If you’re planning to book a flight or rent a car to visit your loved ones at the end of the year, take note of these Christmas holiday travel tips to avoid any possible mishaps along the way — and, and yes, there will be mishaps. In fact, you see all the stories show up in your social media and news feeds on Karens going wild, passengers spending too much money, and more, so of course it just makes sense to offer 4 mistakes to avoid for holiday travel.
4 mistakes to avoid traveling over the holidays
First, remember, if you plan to travel for the holidays, whether Christmas and New Years, take all the precautions and know the restrictions — as well as risks involved — to keep yourself and everyone around you safe, whether on a plane or at home with your family and friends. Covid is still a thing! In fact, Time magazine reported there could be another wave over the holidays. Be sure to social distance and wear masks in public places indoors and/or where it’s required, and definitely take a Covid-19 test and get a booster before you leave.
If you do plan on traveling over the holidays, for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Kwanzaa or any other holiday, here are 4 mistakes to avoid traveling over the holidays.
1. Traveling while you are sick or test positive for Covid-19
Covid-19 is not completely gone.
If you’re traveling over the holidays, common sense should be practiced (if you are Covid-19 positive, you can infect others) but also travelers must keep a sense of responsibility and morality.
If you are not feeling well, get a Covid-19 test. If you test positive, cancel your plans. Covid is still a thing, as I mentioned earlier. I am SOOOO ready for Covid to be over, and I know it’s going to take time, but I recently got Covid out of nowhere (after not having it for 2 1/2 years, in NYC no less!), so it’s definitely put my guard back up. It’s why I’m putting it as No 1 in my 4 mistakes to avoid traveling over the holidays list.
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2. Flying when you could have easily rented a car
Flying has been making headlines – and not in a good way. Airfare is STEEP, labor shortage is causing delays and it’s just now uncomfortable. Also, remember that the risk of Covid is still out there. Honestly, don’t NOT fly because of that, but if you want to save money, try driving to your destination instead. It’s one of our bigger tips on what to avoid during holiday travel.
If you can visit your family or friends via driving, car travel is a safe option right now. Whether you own a car or need to rent one, getting home for Christmas can be an adventure if you turn it into a fun road trip with great music and scenic drives. It’s really a great option, and a mistake you’ll avoid if you travel over the holidays.
Just remember, there are some things you don’t want to do on a road trip. Here’s our story on 10 things you should never do on a road trip.
3. If you do fly, choose your airline wisely
OK, I’m compelled to add this third rule, only because I’ve flown so many times on so many airlines over the past year. Not all airlines are created equal, so if you’re flying home for the holidays, be sure to choose an airline that’s taking the pandemic and your safety seriously. Delta has been praised as the safest airline to fly right now and even most of the pandemic. But in my personal experience, the service is bar none, and the planes are mostly newer than competitors (based on the routes I took, which are NYC to ATL, NYC to LA, etc).
If safety is a concern for you, see what kind of measures all airlines are taking before you choose one to fly with. Again, just want to make sure you don’t make any mistakes when traveling over the holidays!
If you do plan on traveling over the holidays, definitely do research on your airline.
4. Don’t forget – you have to travel all over again on the return
If you think about traveling over the holidays, just remember: you will have to do it all over again for the return portion of your trip! I know that is so obvious, but listen. Flying the first half of the trip was always challenging. The delays were the worst, and I had two cancellations. The labor shortage is really wreaking havoc, and of course, there’s the recession that’s looming. If there’s a mistake to avoid when traveling during the holidays, it’s flying. It’s why driving or even train travel is an excellent option.
Flying right now can be incredibly stressful for holiday travel.
Also, travel shaming is on the rise, as well as passenger shaming. Even if you’re a great traveler, you could be surrounded by people who are not.
Be sure to measure the pros and cons for flying now to visit family.
If you plan on driving, remember to get plenty of rest for your drive back.
Be sure to plan safety first in all your travels.
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I took my first flight in 16 months – here’s what flying post Covid-19 is like
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