Bon Voyage: Tips on Minimizing Stress of Holiday Travel

At PGL we like to travel, but we do not like the hoards of people who descend on the airports at the holidays.  You know the types -- the ones who act like they've never been through a security line and hold the entire line up, or those who travel with their entire life's belongings in the event that their plane is diverted to a deserted island on the way to the some destination in the continental United States -- to name a few.  It seems like these type of airport goers flood airports at the holidays, making holiday travel more stressful.  PGL takes pride that she has developed a system to avoid most travel woes.  Even the  Husband comments that traveling with PGL is like traveling "with a series of upgrades." We might not have it all figured out, but here are some tried and true tips to make it through the holiday travel grid:

• Plan ahead and, if possible, build in transition time: Although planning ahead is not practical in the hustle and bustle of the normal year, around the holidays, if you can plan, do.  Scout flights so that you get good seats or, at least, so that the times are convenient and within budget.  Check in early so that you get a good seat, or a call the airline and ask if there are better seats available. Another secret of stress minimizing travel: transition time.  If you can, fly to your destination a day early and stay the night in a hotel before driving to your family holiday.  Or, at the very least book a morning flight and go to a long, nice lunch before descending on your holiday place.  This can be helpful for your mental health.  Remind yourself "this is a holiday" and try to get out of the day-to-day grind mode as much as you can.
• Travel light and, if you must, ship: Traveling light can be essential to a stress-less travel experience.  Coordinate your clothes so that you do not have to check a bag (because checking bags mean more lines, more changes that something will be lost or delayed, and, in these times, typically extra fees).  In terms of toiletries, bring only essential ones in small bags and go to a CVS or Target and buy the rest when you get to your destination. If you cannot fit all of your belongings and holiday gifts into carry on sized bags, then consider shipping ahead some of your belongings.  This is what I have done from year to year and it has worked great. Ship early so that if there are delays your gifts and other things will arrive and make arrangements at wherever you are staying, be it a hotel of home for the package to be received and held for you.  (During the unfortunate holidays where PGL has work that must be done over the holidays, she ships that, too).
• Use your perks: If you are a frequent traveler, consider using your miles or free airport lounge pass to buy convenience at the holidays.  Upgrading to the next class of service is ideal -- but, if that is not available, even using your miles to buy priority boarding or to get a free ticket can be ideal.  If you have a rewards card, like a Platinum American Express, you may be afforded airport lounge access, which can be a  great place to spend some mental health "transition time" during your travels. The Husband and I have been fortunate enough to have perks with our favorite rental car company and so we enjoy the convenience of having a car waiting for pick up and avoiding the long rental car lines. We don't always take advantage of this, but at holiday times, we do. 
• Keep a travel file: We've already written about the benefits of a paper calendar.  But, even if you don't keep one, at least print out your key information: rental car reservation, air confirmation, and addresses where you are going.  At the holidays, your phone service may be slow or overloaded and you want to make sure you have your information easily accessible. 
• Consider avoiding travel: I know that for many this is the unthinkable, but consider whether the travel is worth it.  The Husband and I five years ago decided to travel only for Christmas and not for Thanksgiving.  We just could not make 2 trips work so close together with our work schedules and with a desire to keep at least a part of our sanity.  So, on Thanksgiving, we invite any family or friends who want to travel to see us for Thanksgiving to our home for the holiday -- we cook and entertain, but we stay clear of the airports during this time. While at first it took folks a bit of time to catch on, now more and more family are joining us.  This also has the benefit of making us a bit less fed up with holiday travel when Christmas rolls around -- we are a bit more rested and ready for the bustle of holiday travel.  There are any number of ways to celebrate special days with your friends and family -- and they all do not have to involve travel. 
• When all else fails, order a drink: And, even with the most planning and the best of intentions, holiday travel can still be stressful.  Flights can be cancelled.  Weather can delay things. Bags or packages can get lost.  Just resolve to consider all of this part of the "holiday" experience.  When this happens, order a stiff drink, eat some Christmas candy, and move on.  At the end of the day, the holidays are about taking a little time for those we love and breaking out of our day to day routines. Embrace it.