According to statistics, Thanksgiving weekend is the most-traveled weekend of the year domestically. This makes sense, given it’s the holiday when we celebrate what we’re most thankful for—and usually at the top of that list is family. Planning a trip at any time can be stressful, but add an influx of fellow travelers, and it could be enough to make you give up on eating turkey with your loved ones altogether. Below are a few tips to help ease the stress and headaches of getting to your holiday destination.
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Adjust Your Timetable
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday following it are two of the busiest days in terms of travel—whether air or vehicular. By adjusting the dates you leave your home and your destination, you can avoid the holiday masses and the stress that comes with them.
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Charge Up
Embrace the fact that there will be traffic and there will be delays, no matter how or where you’re venturing. But if you make sure your devices are charged to their fullest capacity before you leave and bring along a charging cord or extra battery supply and at least you and your family will have a way to whittle away the unexpected hours by listening to podcasts or streaming videos.
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Leave Early
An influx of fellow travelers means that lines at the airport will be longer than usual. Be sure to factor extra time into your schedule to ensure you won’t be rushing across the airport to make your flight. This applies to those traveling by car, too, since traffic will surely cause you to get to your destination later than planned.
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Pack Snacks
While it might be tempting to leave as much room as possible in your belly for Thanksgiving dinner, delays and detours might cause you to be in transit for longer than anticipated. Hungry family members are rarely happy family members, so stave off any low-blood-sugar induced fighting with a stash of small snacks that will satisfy without ruining your desire for turkey and cranberry sauce.
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Plan Ahead
Make sure to check the status of you flight before you leave your house in case it’s already delayed. Only pack carry-on luggage to avoid having to wait to check your belonging or pick them up at the baggage claim. See if a less highway-centric route exists to get to Grandma’s house since these thoroughfares are notoriously congested during the holidays. While imagining all of the things that could possibly go wrong might not be the best course of action to calm your nerves, anticipating issues and having a plan B can be immensely helpful for your peace of mind.
