Holiday Travel Tips
8:05:00 PM
Happy Thursday everyone! Welcome back to my blog. First of all, I wanted to apologize for not posting last week. There was a lot of crazy travel experiences and I chose to focus on spending time with my family during Thanksgiving weekend. That being said, today I have what I think will be a really useful post for a lot of you. As you all know by now I am currently going to school in New York but I live in San Francisco, which means I have to fly across the country for the holidays. If any of you have gone anywhere during peak holiday season you know how much of struggle it can be both financially and just logistic wise. I gathered some of my best tips for traveling during the holiday season to help all of you out. I hope you enjoy!
Check as many websites you can before you purchase a flight. Over the years I have found so many websites with really great deals for flights. Sometimes going straight to a specific airline's website will get you a good deal but other times, third party sites are a better option. Especially if you're traveling a long distance or trying to go somewhere during the holidays, researching several options is definitely the move. Also, usually flights and hotels are cheaper if you purchase them together as a travel package. Here are some of the ones I like to use: travelocity.com, cheapoair.com, expedia.com, justfly.com, cheaptickets.com, google flights, and kayak.com.
Try to avoid traveling on the day of/weekends. I know that this isn't always possible with people's work and school schedules, but if possible you should always try to leave a few days before and a few days after the actual holiday. Sunday after a holiday and the day before is the worst day to travel because the airport will be packed which means you will be stuck in traffic and long TSA lines and no one likes that!
Leave your house at least 2 hours before your flight. Even if you live really close or feel like there won't be long lines, trust me there will be. This weekend I almost missed my flight back to NY because the lines at SFO were ridiculously long even though I was leaving at a time I thought nobody else would be flying. Even if you end up waiting a while at your terminal you should always plan ahead and leave lots of time just in case anything goes wrong!
When packing for cold weather, wear your heaviest coat and boots on the plane and roll all of your clothes. Especially if you are only bringing a carry on with you, you want to wear the pieces that take up the most space so you can bring as much as possible. Rolling your clothes is a very helpful technique I started using every time I pack because it really does free up a lot of space. Even if you get hot on the plane you can always put your coat in the overhead storage or under your seat or use it as a pillow! Also, try to pack a scarf and gloves in your purse or backpack so you can have it can be easily accessible once you land and go outside.
Download movies/tv shows or buy an exciting book to kill the long hours on the plane. Netflix and Amazon Video came in clutch with their feature that allows you to download movies and shows to watch even when you're not connected to wifi. I tend to get really anxious and jittery on flights so being able to watch one of my favorite shows or reading a good book helps calm me down and gets me sleepy so that I can get some rest, especially on red eye flights. If you're wondering, I'm currently binge watching Breaking Bad and reading Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie.
Bring snacks from home. Let's face it, airport food is SO expensive! But you will likely get hungry while flying so always bring your favorite snacks from home because they will be much cheaper that way. But remember, no drinks!
Moisturize before you fly. This may seem like a weird tip but a long time on an airplane, especially with the air all the way up can be really bad for your skin. Always try to moisturize your face, body, and lips before flying to avoid getting dry skin. If possible, keep some hand lotion and chapstick with you so you can reapply if necessary. My personal favorite face moisturizer is CeraVe and I love applying cocoa butter to my lips to keep them moisturized!
Remember it will all be worth it. I know traveling during the Holidays can be incredibly stressful and sometimes you may wonder why you're going through all the trouble but always remember where you're headed and who you will be with. I always think about getting to spend time with my family and friends and that outweighs any stress that flying causes me. The holidays are about being with the people you love and spreading positivity so try to keep that in mind!
I hope these tips help you out this month and that you all have successful flights without too much stress! See you again very soon.
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