Planning to visit Grandma’s or spending Christmas in Paris? Traveling over the holidays can be notoriously busy, expensive and stressful, but the news isn’t all bad. Check out these 10 holiday travel tips and find some joy this season.
1. Avoid peak travel dates.
Travel off-peak whenever possible. Fortunately, Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Wednesdays this year, so travel will likely be more spread out than normal, with no obvious peak days.
2. Book early.
Fares are only rising, so those who hold out in hopes of a late-breaking sale are likely to get left out in the cold or pay a very steep price for their procrastination. Be prepared to be flexible with dates and flight times.
3. Shop around.
Comparison shopping has never been easier. During peak travel season, casting the net as wide as possible will help you understand all of your options. For many travellers, price isn’t the only or even the most important factor, especially during the holidays. Thoughtful, deliberate use of the “search adjacent days or airports” features found on many websites may also surrender greatly improved fares and travel times.
4. Know your airports.
Checking alternate airports is a pretty standard tactic, but at this time of year it can really make a difference. You can score on almost every front – parking, rental cars, traffic to and from, nearby hotels – and save both time and money. Smaller airports see fewer flights and therefore, typically, fewer delays.
5. Plot connections carefully.
When booking flights, check your search results carefully for sufficient time during layovers, and build in some time for flight delays and weather woes. Avoiding really tight connections may save you a sprint through the terminal or a missed flight.
6. Leave early.
During peak travel times, many of the delays you’ll face lie on this side of security, from traffic jams and full parking lots to absent shuttles and long lines. Rather than striving to “arrive at the airport early,” you may want to try to “leave for the airport early” to anticipate the peripheral delays you may encounter.
7. Pack wisely.
In the past, you may have been able to fit everything into your carry-on without having to check any baggage – a strategy we still recommend. However, the TSA rules about liquids and gels make this a trickier proposition. When packing, keep in mind that most airlines are now charging travellers a fee for checking any bags on domestic flights (and even some international ones).
8. Use the Web for more than just booking.
The latest self-service developments in online travel can be tremendous time-savers during peak travel times. Whenever possible, print your boarding passes at home, use check-in kiosks or even pull up your boarding pass on your smartphone. Consider doing your holiday shopping online and having your gifts shipped to your destination.
9. Travel early or late in the day.
As a rule, airports are least congested at times when most people would rather be at home or asleep. Delays are far less likely for morning flights, and airports usually unclog as the afternoon and evening peak passes. Caveat: Staffing can be spotty for really early flights, so although your flight is highly likely to be ready to leave on time, check-in may take a while, along with other personnel-dependent steps like riding shuttle buses.
10. Consider package deals.
Peak travel periods can be the best time to buy package deals, even for folks who would never buy one, as the bundled pricing offered by packages can be very competitive, even (or especially) at times of high demand.
A Few Bonus Tips:
- Be prepared for more than the usual slowdowns at security. Even though the TSA’s liquid and gel rules have been around for many years now, folks who fly very rarely may not be familiar with all the ins and outs, and the newer full body scanners could catch even frequent travellers off guard.
- Gas up the night before you travel; no one leaves enough time for buying gas on the way to the airport.
- Investigate your frequent flier options to get better (and better guaranteed) seats.
- Keep your cool. Airline employees have considerable power over your well-being. Unfortunately, many enjoy wielding it against you, and few respond well to anger.
- Have phone numbers for everything: your hotel, your car rental agency, your airline, friends at your destination.
- Choose non-stop flights. The worst, most brutal delays occur in connecting airports, where you have no home, friends or family to retreat to.
- With airlines continuing to cut back on service, it’s more important than ever to confirm your flight several days before you leave – that way you’ll have a little leeway to make alternate plans if necessary.
- Don’t overpack even checked luggage; overstuffed bags that must be opened for a security check are much harder to repack.
- Do not wrap gifts, especially if you intend to carry them on the plane. Even in checked baggage, there is a strong chance they will be unwrapped for inspection by security personnel. Consider gift bags instead of wrapping paper this holiday season – you can easily remove the items from their bags if required and you don’t have to do a last-minute wrapping job at your destination.
- Give your cell phone a full charge, and write down or program the phone number of your airline so you can call easily as your flight time approaches.
Excerpted from the Independent Traveler
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