Travel Tip #31 - Traveling during the Holidays

     You've probably heard that the busiest travel day of the year is the day before Thanksgiving. It turns out that that isn't completely true - at least as far as airports are concerned. In the past, it probably has been the busiest travel day of the year in several years - giving rise to the refrain. Of course, that may be the reason why it no longer is. Some school districts have gone on modified calendars in which the students get the whole week of Thanksgiving off, allowing families to leave for the full week without worrying about their kids falling behind. Others leave on Tuesday to avoid the Wednesday rush. Still others have simply decided to avoid airports on that day. In any case, although Wednesday remains one of the busiest travel days of the year, recent data from airlines shows that the busiest travel days currently are weekends during summer break (particularly Fridays) and the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

     The number of people driving on Wednesday is a bit harder to gauge; and if the stats were combined, the week of Thanksgiving is almost assuredly the busiest travel week of the year (in the U.S.), followed closely by the week of Christmas. With that in mind, here are a couple of ideas on how to make traveling during the Holidays a little less stressful.

     1) Plan ahead - If you are traveling by air, you can save a lot of money by buying your tickets several months ahead of time. If traveling by another route, planning ahead gives you a chance to research and weigh your options. Also, by packing ahead, you avoid the stress of last minute packing.

     2) Look at your options - Maybe you always travel the same way for your holiday vacation. If your current mode of travel is stressful, you might want to consider other options - including taking the train or traveling by bus.

     3) Travel light - If you only bring the essentials, you can save time and money. More and more airlines are charging passengers per bag. Also, if you are able to pack your belongings in carry-on bags, you can avoid the dreaded delays of luggage claim (and the disaster of lost luggage). If you have lots of packages, it might be cheaper to ship them ahead of time. Even if you are traveling by car, traveling light improves your average miles/gallon.

     4) Plan for weather delays - Even the best laid travel plans can be torpedoed by weather issues. This is particularly true during the holiday season. If you are driving, keep an eye on the forecasts and be prepared to alter your plans if necessary. If you are flying, just assume that there are going to be delays and plan accordingly.

     5) Avoid heavy traffic - By planning ahead, you can avoid heavy congestion. Some people try to travel the same time every year, and run into the same problems every time. For example, when we travel from Utah to visit relatives in southern California, we've discovered that the stretch of I-15 between San Bernadino and Las Vegas can resemble a parking lot - particularly on evenings at the beginning or the end of a holiday weekend. To avoid this, we try to travel that stretch early in the morning, when most travelers are sleeping in. That usually means traveling halfway on the way down, but with some advance planning, we can usually make that work.

     Whatever your travel plans are this year, plan ahead and be safe!