With the holiday season upon us, many of us are travelling for one reason or another, being to get away from the cold or simply visiting loved ones. And to get to our destination, many of us will be taking to the skies. Here are the top 10 most common mistakes many travelers make and some advice how to avoid them in the future.
1. Procrastinating: Reports abound of airfares going up
close to $5 per day on average at this point for holiday season travel.
So there is no more time to delay booking your flight if you are
planning to take to the skies this year. And, don't end the
procrastinating there. Last-minute packing, staying at the office to
wrap-up just one more thing before dashing to the airport or even
planning to hop into a cab instead of pre-arranging airport
transportation increases the odds of making your holiday travels
anything but festive.
Advice: Get a head start on your New Year's
resolutions by becoming the advanced planner who isn't derailed by a
long line, extra security check or a traffic jam.
2. Cutting connections too close: Obviously, booking an
inexpensive flight is a goal anytime you travel, but, especially around
the holidays, pay attention to connection details, as well. It's better
to have a long layover than to risk rushing through an overcrowded
airport for your next flight. If you don't make the connection, it's
long odds there will be a seat on the next plane. And, with winter
weather in the mix, it's good to pad your connection time even more if
your travel involves any locations with the potential for snow and ice.
The best holiday gift to give yourself might be a direct flight.
Advice: Avoid the last flight of the day on a
connecting flight if you can so that you don't end up sleeping in the
airport if something goes awry.
3. Traveling with the crowd: As always, flexibility is a
core principle for keeping holiday travel cost and hassles to a minimum.
The flights closest to Christmas and the weekend between Christmas and
New Year's are when the crowds and costs will be at the highest. Try a
Thursday-to-Thursday trip to buck that trend or, better yet, catch a
Christmas or New Year's Eve flight for a more affordable and pleasant
experience. You may even get a free celebratory drink from the airline.
Advice: Keep alternative airports in mind, as well. A short drive on either end
of the trip might help you stash some cash to help pay the January
credit-card bill.
4. Cashing in points: Blackout dates from airlines and
people who plan months and months in advance have combined to make sure
that there are virtually no seats left in the holiday season for a
reasonable number of points.
Advice: Unless you've been banking points for years
and have no bigger plans for them, or are a Super Elite flier, this is
one of those times when spending cash is a better long-term investment.
5. Not planning ahead for gifts: Just to add to the
complexity of the season, holiday travel often also means holiday gifts.
You plan to give them and you hope to receive them. The question is how
do you manage the process when traveling? Fortunately, online shopping
has helped with the gift giving as you can have many presents delivered
to your destination either to yourself for wrapping and exchanging or
straight to the intended recipient.
Advice: If you do bring gifts with you when
you travel, just remember to save the wrapping until you arrive so you
and your luggage can get through the security screening. For gifts you
receive, bring a folded up duffel bag so you have the option of packing
gifts to go. If you can get away with one checked bag and one carry-on
on the return, it might be the most affordable way to get your holiday
bounty home.
6. Over-packing: When traveling during the busiest time of
the year, luggage can really slow you down. So pack with a plan. If you
can manage with a small and well-organized carry-on, that's your best
bet as you can skip the baggage check-in and collection process (and
fees) all together. However, this is not the time of year to try to get
through security and onto a plane with excess or over-sized bags in hand.
The overhead bins will be overflowing and the gate agents and TSA
officials and your fellow passengers will not be in generous moods if
you are slowing the boarding or security process with overloaded bags or
hands.
Advice: In general, less is more when it comes to gliding through the
airport.
7. Booking flights and hotels separately: If a hotel stay
is in the mix for your Yuletide travel, don't overlook the cost savings
of "flights+hotels" search. With prices trending up on both airfares and
hotel rooms, you will want to get the best collective deal possible.
Advice: It's always a good idea to check with your travel consultant when it comes to booking your flight & hotel. A knowledgeable consultant will outline your most cost effective options for you.
8. Waiting to check in at the airport: lines, lines and
more lines. That's what you can expect when traveling this December. The
airlines are doing their best to help you cut some of those lines with
online services. An online check in not only saves you waiting to check
in, but also the awkward juggle of digging out your credit card to start
the process as well as any technical snags you might hit at the kiosk.
Advice: If you are not checking a bag, you can, of course, skip right to the
security check. If you are checking a bag, your airline is likely to
offer a discount on your checked bag fee to reward you for your online
efforts. Finally, if there is an overbooked flight, guess who gets
bumped most often... the last person to check in!
9. Eating on the fly: It's one thing to get to the airport
early to avoid stress with the plan for a nice meal once you get there.
Certainly airports are increasingly offering upscale restaurants that
can make eating at the airport a treat. However, if you are planning a
dine and dash, you may find long lines, a shortage of seats and, of
course, inflated prices on everything from a bottle of water to a
pre-made turkey sandwich. And food options on the plane will be even
more limited, costly and culinary questionable.
Advice: Better to stash an
empty water bottle and a home-made sandwich or favorite snack in your
carry-on and eat food you like, when you want and without the hassle or
cost.
10. Not packing a book: Holiday travel is full of
hurry-up-and-wait. And while there are lots of modern toys to help
distract you from the process, if you find yourself sitting on the
tarmac or even in a crowded airport for any length of time, a book is
still your friend. It needs no power outlet or data connection and its
battery won't die. Losing yourself in good story maybe just what you
need to transport you if your plane isn't doing the trick.
I know these are common mistakes that we all make, so I hope that some of the advice I've posted helps take some of the stress out of holiday travel for you.
Happy Holidays.
Source: Huffington Post Travel
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