Are You Traveling During The Holidays? Here Are Some Tips For Making Your Trip More Enjoyable

The winter holiday season is upon us again. It’s no surprise that this is the busiest travel time of the year. Often the family road trip can turn into a fiasco of stress and confusion. Here are some tips that can help take some of that stress away and make your trips more enjoyable — even if you are dreading that holiday dinner with the in-laws.

First, do your best to think positively and plan to have a low-stress trip. Share your travel plans with your carload of family, and make sure everyone understands what time you are leaving, what they need to bring, and what everyone is responsible for packing or bringing with them. Make sure you plan to leave early and include extra time for unexpected delays and disruptions.

 

Second, be sure to get your vehicle serviced before your trip. Don’t bother trying to get that oil change done on your way out of town for the holidays. Go ahead and get it done one to two weeks early. That way if any additional service on your vehicle is needed, you can also get that done before the trip. Remember, your mechanic may have some vacation time planned, too.

As you’re packing and loading the family vehicle, there will be frustrations. Children, in particularly, will often fail to cooperate — your three-year-old will decide to have a meltdown or the baby’s binky will suddenly go missing. Expect it, take a deep breath, and remember that’s why you planned the extra time just to get out of the driveway.

On The Road To Grandma’s House

When you’re ready for the trip, do a quick check of the oil and antifreeze, top off the washer fluid, fill up the tank with gas and you’ll be ready to go. Make sure you have good wiper blades, and plenty of windshield washer fluid because wintertime driving conditions are notoriously sloppy.

When you’re on the road, expect heavy traffic, delays from accidents, and possible slowdowns from bad weather. It’s just the nature of the season. Don’t fool yourself thinking you can rush out the door two hours late and expect that you will be delay-free and make up time — it’s just not going to happen.

If you’ll be traveling with kids, remember that they get bored easily and stressed on road trips, too. Bring some games, snacks, drinks and surprise activities for them. Your daughter may think her Barbie doll will keep her busy for the long trip, but after an hour or two, she may be completely done with playing dress-up and ready for something different.

Some movies, video game consoles or audiobooks can add some variety to your trip and maybe something new for your children. If you have in-car video and use it regularly, a trip to the library could yield some new videos or audiobooks at no cost and provide a fresh change from the same old movies you already have. You may want to pick up some fresh music for yourself, too. And remember to pack chargers for all the devices — a dead cell phone can’t play music or make an emergency call if needed.

Traveling is a good time to give a little on some of the stricter rules you may normally have at your house. For instance, you might want to allow some extra screen time or flex on your rules about having food in the car. But it’s important that everyone understands this is only for this special occasion and not for every trip to school or soccer practice.

Depending on the length of your trip, you might need to plan for breaks. As a rule of thumb, every two hours is a good starting point, but you may need to vary pitstops depending on the needs of your passengers – especially if you’re bringing along a pet. Take breaks as you need them, don’t torture everyone by insisting that you need to wait until the designated time or location. Again, be flexible.

If you’re going to be traveling with food, be sure to pack it safely. If you need to bring hot dishes — whether it’s Grandma’s oyster stew or the famous green bean casserole — wrap the dishes in towels. The towels will keep the food hotter and absorb any spills that might happen. You can pack the dishes in laundry baskets or boxes to make packing the rest of your cargo easier. If there’s still room around the dishes, some extra blankets will add extra cushioning, and the kids can then use the blankets on the way home when they’re tired from the day.

Plan For The Weather

Be sure to check the weather ahead of your trip and sporadically up to the time you leave. That way you can prepare as needed and know if you need to bring the extra heavy coats, mittens and hats. Be sure to throw the ice scraper and snow brush in the vehicle, too.

If it’s a longer trip, check the weather on breaks, too, and be sure to check your route up to your destination. Expect changes in the weather, because rain can easily switch to freezing rain, fog, or other inclement conditions. If you’re heading into severe weather, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. You can plan an alternate route, take a longer break, or find a hotel if necessary. Risking your “precious cargo” isn’t worth it just to make that appearance at Aunt Beth’s house.

Other Things To Consider For Your Holiday Trip

When planning your trip, don’t forget to plan a budget. Be sure to include some extra money for breaks and bring some spare cash for a hotel or tow truck – just in case. Plan for tolls and know how the tolls are paid. For instance, many toll authorities are converting to prepaid electronic tolling, with some other agencies still only dealing in cash or exact change at unmanned toll booths.

Lastly, don’t forget about your own safety, the safety of your passengers and items you have in your vehicle. Nothing would be worse than finding your car broken into and all of your valuables and gifts stolen. Keep valuables stashed out of sight or in a locked compartment and keep your digital devices well-hidden or stashed in a locked compartment. Take breaks in shifts so you don’t leave the car unattended, and make sure your children don’t go anywhere unattended or are left in the car unsupervised.

If you are staying in a hotel room along the trip or at your destination, be sure to take all of your valuables into the room.

We hope you find these tips helpful to make your holidays special. The Neil Huffman Automotive Group wish you a happy Holiday season!

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