These simple steps can save you time and headaches with air travel, baggage and crowds.
1. Avoid Flying at Peak Times. If your travel schedule is flexible, avoid flying on the busiest days of the season: the day before Thanksgiving and the two days immediately preceding and following Christmas and New Year's. Also, book flights at off-peak times, such as early morning. If at all possible, fly on the holiday itself, when airports have an almost empty, tumbleweed-blowing-in-the-desert feel.
2. Hit the Road With Technology by Your Side. Portable GPS navigators are wondrous things, providing the fastest and most direct routes to your destination — and voice auto-commands help keep your eyes on the road. Upgraded models offer real-time traffic information, but unless your car has built-in GPS capability, these can be pricey. A much more economical alternative — as infree — is Google Maps, available on most smartphones. It not only provides driving directions but also has color-coded lines indicating the severity of traffic ahead: green lines indicate good conditions, yellow means fair, and red or red/black signal poor conditions.
3. Travel Light. Don't be weighed down with packages. Order gifts online, and have them sent directly to the recipient, or mail your packages ahead of time. If you're a procrastinator, you can take advantage of the annual Free Shipping Day on December 16, when some 1,500 merchants guarantee free delivery by Christmas Eve. And, if you're flying, don't wrap the gifts you bring — airlines have the right to open any wrapped package.
4. Don't Check Your Bags. The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are traditionally the busiest times to fly, which means the odds of losing your luggage rise exponentially with the increased air traffic. Not to mention the expense of paying $25 or more per bag. Be on the safe side: carry on your luggage.
5. Take the Back Roads. Driving the interstates can be dull at any time, but holiday travel often adds big-time gridlock to the mix. If you have some time on your hands, why not leave the major highways behind, and hit the back roads for serendipitous pleasures? Of all the holiday travel tips, this one will help you to focus on the joys of the season most of all.
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