There are so many wonderful things about Christmas and this time of year, but there are a few things about it that don't spread as much holiday cheer. For a lot of people, this is traveling during such a crowded time. With so many people trying to travel it can be pretty hectic and not so merry and bright. Most of you know that I love traveling, and I have even shared some traveling tips before, so for today's post, I thought I share some holiday traveling hacks.
1) Traffic, be okay with, be prepared. We all know it is going to happen. Whether you are flying, driving, bussing, or any of means of transportation, it is going to be busier and more stressful than normal. The best way to prepare for this is to just be okay with it before it happens. Understand that everyone is trying to get somewhere, everyone is in a hurry, and everyone doesn't want there to be traffic either. Make an intentional decision ahead of time that there will be traffic and crowds and I promise, it will be a little more manageable. Another great way to combat it is to actually prepare...
2) Snacks on snacks on snacks, other wise known as priorities. The reality is blood sugar drops, we have to buy expensive airport food, or worse we force ourselves to not buy it and go hungry... it doesn't matter, it is not going to be fun. Do yourself a favor ahead of time and pack yourself snacks. And by yourself I mean if you are traveling with other people check with them and try to be prepared, especially if you have kids. Also, think variety and quanity, no one ever complains that there were too many snacks. Variety is important though, think sweet, salty, sour, fresh, healthy, etc.
3) Entertainment. This is a pretty obvious tip, but come prepared with more than enough things to entertain yourself or the people you are with. Movies, music, books, games... they are all great options, but, again, think variety. Tip: If you are flying, check with the airline to see what type of enterainment you are allowed on board, because no one wants to get stuck on a 10 hour flight with nothing to do. Tip: If you haven't found some great podcasts or audio books, prepare ahead of time and download some options to try out.
4) Packing hacks. Laundry day one, pack day two, leave day three. No one wants to be doing laundry the day they are leaving on a trip, especially if you are packing for more than one person. If at all possible, do laundry before you come home. We all know how impossible it seems to unpack a suitcase of dirty clothes, probably because it is. Help yourself out, wash the clothes before you come home, and see how much easier it is to unpack a bag of clean clothes. Think Ziplocs, all the ziplocs. Most of you probably know to put your shampoos and liquids in ziploc baggies in order to avoid messes, but in case you didn't, now you do. Another thing that ziplocs are great for is keeping smaller items together and findable (is that a word?). We all have had those frustrating moments of suitcase living where we just one a pair of socks, and we just can't do it. We take everything out of the bag and sift through it only to discover we are already wearing socks... So put your smaller items in baggies to help keep them from getting lost in the masses. Also, try not to overpack. I know it is hard, but it is possible. Think how many days and nights will you be there, and then pack one extra outfit.
Those are my simple tips for now. It is not a huge list and it isn't complicated, but hey, I thought it might be helpful to someone. Let me know your thoughts and help me know what you guys might like to read about on the last 5 days.
1) Traffic, be okay with, be prepared. We all know it is going to happen. Whether you are flying, driving, bussing, or any of means of transportation, it is going to be busier and more stressful than normal. The best way to prepare for this is to just be okay with it before it happens. Understand that everyone is trying to get somewhere, everyone is in a hurry, and everyone doesn't want there to be traffic either. Make an intentional decision ahead of time that there will be traffic and crowds and I promise, it will be a little more manageable. Another great way to combat it is to actually prepare...
2) Snacks on snacks on snacks, other wise known as priorities. The reality is blood sugar drops, we have to buy expensive airport food, or worse we force ourselves to not buy it and go hungry... it doesn't matter, it is not going to be fun. Do yourself a favor ahead of time and pack yourself snacks. And by yourself I mean if you are traveling with other people check with them and try to be prepared, especially if you have kids. Also, think variety and quanity, no one ever complains that there were too many snacks. Variety is important though, think sweet, salty, sour, fresh, healthy, etc.
3) Entertainment. This is a pretty obvious tip, but come prepared with more than enough things to entertain yourself or the people you are with. Movies, music, books, games... they are all great options, but, again, think variety. Tip: If you are flying, check with the airline to see what type of enterainment you are allowed on board, because no one wants to get stuck on a 10 hour flight with nothing to do. Tip: If you haven't found some great podcasts or audio books, prepare ahead of time and download some options to try out.
4) Packing hacks. Laundry day one, pack day two, leave day three. No one wants to be doing laundry the day they are leaving on a trip, especially if you are packing for more than one person. If at all possible, do laundry before you come home. We all know how impossible it seems to unpack a suitcase of dirty clothes, probably because it is. Help yourself out, wash the clothes before you come home, and see how much easier it is to unpack a bag of clean clothes. Think Ziplocs, all the ziplocs. Most of you probably know to put your shampoos and liquids in ziploc baggies in order to avoid messes, but in case you didn't, now you do. Another thing that ziplocs are great for is keeping smaller items together and findable (is that a word?). We all have had those frustrating moments of suitcase living where we just one a pair of socks, and we just can't do it. We take everything out of the bag and sift through it only to discover we are already wearing socks... So put your smaller items in baggies to help keep them from getting lost in the masses. Also, try not to overpack. I know it is hard, but it is possible. Think how many days and nights will you be there, and then pack one extra outfit.
Those are my simple tips for now. It is not a huge list and it isn't complicated, but hey, I thought it might be helpful to someone. Let me know your thoughts and help me know what you guys might like to read about on the last 5 days.