Thanksgiving is North America’s busiest travel holiday. As many of you will be traveling this holiday season we thought we would leave you some traveling tips to make your trip a little less stressful. If you have any tips of your own you would like to share please leave a comment below or e-mail them to me at smiller@mailpound.com. Travel safe and have a great holiday!
If you are driving
- The busiest days of travel are Wednesday and Thursday, so if your schedule allows you to, try to leave on Tuesday.
- The same thing holds true of your travel home. By arriving a few days early, it will allow you to leave on Friday and you may be able to avoid traffic jams on your way home as well.
- Another way to cut on time and avoid traffic is by leaving early in the morning or late afternoon. Most cars appear on the road between 9-12 so it would be best to avoid being on the road during that time J
If you are flying
- A telephone poll conducted by the AAA found that 82% of all holiday travelers travel by car. Another way to reduce the stress of traveling would be do take a train or plane. Just make sure to leave plenty of time to arrive before your departure.
- Avoid flying on Wednesday, November 26th. It will be difficult to get a seat and your tickets will be outrageously priced. Instead try flying out on the first flight Thanksgiving morning, if you cannot get a flight earlier in the week.
- If at all possible ship your bags ahead of time.
- Check in online up to 24 hours in advance and print out your boarding pass on your home computer. You can also use this opportunity to pick better seats if they are available.
- If you are checking a bag do not wrap any presents as they may unwrap them in the security check.
- Wear easily removable shoes so you are not holding up the line.
- Label your luggage with your name and address. If you are traveling in a big group it is a good idea to mark all your suitcases with something distinctive that will make them standout, such as tying a bright colored ribbon on each suitcase. Not only will you be able to identify your suitcases more quickly and easily, but chances are someone else will not mistaken it for their bag.
- Fly home on Friday afternoon. Your flight will be empty and your airfare will be lower.