Traveling can be tricky to navigate any time of the year. When you add in the stress of the holidays and more folks on planes and highways, things can get even tougher. With the holiday season approaching, we decided to curate some of our top holiday travel tips.
In the Car
If you’re going to be traveling on highways, chances are you’ll encounter some tolls, many of which have express lanes requiring an EZ Pass. Before you hit the road, make sure your EZ Pass has funds available to cover your tolls. If you don’t have an EZ Pass, you can easily purchase one at many retail locations, or online.
Also, make sure that your car emergency kit is up to date. Recommended items include a flashlight, extra batteries, car phone charger, drinking water, and a basic first aid kit. It’s also a good idea to check that your spare tire is properly inflated and that you have working jumper cables.
Download apps like Waze or Google Maps to keep an eye on traffic. You may even want to print out directions or have old school paper maps handy in case you’re driving somewhere with limited cellular service. A weather app on your phone can also come in handy to check for any adverse weather on your route.
At the Airport & In the Air
If you’re flying during the holiday season, as always, the biggest tip is to arrive at the airport a little earlier than you may typically arrive during other times of the year. Most airports recommend arriving two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight. This year a new record was set on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, December 1, for the most TSA checkpoints on a single day, with more than three million people screened. So, pack your patience and be prepared for busy lines at ticket counters and security checkpoints.
You may also consider enrolling in programs like TSA PreCheck or Clear to help expedite the security process. The enrollment time can be lengthy so be sure to do this soon if you’d like to take advantage of it for holiday travel. Similar to PreCheck, download the Mobile Passport Control app if you’re flying internationally. The Mobile Passport Control app is free and can save time by having you fill out customs information through the app before seeing a customs officer in the airport.
If you’re flying with gifts, be sure to keep them unwrapped in the event TSA needs to inspect them. If you're planning to travel with baked goods or holiday treats, you are allowed to go through TSA with solid food items like cake, pie or cookies. However, if you're bringing spreadable or pourable items like wine, cranberry sauce, jam or honey, you'll need to put those items in your checked baggage as they are considered liquids. Don’t forget to make sure they're well sealed so they don’t spill out all over your packed clothes.
Next, we recommend downloading apps for the airlines, rental cars, and hotels you’ll be using. Apps are the fastest and easiest ways these companies communicate information. For instance, if you have a delay on your flight, you’re likely to learn about it first on the app then from a gate agent at the airport. It’s also quite easy to change a flight or reservation on an app as opposed to waiting in line in-person or over the phone. You can also download our CWTSato To Go app to have all your trips for both work and leisure set up one place. It may also be helpful to download the airport’s app as well if they have one. Airport apps have real-time information about parking, transportation, dining options, and shops.