It’s the season of goodwill to all men – apart from when you find yourself stuck in mile-long tailbacks, with a delayed flight at the airport or queuing with lots of others to get a taxi. Travel plans can get our Christmas holidays off to an extremely stressful start. So how to avoid the headaches and have a calm festive period?
Double Check Your Documents
Santa made a list, and checked it once, twice… and you need to be just as vigilant when it comes to checking your travel documents over. You don’t want to show up at the airport with an expired passport! And if you need visa paperwork, make sure you’ve applied in plenty of time and printed off all the necessary paperwork.
Prepare Your Vehicle
If you’re planning a road trip, it’s a good idea to book your car in for a service with a trusted auto repair shop- little things like making sure the oil and windscreen fluid is topped up and the tyres are fully inflated can make a big difference to the comfort and safety of your journey. If you may need snow chains or tyres, make sure to get those, along with an in car emergency kit with a sleeping bag, collapsible shovel, LED flashlight and plenty of de-icer. If you’re going to need collecting from an airport, then make arrangements with a local taxi company in advance to save the hassle of queuing up with lots of other frustrated travellers.
Remember To Charge Up
It’s a surefire thing that you’re going to need your phone or tablet during the journey, so take the time to charge everything up and make sure you have charger leads easily accessible in your hand luggage. It’s also a good idea to invest in a portable power bank so you can charge up on the go in an emergency situation. If you’re changing countries, a universal adaptor or two is a smart move to make sure you can juice up all those gadgets.
Pack Light
However you’re planning to travel, mastering the art of packing light is a real life skill that will help you to enjoy travel more. Not having to drag around heavy suitcases, or being able to skip the baggage reclaim queues at the airport but using hand luggage only just makes for a smoother journey. Plus you can avoid any stress with missing luggage by having everything with you. Work out a travel capsule wardrobe and leave everything but the essentials behind.
Choose Your Times
Choosing the right time to travel can make a huge difference to how easy your journey is. Using a route planner tool if you’re driving will enable you to avoid congested routes at peak times and you may avoid the frustration of traffic jams. If you’re flying, avoid the red eye flights. It may seem tempting to save money but you want to arrive refreshed and ready to celebrate rather than being sleep deprived and grumpy.
