Travelling to visit family or take a vacation during the holidays can give you a much-needed break, but it can also be very stressful. Do lost bags, crying babies, and delayed flights sound familiar? Rushing to get to the airport on time?
Here are 5 travel tips for stress-free travelling this holiday season:
1. Use Your Smartphone
With a smartphone, you can check your email, the airline’s website, track your itinerary, and keep in contact with loved ones. Smartphones give us access to important information like the weather, a language translator, and navigation in case you get lost.
2. Avoid Checking Bags
Checking bags can be a hassle leading to lost or damaged items. Plus, the whole process of checking and retrieving your bags can add an extra hour to your travel time!
3. Ship Gifts or Buy Gift Cards
The problem with traveling with holiday gifts is that if they are pre-wrapped, the airport may need to unwrap them to check their contents. Pre-ship gifts to their holiday destination to avoid this issue. Gift cards are another popular alternative for travelling lighter during the holidays.
4. Don’t Travel During Peak Times
Some holidays are extremely busy for the travel industry, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Leaving a few days early is one way to beat some of the insanity.
5. Pack Ear Plugs
One of the best things you can do for yourself if you must travel during the holidays is pack ear plugs. Getting quiet time to read, enjoy a cup of coffee, or just think can be a blessing when travelling gets you stressed out.
Conclusion
These tips will help you avoid some common holiday travel frustrations so you can focus on making memories and spending time with loved ones. Unfortunately, we can’t make the roads and airports less busy during the holidays, but we can give you tips to make things easier.