities NOT in Northern ones. Your flight can be cancelled or delayed because of bad weather in your connecting city, even if the weather in your departing city and destination are both fine! This tip can literally save your vacation and make for a smooth holiday travel experience.

Another helpful tip is to get out on the first flight of the day. This might seem crazy but early flights are usually the least expensive and often there are less crowds! By having an earlier flight, you also increase the odds of making a connecting flight. In worst case scenarios, if your flight is delayed or cancelled you have more time in the day to allow for the airlines to re-book you on an alternate route. If you are on later flights, you may not end up getting out until the following morning and having to delay your vacation by a day.

Leave Early and Give Yourself Extra Time for Everything!

Give yourself plenty of extra time for just about everything! If the drive to the airport normally takes 30 minutes, leave an hour. Any weather-related delays can slow down your drive, not to mention the holiday traffic! If you generally get to the airport 2 hours before your flight, you should plan to arrive earlier than usual to account for longer lines at ticket counters and security. If your flight has a connection, make sure you select one that has a long enough layover. It’s better to have to have a 3-4 hour layover than to miss your connection because your first flight gets delayed.

DON’T Settle for Grandma’s House

Going home for the holidays can be nice but you may not want to do the same thing every year. Traveling over the exact dates of a holiday can be expensive, but going between and after holidays can make a world of difference! If the holidays are the only time you can get off work, you might just have to accept that you’ll be paying a premium for holiday travel, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat yourself. If you live in a place with snow, I don’t need to tell you how nice it is to get away somewhere warm for the holidays! On the other hand, those from warmer climates may want to travel somewhere they can experience a ‘White Christmas’ they don’t get at home.

Pack Extra Items!

If you are traveling with kids, especially little ones, prepare for the worst. Pack plenty of extra diapers, snacks and entertainment. Even if you are traveling in an adult-only party… bring snacks! If your luggage gets lost or you’re stuck in the airport, bringing an extra toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste in your carry-on bag can also go a long way. Here are a few more items we highly recommend travelers to bring to help make their holiday travel experience smooth and easy:

Extra phone/device chargers. Airports accessories are way too expensive to spend your hard earned money on!
An empty refillable bottle. Once you’re through security, stop by a restaurant or water fountain to fill up your bottle. (Here’s one we recommend, it’s great for keeping drinks cold!)
Snacks! Airport food is overpriced, and if you’re in a hurry you may not have time to stop and buy something.
An extra change of clothes in your carry on. Things happen, babies throw up (it doesn’t have to be your baby, so you better watch out!), bags get lost, drinks spill… Having that change of clothes can save your life on longer travel days.
Pre-download shows from Netflix and have extra ones downloaded just in case. If you end up spending more time in the airport or on a plane than planned, it never hurts to have a few extra shows to watch!

Don’t Forget your Manners at Home!

Holiday travel is stressful enough, so put a smile on! Yes, airports are mad houses, yes the baby has a dirty diaper, yes your flight got delayed for a 3rd time… but you’re going on holiday! The airport staff doesn’t want to be there and unlike you they AREN’T going somewhere, so have some sympathy. They often have to work on holidays and spend the day away from their families, too. Thank your check-in staff, thank your flight attendants, and thank TSA security officers for keeping us safe another year. Attitude can easily change your entire holiday traveling experience!

We hope these tips help you in preparing for holiday travel! Let us know in the comments if you have any other tips to help with smooth holiday travel this year!

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