11/27/2019
WISHING YOU ALL HOLIDAY CHEER STARTING WITH THE FABULOUS THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS!!
Traveling This Holiday Season? Keep These Tips in Mind to Cut Down on Stress
For many people, the holiday season is a dance between the joy of spending time with loved ones and the stress of frequent celebrations. Stress is amplified for those who have their homes on the market and are planning to move at this time of year.
In between showing your home to potential buyers, packing, and searching for a new place to live, do your holiday plans this year include travel? Here are a few tips to help you reduce stress and extract the most joy from this hectic season:
If your trip includes transporting holiday gifts to loved ones, consider having the items shipped to them directly. Not only will bringing presents with you add to your luggage burden, but nothing would dampen the holiday spirit like having your stash of gifts end up in the airline’s lost luggage purgatory.
Avoid traveling on the most popular dates. Regardless of your method of transportation, certain days surrounding each holiday are notoriously busy. These are often the day before a holiday and the Sunday afterwards. This translates to higher rates, busier roads, and nerve-wracking airport snafus. If possible, consider traveling on the holiday itself—any inconvenience will probably be offset by significantly lower rates, less traffic, and more room to spread out if you are flying. In addition, when searching on hotel or airline websites, review the lowest-priced options by checking the box indicating "flexible dates."
Consider flights in and out of smaller airports. On the outskirts of many cities, less busy airports offer travelers lower fares and a less stressful flying experience. You may have to drive further to your destination upon landing, but the cost savings often render the effort worthwhile.
If your itinerary includes flight connections, be sure to leave sufficient time between legs. Between winter weather delays and crowded airports, scheduling back-to-back connecting flights may spike your holiday stress levels.
