The holidays are the most amazing times of the year, but traveling is one of the worst parts.
If you endeavor to spend Christmas with loved ones, you’ll need a method of transport to reach them. The most popular method is via airplane. But with so many people opting for the same choice, airports are populated with stressed individuals trying to make it home for the holidays. However, we want to reduce the burden and stress and help you out with a holiday travel guide designed especially for you.
A Bit About Our Holiday Travel Guide
The conundrum of when to fly during the holidays still remains; no-one has quite mastered when it’s the cheapest day to book/fly out. However, in order to successfully create a holiday travel guide, physical and mindful preparation is key to eliminating stress and anxiety. Traveling at one of the biggest times of the year means it’s a more popular time of the year. Also, the prices take a huge rise.
We want to help you become more relaxed and happier whilst jetting off to see loved ones during the festive season. To achieve this, ensure you learn what is and isn’t in your control to help yourself become more at peace. Our holiday travel guide should help you get started to ensure as smooth a journey as possible.
Why is Holiday Travel Stressful?
Ensuring you have a proper holiday travel guide helps to reduce the stress, anxiety and unhappiness associated with this time of year. Whilst everyone is festive and cheerful outside of airports, in terminals is a very different vibe altogether. Firstly, the festive season can bring so much pressure to behaviour a certain way and please others. For example, attending late to a family Christmas gathering is more unforgiving than a regular vacation. Research has found that traveling during the popular seasons is more expensive. As a result, people are worrying more than ever about how much is left in their bank account.
During November-January, the weather is often colder and more dangerous than other times of the year. This is particularly true in the United States. With these weather conditions come plenty of flight delays. Being at home for Christmas is one of the most important tasks on people’s mind during December. Therefore, if something disturbs that tradition, then it becomes a stressful time for flyers. If you’ve ever been in this situation, you’ll appreciate that the control is out of your hands – which can actually contribute to even more stress.
With many people traveling across the country – or even globe - to visit family, they require plenty of baggage. However, taking more means you’re more likely to encounter lost luggage. Consequently, the lines for customer service and checking in tend to be much longer than other times of the year. Not to mention, more people trying to fit their belongings on a plane becomes a time-consuming and stressful task. With so many travellers desperate to get home in time for Christmas, the slightest delay or unexpected factor can make a huge difference for someone’s patience.
Why is it Important to Prepare?
There are many reasons why it’s important to prepare for a holiday travel guide. Firstly, there are many things at an airport which are out of your control. However, ensuring that you pack all of your belongings isn’t one of them. If you’re rushing on your traveling day, then you’ll contribute to unnecessary stress which you could’ve prevented. For example, not having documents printed and safely stored in your bag to hand causes delays and panic moments. Never start packing the night before a flight. Instead, prepare at least a week in advance with a list of essentials to take and tasks you need to sort.
Also, it’s important that you pack light for your travel. Reduce the number of devices, clothes and unnecessary accessories you take. As a result, they’re less likely to go missing and won’t weigh your case down. Traipsing around with a heavy suitcase can be stressful, so reduce the pressure by taking less items with you. Not only do we recommend preparing your belongings and documents in advance of your flight, but booking the vacation in advance too. As a result, you’ll ensure that you have a seat and don’t miss out during the holidays. Also, you’re likely to get a great deal from an airline, as not many families prepare their Christmas months in advance.
Finally, there’s nothing worse than being thirsty and hungry whilst you’re under stress. Prepare your body with plenty of rest and sleep at least the night before a flight. We’d all love to get some shut eye on a long-haul flight, but that’s rarely possible. Ensure you prepare and manage your workload in advance of your travelling schedule to eliminate any unwanted stress. Get your mind into holiday mode to help yourself tune in and relax.
An Easy Holiday Travel Guide to Follow
Now that we’ve established why traveling during the holidays is so stressful, let’s touch on some pointers to reduce this anxiety. There are many factors which affect stress, and sometimes it’s down to how we perceive situations and deal with chaos. So, always revert back to positive thinking and remaining calm during unfortunate events. When in doubt, pull our our handy holiday travel guide to get you through tough moments.
1. Invest in a Strong and Sturdy Suitcase
One of the best tips to execute a successful holiday travel guide is purchasing a strong and reliable suitcase. Your baggage should be strong enough to hold your belongings and essentials and not leave you doubting that it’ll break. This is especially important if you are traveling far. Invest in a brand you recognise and trust, as they’ll have years of experience and expertise behind them. Here are a few suitcases we recommend which are made from high-quality materials.
Steve Madden Expandable Suitcase
Travel to your destination in style with this designed suitcase. We love that this suitcase is lightweight to avoid any strain and pressure on you. Also, this helps to reduce airline fees as you won’t pay any extra just for your baggage. If you’ve ever been in this situation at any airport, you’ll appreciate how much it can catch you off guard. This suitcase is great if you tend to travel with lots of items. It expands to hold maximum packing capacity so you don’t need to worry that your essentials won’t fit in.
As the holidays are the busiest time of year for airports, traveling through them can delay and stress you. This Steve Madden luggage comes with ergonomic grips on the handles. As a result, you control the suitcase, and can easily move through crowds. Finally, the 360-degree wheels enable you to move from point A to point B easily and smoothly.
Vera Bradley Suitcase
Effectively executive a holiday travel guide means purchase a reliable and sturdy suitcase. This is another example of an excellent product to purchase for you and your family. Alternatively, it makes a great gift to avid travellers. We love that the interior is carefully designed to help you organize your belongings and quickly access them at any time. With plenty of pockets and compression straps, you can keep even the most fragile items safe.
The exterior of this suitcase is ideal for long-haul or connecting flights. The hardside shell case is resistant to scratches and dints. It’s also water resistant and you can easily wipe away any stains which occur during your holiday travels. As a result, you won’t have to worry about your suitcase getting damaged every again.
Scooter Suitcase
If you’re prone to rushing around in airports and navigating through large crowds of people, then you’ll appreciate this scooter suitcase. One of the biggest stresses of holiday traveling is time. Therefore, we love that this scooter suitcase can help add time to your busy schedule thanks to its fully functioning wheels. Made from high-quality materials, the luggage’s framework is strong and stable enough to hold up to 50L of belongings.
Designed for airports, the wheels smoothly navigate through busy crowds whilst ensuring that your belongings are protected and safe at all times. Made using aluminium and magnesium, you can rely on this luggage to not damage in any slight accident. Make mundane and long journeys fun and easy with this highly innovative design.
2. Ensure Your Home is Safe Whilst You’re Away
So many of us mainly consider where we’re heading and have little concerns for our home until we’re away. Did we turn off the oven? Did we lock the garage? Are the lights off? It’s hard to enjoy the holidays if you’re continuously asking yourself questions such as these. However, worrying doesn’t do anything. Instead, invest in a high-security home system to handle anything you no longer have control of. Here are some of our top suggestions to easing your mind whilst you’re traveling during the holidays.
Arlo Pro Wireless Home Security Camera System with Siren
This wireless security camera is a great addition to your holiday travel guide. It’s a highly innovative device which helps you give you peace of mind whilst you’re in another city, or even, state. The wide-angle camera links to the motion sensors. As a result, no movement or sound gets missed, so you can always see what’s happening in your home whilst you’re not there. If there are certain areas of your home which are prone to thieves, you can adjust and highlight these areas with the camera.
Many of us worry about crime whilst we’re away from home, and most cameras only record the offence. However, this security camera intends to prevent crime in the first place. Consequently, it’ll trigger a high-pitched siren when any motion or sound is detected. You’ll then be alerted to check in and witness the occurrence, whilst the camera continues to record any movement.
1080P WiFi Wireless IP Security Surveillance Camera
This is another excellent camera to purchase if you get concerned about your home whilst you’re traveling during the holidays. It features a 360-degree camera to offer optimum vision when you’re out of the home. You can install it pretty much anywhere in the home – that includes on the ceiling or on the wall – so people don’t notice it. We also love that installing it is quick and easy too, which makes it ideal for busy households.
Avoid asking people to check on your home whilst you’re away, and take control over your own responsibilities. With a 1080P camera, the vision has never been clearer. As a result, it provides excellent evidence if necessary. Also, you can regularly check on your home and belongings no matter where you are in the world. Consequently, it takes some of the stress and pressure off of being away from home during the holidays.
Home Surveillance System Wireless 12" LCD
Following a successful holiday travel guide means that you reduce your stress and feel more relaxed during your time away from home. This particular camera helps to give you peace of mind during the holidays. With a waterproof network and nigh vision, you can always see high-quality images and videos at any time you check into the camera. No matter the weather or atmosphere, it’s sturdy and reliable enough to monitor your surroundings whilst you’re out of town.
Also, it constantly monitors any movement or sound to capture any suspicious activity in its memory. If it detects any movement, it’ll send you an e-mail alert with images to support it. Additionally, you can customize these settings and features to adjust how and when you’re notified.
3. Check Your Airline’s Regulations on Food and Drinks
A holiday travel guide should make your life easier and the traveling experience smoother. Therefore, this requires planning and preparation before jetting off. Always check your airline’s regulations on food and drinks prior to making any purchases. Many companies have different laws and objectives over what you can bring on board. In order to reduce your stress and make the travelling experience as pleasurable as possible, do your research before visiting the airport. Remember, you cannot take any liquids over 100ml in your hand luggage. Therefore, if you intend to take any drinks you purchase, consider the drink limit, or invest in larger suitcase to check in.
The same applies for food too. For example, if you wish to purchase any meats, diary or condiments, check what you’re allowed on your flight prior to purchasing.
4. Check That You Have the Basic and Essentials
Panicking can become a nightmare if you don’t check that you have all the important documents and essentials you need. We recommend that you write a list of all the things you need to take at least one week prior to when you travel. You can then check off the list as you pack the essentials into your case. Most importantly, you should have your passport, boarding pass, flight details and hotel confirmation (if applicable) to hand. Keeping them in an organizer ensures that they’re safe and always readily available whenever you need them. Here are some products which will limit your stress when boarding planes.
Zoppen RFID Travel Passport Wallet & Documents Organizer
This is an ideal document organizer if you travel often during the holidays, or are prone to misplacing important documents. It protects your privacy and provides ample room for your passport, ID, tickets, confirmation e-mails and any other essentials. There’s also enough room to store your money, cell phone and stationary. As a result, it’s ideal for people travelling as a large group, or parents who wish to care for their children’s documents.
Made from a high-quality fabric, it’s fashionable and resistant to scratches and wear and tear. Also, it offers a handy grip whilst you carry it around on the go. We love that this document organizer offers so much versatility too. For example, you can easily remove the wristlet and keychain to customize this organizer to your liking. With plenty of options, you can store it at the front of your luggage, or hold it on the go for quick and easy access.
Travel Wallet & Family Passport Holder
This travel organizer is smaller and more practical than the above option so it is easier to store, and ideal if you’re traveling alone. However, you can still store plenty of important documents in the storage space. For example, if can hold up to six passports, travel documents and up to 10 debit cards. As a result, there’s no more fiddling around in your suitcase or handbag trying to locate your important documents at the airport or hotel.
We love that this organizer also protects your essentials. This is all thanks to the safeguards inside the organizer which give you the ultimate peace of mind. You don’t even need to worry if you’re out in the rain with this organizer. As it’s water resistant, it can withstand an array of weather conditions to keep your important documents safe and dry. Also, it easily fits into your suitcase to make it easy to take out and put away each time you need it.
Passport holder and Document Organizer
We appreciate that following a holiday travel guide isn’t always easy – especially with so many things to consider and think about. This document organizer is ideal for your holiday travels – especially if you’ll be carrying fragile and personal items with you. This organizer enables you to safely store your credit cards, ID, documents and passport without having to worry about their locations. The RFID micro-chips constantly monitor the information in the organizer to make you less of a target to thieves.
As a result, you don’t need to worry about misplacing your important documents during the holidays. It’s also an effective and important way to keep your personal data safe so no-one can steal your identity. However, from the exterior, this organizer doesn’t look intimidating at all. Instead, it’s friendly-looking and designed for men and women. The shoulder and neck strap makes it easy and ideal to travel on long journeys without worrying about where it is.
5. Plan Your Journey Well in Advance
This might seem like an obvious point, but there are so many people who don’t organize evert part of their journey. As a result, they end up stressed, delayed or even stranded. If you’re traveling to a foreign place, ensure you’re looked into where your location is and how long it’ll take to arrive there. Also, what are your transportation options? If you can walk, does the weather enable you to do so? These are all important factors to consider.
Also, how will you get to the airport? Don’t ask a friend last-minute, as you may find they’re not available. If you have arranged transportation well in advance, ensure you double-check with friends or companies. Some organizations require you to bring proof of ID, so ensure you have everything to hand for them too.
What is Your Go-to Holiday Travel Guide?
With Christmas right around the corner, we appreciate that it’s an exciting (and stressful time of the year). If you’re traveling to meet loved ones during this festive season, ensure you’re well-prepared with the above tips. Why not make your life much easier with devices and products which can take the stress off of you during your travels?
We’d love to hear your thoughts and advice on a holiday travel guide. How do you limit stress and stay calm when things aren’t going your way? Share your feedback in the comments to keep this conversation going.
Related Article: Holiday Travel Tips to Keep You Safe and Sane During the Busy Season
