Top 6 Holiday Travel Tips
Tis the season to be jolly. Unless you’ve missed your flight, forgotten your passport, lost your luggage or find yourself 35,000ft in the sky surrounded by over-excitable elves. Either way, travelling during the festive period can bring out the stress in us all; whether it’s struggling through busy airports, or the anxiety of making it to the Christmas table in time. Avoid these seasonal travel stresses and enjoy a calm kick-off to the Christmas period with these top tips.
1. Stay informed:
Bad weather, oversold flights or highway closures can all wreak havoc on carefully-laid travel plans. Fight back by staying informed of travel conditions. Check online travel sites or install smartphone apps to alert you to changes in travel arrangements. The earlier you know about travel issues, the easier it will be to find alternatives.
2. Don't rush to get on and off the aircraft:
You may be excited to disembark and rush straight in to the arms of loved ones at the arrivals gate, but pushing to get off first won’t get you very far and irritates other passengers. Similarly, removing your luggage from the overhead compartments before the seatbelt sign has been switched off is only going to result in public humiliation when the cabin crew reprimand you, that or you’ll end up hitting someone on the head. Avoid injury and a shaming by waiting your turn.
3: Swap seats so groups can stay together:
No one wants to be alone at this time of year. Help keep the Christmas spirit alive by offering your seat to parties of travellers who have been separated by the Grinch that is automated seat selection. This way friends and families can enjoy an inflight festive movie together, and you might even get a cheeky upgrade for your kindness.
4. Consider picking up a few presents in Duty Free at the airport:
Perfume, toblerone, jewellery, or good book can always make a delightful surprise. Allow yourself plenty of time to browse and have a look around. A cuddly toy, souvenir or a bottle of wine will also do the trick as well.
5. Learn a few local phrases from the hotel staff:
Exploring distant lands this festive season? Learn a bit of the lingo from the hotel staff. Not only will this help you communicate all your Noël needs with them, but you’ll be able to wish them a merry Christmas in the local language, a friendly festive touch that will make staff feel appreciated and help you understand the local culture a bit better.
6. Travel at a reasonable time:
Let’s not forget, Christmas is meant to be a holiday, that doesn’t mean taking red-eye flights and landing in the middle of the night. You may want to take these less sociable flight times to get a better price, but arriving refreshed ready to eat drink and be merry is priceless. So if you have the option, take a flight scheduled for a more reasonable time. If you don’t, set a reliable alarm, or get your hotel to give you a second wake-up call, to make sure you don’t over-sleep and miss your flight!
Last but not least remember to enjoy yourself. Keep calm and have a very Merry Christmas and New Year!
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Safe travels, fly well and arrive ready from the 1Above Team.