The first step to organizing your holiday trip is to plan ahead. This doesn’t just mean booking your flights in advance or planning your driving route. You will of course want to do these things, but you also want to start a checklist and plan the travel plans for your gifts.
If you have any large gifts you should try to ship them ahead of time or order gifts online (Amazon) and have them shipped to your destination. This is especially true if you are flying. Several larger companies will wrap a gift for you. Companies such as Amazon and Walmart offer a free gift wrapping service that allows you to leave a personal message on your gift.
For those who plan to travel by car, you will want to have a car tune up a few weeks before your trip (oil change, rotate tires, check tire pressure, windshield wiper fluid, etc.). If you are flying then you need to know your exact flight numbers and whether or not you will be using short-term or long-term parking.
For a longer trip, especially when leaving an area like Boston, it will be more cost effective to take a taxi or Uber to the airport. If this applies to you, call a reputable taxi company and make your reservation ahead of time. If you’ll only be away a couple days then long-term parking may be the way to go. Again, call ahead and reserve your transportation.
Finally, plan your packing to be done by the night before and keep alert to any changes with weather that could occur on your travel day or days. Useful smart phone apps like Waze to alert you about traffic and suggest alternate routes or advise you as to delays and changes in flight plans (download airline app). You could save yourself hours on the road or the frustration of missing your flight and make sure you maximize the time you get to spend with your loved ones this year.
