Julia’s Top 10 Holiday Travel Survival Tips
Traveling around the holidays can be very stressful. Long line ups, delayed flights, crowds of irritated people…holiday travel can be a nightmare! Having traveling around the world four times, to over 80 countries, across five continents, and hundreds of flights, I’ve picked up a few tips along the way.
Here are my Top 10 Holiday Travel Survival Tips:
1. The #1 Rule of Survival – Give Yourself Enough Time: This rule applies across the board, from booking to connecting flights. When first selecting your flight, remember to book in advance for better prices and bigger selection of dates and routes. When browsing for flight, hotel and car options, a great travel tool is www.kayak.com – an online travel search engine that compares hundreds of flight options in one simple search.
Using Kayak Trips www.kayak.com/trips is a great way to organize your travel itineraries and set up alerts for delays, cancellations, and gate changes. Trip alerts can be sent directly to your mobile device so you can stay informed before and while you are at the airport.
Kayak also has a newly updated Kayak iPhone app which offers a quick directory to all airlines. You can forward all of your different booking receipts from airlines, hotels and car rentals, and get an integrated itinerary on the trips tool on the iPhone. Handy!
2. Book a direct flight to avoid getting stuck somewhere due to weather. It will cost more than connecting flights but may save you hours in layovers. If budget is more your concern, then connecting flights are your best financial bet, but be aware of potential delays and give yourself a good buffer zone between flight connections.
3. When you’re packing, leave the gifts unwrapped for airport inspection. To save money on overweight luggage, it’s worth looking into sending presents ahead via ground transportation. Depending on the gifts, UPS or Fed Ex may be cheaper alternatives. Better yet, buy your presents online and have them shipped directly to your vacation destination (often for free).
4. Before you leave your house for the airport, check in online. There are a lot of delays and cancellations around the holidays, so be sure to call your airline or check their website to confirm flight times before you head to the airport.
5. Don’t rush. Get to the airport with enough time to saunter so you’re not running around like a lunatic. You won’t feel that debilitating sense of panic if you’ve given yourself enough time to navigate traffic, security lines and baggage issues.
6. Bring a big, light-weight over-the-shoulder bag. Scrunch it up in your suitcase to have on hand. If you have over weight luggage issues, you can dump some of your belongings into this over-the-shoulder bag and use it as carry-on.
7. Turn negatives into a positive. Waiting in the airport can actually be quite relaxing. You’ve been given the gift of personal time. At the airport, there are no dishes to wash, no errands to run, I say enjoy this mini vacation on the way to your vacation. Enjoy things that are hard to make time for in day-to-day life: reading a book you’ve been dying to dive into, listening to music or podcasts and crossing off crossword puzzles.
8. Pack a Survival Kit.
If you’re delayed at the airport, you can’t fully chill out unless you have supplies.
-Laptop. Not just for business travelers, laptops are handy tools to have. They’re especially great for watching movies – which always kill a good chunk of time. Outlets in airports and many airplane seats now have their own plugs, so don’t forget your chargers. If you have access to wireless internet, you can also watch full TV episodes online at Hulu.com or Fancast.com.
-iPod. With tons of your favorite music, the iPod is a great way to zone out the angry mob and retreat into relaxation. When I’m stuck at an airport, I’m a huge fan of downloading free podcasts from iTunes and lectures from TedTalks at Ted.com to pass the time.
-Bose noise-canceling headphones are a great way to escape the sound of screaming babies and travel companions who are getting on your nerves. Crank the tunes. Enjoy the experience. (For the budget traveler, invest in ear plugs to help drown out the noise on the plane while sleeping.)
-If you’re traveling with young children, pack a bag of goodies to keep them occupied (books, games, snacks.) I see a lot of parents with portable dvd players that keep kids quiet and entertained for hours. It costs between $100 and $200, fits in your hand and is also handy for road trips.
-Snacks. Hunger leads to crankiness, so I always pack some crackers, fruit, almonds or granola bars to keep me going through my layover.
-Empty water bottle – to fill up at free water fountains in the airport after you get through security. Filling up your own bottle is cheaper, better for the environment (if you use a re-usable one) and staying hydrated helps avoid jet lag.
-An inflatable pillow and your own blanket, for taking a much deserved nap. Many airlines now charge for these items, so it’s more cost efficient to bring your own blankie from home.
-Distraction is key! But so is patience, don’t forget to pack that.
-ALSO: Don’t Forget Carry on Essentials: I always assume that my luggage will be lost, so I pack my carry-on accordingly. Medication, a change of clothes, contact lens solution, fragile camera gear and any other major items find their way with me onto the plane. This way, if my luggage IS lost, I have all my essentials with me, ready to rock!
9. Splurge for the lounge: If you’re facing a really long delay or layover, splurge and pay the extra for access to the business lounge. American Airlines, Delta, Northwest, US Airways and Continental all have one day passes (approx $50) where you’ll have access to a variety of amenities: snacks, self service bar, high-speed internet, newspapers, etc. For me, it’s totally worth it! For a little extra, you’ll find the seating is more comfortable and the atmosphere more relaxed.
10. Embrace the Zen. If things don’t go well – if your flight is cancelled, delayed, the plane needs maintenance or whatever – don’t get stressed. If you don’t have the power to change it, why sweat it? Embracing the Zen is one of the most important things in travel…especially during the holiday season. It’s a special time of year, a time of charity and appreciating what we have…so hopefully we can all take that spirit of kindness with us, all the way through airport security.
Share your own travel tips. How do you make it through this stressful holiday travel time? I want to hear from you…
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