With the holidays coming up fast, it’s time to start planning and preparing for your winter travel plans. Especially if your destination is somewhere cold and snowy, you’ll want to be sure that you’re ready to take anything the weather throws at you.
To help you with this, here are three tips for preparing for your winter travel plans in a way that will make your travel days easier and your adventures safer.
Travel Around Holidays And Winter Weather
The winter holidays are some of the biggest travel days of the year. With so many people traveling to visit their family and friends, things can get a little sticky regardless of your mode of transportation.
Because of this, you may want to try to plan your travel days around the days that most other people will be traveling. This might mean taking an extra day off work and school in order to avoid sitting in traffic for hours on end or having to arrive at the airport hours and hours ahead of your departure time.
Not only should you concern yourself with avoiding the crowds on big travel days, but Marnie Hunter, a contributor to CNN.com, advises that you also try to plan your winter travel around the weather. If there’s going to be a big snowstorm headed your way, try your best not to be out on the roads during this time. Not only could this make your travel days even longer, but inclement weather can wreak havoc with the roads, putting you and everyone else out there in danger of a car or truck accident or worse.
Don’t Pack What You Can Rent
Packing your suitcases for winter travel can be a real challenge, especially if you’re planning to visit somewhere cold and snowy. While you want to be able to stay warm and bring whatever gear you might need to be safe and enjoy yourself, you also likely don’t want to pay extra fees for additional baggage.
To combat this, Geoff Nudelman, a contributor to Travel Channel, recommends that you call ahead to wherever you’re going to see if they have rental gear available. By renting rather than packing what you’ll need, you could save yourself a lot of space and money during your travels.
Book A Nonstop Flight
Winter weather can impact all forms of transportation, not just cars driving on the roadways. So if you’re planning on flying somewhere where winter weather might be an issue, Ed Hewitt, a contributor to Smarter Travel, suggests that you try to book a nonstop flight rather than a flight with connections.
The fewer connections you have to deal with, the better your chances will be of actually reaching your destination when you thought you would.
If you’ll be traveling during the upcoming holiday season, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do so effectively and safely.