Hi everyone! I am back from my combination work/vacation to Florida – it was incredible! I have spent this entire week playing catch up from having been away.
Is it really the weekend before Thanksgiving? How is it even possible? I am going to take another blog break until after Thanksgiving – I will have a full house and need to focus on getting ready for guests and enjoying my time with my family! When I return, I promise a full run down on our trip to Florida, as well as some fun holiday travel information.
Once again I am sharing the same post I do every year at this time…it can’t hurt to be reminded again of ways to avoid the stress of holiday travel! This year, in particular, tensions are high – be kind to your fellow travelers and remember to smile!
Will you be joining the millions of other Americans flying over the holidays?
Navigating airports, security lines and flying can be stressful any time, but dealing with all that on the busiest weekend of the year can turn into a nightmare very easily. Here are a few survival tactics to alleviate as much stress as possible:
Plan ahead:
- Do not check your bags if there is any way at all you can avoid it. Send gifts ahead. Ship your bags via a company such as Luggage Free.
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Consider booking your flights in and out of smaller airports. The security lines will be shorter and air traffic control queues will be less of a problem.
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Book your flight first thing in the morning. Air traffic won’t have had a chance to back up and flights are more likely to be delayed later in the day.
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Try to book direct flights even if it costs a little more.
- If you are driving to the airport, keep in mind parking lots may be full. Check out your parking options before you drive to the airport.
- Consider paying a little more for faster access through security. Many airlines offer priority lines if you pay an additional fee. If you are ever going to pay extra for this type of service, the holidays would be the time to do it.
- Check the weather in both your departure and arrival locations. If the weather is questionable be prepared to make alternative arrangements. The airline may let you change your flights for free before you leave home if there is impending bad weather.
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Bookmark airlinenumbers.com on your phone or laptop so you will have the information handy if you need it.
- Install an app such as FlightAware on your phone or request text updates on your specific flight to stay on top of any gate changes or delays.
Day of Travel:
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Get to the airport VERY early. It’s taken me my whole life to learn this lesson and, once I did, it was a game changer. Nobody likes to spend their day at an airport but it’s even worse to be standing in a security line watching the minutes tick by just knowing you are going to miss your plane. Arrive several hours early – if you breeze through security, consider yourself lucky and go grab something to eat, sit down and read a book or magazine.
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Print your Boarding Passes at home (ideally 24 hours before you are traveling). I am always amazed that people don’t do this – it’s so simple to print your boarding pass ahead of time and eliminates one entire line at the airport.
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Dress and pack your carry-on bags with airport security mind. Be ready with your plastic bags and containers under 3 ounces. Wear shoes that are easy to take on and off. Don’t wear a lot of jewelry and accessories that may need to be removed when going through the scanners.
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Pack snacks for the airport and plane (just no liquids). Airlines rarely serve food any more and even if they do, if you are in a long delay situation, that bag of chips will not last you all day. Protein bars, apples and nuts are all things that are easy to toss in your carry-on just in case.
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If your flight is canceled or it looks like you may miss a connection, call the airline from your cell phone rather than waiting in line at the customer service center (or call while waiting in line and deal with whoever you reach first).
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Patience, Patience, Patience – A good attitude even in the craziest situation will help reduce your stress level considerably.
Whew!! That’s a lot of information – I hope it helps! Do you have any other strategies for reducing stress while flying during busy times?? If so, I would love to hear them. I won’t be traveling this Thanksgiving or Christmas – MY number one strategy for travel over the holidays is to invite everyone to my house!!
Have a beautiful Thanksgiving, my friends…wherever you may be wandering…
xoxo
Great tips, Sandy! We always try to get to the airport early. I would much rather have the extra time to sit and read – or have a glass of wine! Glad to hear you had a nice time in Florida!
Shelley
Hmmm closing on a house and trying to sell on during the Holidays , I needed this!!
Great tips Sandy! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!! How fun to have a full house. I bet you are the best hostess. xx
I swear by your travel tips, Sandy. Talk about full service travel planning! Have a great Thanksgiving!
Loved your tips. Thanks for sharing,
Lisa x
Truly need these tips! Thank you dear!