Photosomnia via Getty ImagesFlight delays and cancellations are not uncommon around the holidays. The holiday season is famously one of the busiest travel times of the year. Just three weeks ago, the Transportation Security Administration screened the highest-ever number of people to go through security on a single day, with 2,907,378 individuals passing through airport checkpoints on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The week leading up to Christmas promises to bring large numbers of travelers as well ― and with them, a large amount of stress. Advertisement
“Traveling can be stressful, especially when it comes to air travel,” Katy Nastro, spokesperson for the flight alert service, Going, told HuffPost. “You’re very much out of control for the majority of the experience, and for many of us, the feeling of being in control keeps stress levels at bay. On top of all of that, you add the holidays, which pose their own unique stresses and expectations.”In addition to crowds at the airport and full flights, there’s a potential for chaos with delays and cancellations (as we saw with Southwest Airlines last Christmas).“Let’s not forget Mother Nature can wreak havoc in the form of flight disruptions due to winter storms,” Nastro added.The holiday season brings a lot of strong emotions as well.“People put such high importance on the holidays being perfect ― getting home to see friends and family, having the perfect gifts, and you’ve put so much effort in, probably a lot of money too ― that when things go wrong, you feel them 10 times more than you probably would at any other time of year,” said Meg Jerrard from Solo Female Travelers Tours.Advertisement
“And when you’re already stressed, you tend to be paying less attention to the things you should be paying attention to, which means things go wrong more easily ― missing a turn on the highway and missing your flight, forgetting to pack important things because you’re frantic in the lead-up to leaving,” she added. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take in advance of and during the transit process to feel less on edge while traveling around this time. HuffPost asked Nastro, Jerrard and other travel experts to share their advice for making holiday travel less stressful. Be strategic about when you fly.“If you have not booked yet, opt for nonstop flights very early in the morning,” advised Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer. “Cancellations and delays snowball throughout the day, so early-morning flights tend to experience fewer interruptions than those later in the day.”Try to fly on days that are historically less busy as well. Dengler suggested Dec. 18, 19, 20, 28 and 29, as well as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as those tend to offer better prices and less chaos.“Book your flights and accommodations well in advance to secure the best dea …
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“Traveling can be stressful, especially when it comes to air travel,” Katy Nastro, spokesperson for the flight alert service, Going, told HuffPost. “You’re very much out of control for the majority of the experience, and for many of us, the feeling of being in control keeps stress levels at bay. On top of all of that, you add the holidays, which pose their own unique stresses and expectations.”In addition to crowds at the airport and full flights, there’s a potential for chaos with delays and cancellations (as we saw with Southwest Airlines last Christmas).“Let’s not forget Mother Nature can wreak havoc in the form of flight disruptions due to winter storms,” Nastro added.The holiday season brings a lot of strong emotions as well.“People put such high importance on the holidays being perfect ― getting home to see friends and family, having the perfect gifts, and you’ve put so much effort in, probably a lot of money too ― that when things go wrong, you feel them 10 times more than you probably would at any other time of year,” said Meg Jerrard from Solo Female Travelers Tours.Advertisement
“And when you’re already stressed, you tend to be paying less attention to the things you should be paying attention to, which means things go wrong more easily ― missing a turn on the highway and missing your flight, forgetting to pack important things because you’re frantic in the lead-up to leaving,” she added. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take in advance of and during the transit process to feel less on edge while traveling around this time. HuffPost asked Nastro, Jerrard and other travel experts to share their advice for making holiday travel less stressful. Be strategic about when you fly.“If you have not booked yet, opt for nonstop flights very early in the morning,” advised Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer. “Cancellations and delays snowball throughout the day, so early-morning flights tend to experience fewer interruptions than those later in the day.”Try to fly on days that are historically less busy as well. Dengler suggested Dec. 18, 19, 20, 28 and 29, as well as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as those tend to offer better prices and less chaos.“Book your flights and accommodations well in advance to secure the best dea …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]