Ah, holiday travel. On the one hand, it makes you feel warm and fuzzy, right? Going to see friends and family, spending time together…and then on the other hand you think of the traffic, the hassle, weird Uncle Bob, and maybe holiday travel isn’t all that.

There’s not a lot we can do to help you with weird Uncle Bob, but there are some steps you can take to make the rest of it a little easier.

Pack Light

It can be really tempting to bring everything you might need, but when it comes to making the most of traveling, you’ll get a lot more from bringing a lot less.

When it comes to clothes and accessories, focus on packing functional, versatile pieces. You need things you can wear easily in any situation.

Save yourself extra hassle by mailing your gifts ahead of you or having them shipped directly to your destination!

Contingency Plans

Wherever you’re going, however you plan to get there, always have a backup plan. You never know what you’ll encounter, and being prepared for anything can save you a lot of time and a definite headache.

Before you go on your trip, research alternate options if something should happen. If you’re driving, what are some other routes you can take should your route suddenly be cut off or slowed down by traffic?

If you’re flying, make sure you know the airline policy on catching other flights should something stand in your way.

Avoid Peak Travel Days

This is a very straightforward advantage: traveling on non-peak days will save you money and time. Think of the days when people are most likely to travel (the weekends before and after Christmas, for instance) and when people are less likely to travel (mid-week, on holidays themselves, etc).

Whenever possible, plan to travel on the days you would expect the least people to be traveling. In order to book more, airlines and hotels drop their prices on non-peak days, and you’ll have to deal with fewer people in general, which can be a pretty nice bonus!

Use Technology to Your Advantage

There’s an app for anything you can think of these days, and that includes a bunch of travel apps. From flight monitors that keep up with flight schedules, layovers, and cancellations to traffic apps that allow users to share traffic updates in real time, it’s out there.

Before you go on your trip, pick up a couple of apps that are likely to help you and get them set up and ready to go. You never know how handy they’ll be!

Early Birds

You probably got tired of hearing about early birds when you were in elementary school, but it has a big chunk of truth to it. Especially when you’re traveling, early is almost always better than late.

Having that buffer time between when you get there and when you’re supposed to be there will allow for any hiccups in the plan without stressing you out or making you late.

And stress-free travel is the only way to travel!

The post 5 Tips for Stress-Free Holiday Travel appeared first on Karma Kiss Blog.