Travel tips for this coming Holiday Season
The holiday season traveling is always a tense experience. Longer waits, higher chances of flight delays or cancellations and more expensive rates.
According to the United States Department of Transportation, the number of long-distance trips increases by 54 percent during the week of Thanksgiving less than Christmas and New Year’s holidays, 24 percent.
The holiday travel madness may be inevitable, but luckily there are plenty of tips and tricks that can help to reduce the pressures of traveling during the holiday season.
As a transportation company with experience, Royal Coachman gathered a few tips for holiday travel for our readers and customers.
Arrive Early and Plan Ahead
You don’t think that you are the only one who wants to fly; it’s peak travel season. So plan ahead, will save you time and money. Airports are always busier during this season, and with less availability, missing your flight could mean missing your entire trip.
The number one tip from the TSA is to arrive early when flying. There is likely to be more traffic on the roads near the airport, so it will take longer to get to the terminal. The lines will be longer at airline check-in counters, at the checkpoints because airplanes are fully booked.
Plan to arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight out of a major airport. And if you’re looking to significantly reduce your wait time, remember that there is still time to enroll in the TSA Pre-Check program. By enrolling in the program, passengers can speed through security and don’t need to remove their shoes, laptops, liquids, belts and light jackets.
Fly Direct
Try to fly direct, if it’s possible. The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years are the busiest travel period of the year, so there are more chances of lost luggage and other disruptions to your itinerary. Even if it saves you money a connection can accumulate on the stress because it increases the probability of something going wrong.
Usually, the money saved isn’t worth the hassle of having to deal with anything that goes wrong.
Pack lighter and smarter
To help with reducing the wait time, make sure you pack smart. Check the TSA website to see what you can carry through a checkpoint. Determine what to put in your carry-on and what will be in your checked luggage, better yet if you don’t check any. Remember that with such a busy season mistakes do happen, and your luggage could get lost.
It might be smarter to pack the essentials in your carry-on and ship extra items. Make sure things you need like your boarding pass, I.D., or passport are easily accessible.
Ship Gifts or Extra Luggage
In addition to packing smarter and lighter, consider shipping your gifts. After all, sending presents to your destination in advance has its advantages: you avoid any potential excess baggage and overweight fees, and also you minimize the likelihood of your gifts getting lost.
Alternate Dates for your vacation
If you have flexibility, plan your vacation in January instead of traveling in December. In January the airports are less crowded, air fares are lower, and travel is generally calmer than the Holiday Season.
We know that the holidays are a perfect time to be with friends and family but choosing to see everyone in January will save you from the hassles of the crowds. If you are planning a spring vacation instead, be sure to book your flights and hotel accommodations early.
Travel with Royal Coachman
If you’re planning on traveling this holiday season, don’t deal with the winter traffic and don’t stress about renting a car or finding a parking place.
The right move is to book Royal Coachman. A professional ground transportation company like New Jersey Limo Service can handle your ground transportation needs and can take all the stress away.
Book now the perfect ride.
Originally published at Royal Coachman.
