How to De-Stress During Your Holiday Travel: Expert Tips and Tricks

How to De-Stress During Your Holiday Travel: Expert Tips and Tricks

by MaryRose Denton

Preparing for Your Trip

My first and best piece of advice is to plan far ahead of your trip. For most people, the majority of holiday stress is caused by procrastination. By getting started early, you can foresee most obstacles well in advance.

Book flights and accommodations at just the right time.

As we all know, the early bird gets the worm and the early booker gets the window seat. Generally, it’s a good practice to book your flights at least a month ahead of your trip in order to get the best prices and peace of mind. According to a 2022 study by Expedia, the sweet spot for air travel is around 28 days in advance for domestic flights and 60 days for international flights, saving travelers up to 24% just for booking early! Follow this link to book your flight on Expedia right now.

You can apply the opposite principle to hotels. While you don’t want to leave your bookings to the last minute, NerdWallet tells us that according to data from 2,500 bookings spread across 2019, 2020, and 2021, it’s more economic to reserve a room two weeks ahead than it is four months ahead: “…you’re even more likely to get a deal booking last-minute. The same rooms we analyzed for 2021 were cheaper 73% of the time when booked 15 days out versus four months out.”

Even if saving money isn’t your biggest motivation, get your bookings out of the way earlier and save yourself the pain of worrying about them for longer. Follow this link to find a place to stay on Vrbo right now.

Create a detailed itinerary to minimize uncertainty about your trip.

Nothing creates stress quite like the unexpected, so it stands to reason that the more you know about your trip, the less anxiety you’ll feel leading up to it.

Every time I travel, I start with my itinerary. I list any important events and activities, making sure to leave space for down time and spontaneity. This serves not only to inspire me as my trip approaches, but as a guide when I create my packing list. If you know what you’re doing, you’ll have a much clearer picture of the items you may need to make things go smoothly.

Bonus Guide: How to create your itinerary.

Planning a trip may seem overwhelming but it does not have to be. Over the years, you pick up a few tricks and my very best advise? Begin with small steps.

Here’s how I plan my vacations and getaways, including everything you need to know to do it yourself.

This is a brainstorming operation. It doesn’t matter what order you write things in because the last step is to rewrite the itinerary in chronological order.

Draft Your Itinerary

Write down a bullet list of all the places you may be going. Maybe it’s one house, maybe it’s five cities or three countries over the course of two weeks. Write each one down in the order you’ll be visiting them, leaving space for sub-locations and activities like “Grandma’s house,” “Christmas Parade,” or “Gerard’s Emporium.”

You can make your list in any format you’d like, a list or grid, digital or pen and paper. Under each location and sub-location in your list from the last step, write a sub-list of activities, tasks, and accomplishments you need to (or would like to) complete in each one. These might include:

People you’d like to see
Experiences you’d like to have
Souvenirs you’d like to collect
Pictures you’d like to take
Chores that need doing

Finally, write down any important dates and times next to the appropriate activities. This can be approximate, and it can be messy, depending on your plans. Simply write down when you plan to arrive in each location, when each activity starts (if applicable), and how long you intend to stay for each one.

This is an opportunity to take notes and remember to include anything important you forgot in your first few steps.

Rewrite and Finalize Your Itinerary

Now it’s time to finalize your itinerary. Simply go through all your dates and times from the last step and write them on a new document in chronological order. It’s best to do this in the simplest layout possible, which is usually a single column. You can use destination names and/or important dates and times as headers.

By now, your trip should be all laid out in a simple timeline from departure to return. If you want, you can add additional notes, color code important events, and make copies for anyone who may be traveling with you to help keep you on track during your trip.

Pack efficiently to save your wallet and your back.

Now comes the most stressful part for many people: deciding what to take with you. Packing light can be difficult depending on your needs and lifestyle, but it’s a great way to avoid unnecessary grief while you travel.

My advice? Make more lists! And if you’ve followed the steps above, you can use your new itinerary to remind you of items you’ll need in each location and for each activity.

Stay organized to avoid packing mishaps:

Here are some basic packing tips. If you’d like a complete guide, read How to Pack for Any Trip next.

Prepare essential documents ahead of time.
Check weather conditions.
Consider your activities.
Use Air Tags in any checked luggage.
Pack a small first-aid kit (This can be handy for any unexpected minor injuries.)
Pack a carry-on bag. (When possible, I recommend traveling with only a carry-on.)
Roll clothes instead of folding.
Pack versatile clothing.
Use packing cubes.

Need a ready-made packing list? You can download one of my expert traveler packing lists here!

If you’ve done all this, you’re ready to head out! But sometimes it’s not just the planning that’s stressful. Sometimes it’s the trip itself, so let’s talk about stress reduction on a holiday trip.

Stress-Reducing Techniques

So much of enjoying a trip has to do with mindset. It’s important to take time for mindfulness and relaxation, especially during the busy parts of a trip. Mindfulness means different things to different people, but common techniques include meditation, deep breathing, stretching or yoga, journaling, listening to calming music, ASMR, or podcasts.

Anything that relaxes you is good for you during high-stress holidays. Don’t let the hustle and bustle stop you from taking a moment for yourself. There are even mobile apps dedicated to helping you relax. If you’re interested, you can look into Calm or Finch.

Of course, it helps to live healthy in the first place, especially before traveling. So as much as possible before the holidays (and during), remember to…

Prioritize sleep.
Eat nourishing meals.
Stay hydrated.
Exercise regularly.
Do something for yourself, every day.

Flight Delays and Other Holiday Travel Challenges

Not everything is under our control, and during the holidays, things like weather and increased traffic can mean unexpected delays and cancellations. To prepare for that possibility, I recommend staying informed about your flight or train status. Keep an eye out for weather that may affect flying, railroad, road, or even sailing conditions, if applicable.

If you’re flying, it’s helpful to arrive long before your departure to ensure you have plenty of time to get through security and customs. Specifically, I recommend getting to the airport two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights. Find your flight gate before heading anywhere else in the airport. When traveling, it’s important to always know exactly where you’re going.

Once you know your gate and have piece of mind, feel free to leisurely wander through the duty free shops, grab a cup of coffee, or even a quick lunch if there is time.

It also pays to have a plan B for your accommodations. Sometimes, if the delay is within the airline’s control, the airline will cover the cost of hotels until the flight is rescheduled. Even so, it pays to have a backup plan of where to stay in case it’s not covered.

Remember that there are always solutions when problems arise. Also, keep in mind that airports feature lounges with free charging ports where you can spend your time if you need to.

Enjoying a Peaceful Travel Experience

When you arrive at your destination, it can be hard to settle in after all the brain work of planning, packing, and traveling. This is even more amplified with children in tow.

To counteract jet lag try to get as much rest as possible during and after your flight. Adjust your bodies clock to your new time zone by adapting to the new time of day. For example, if you arrive in the morning try to do normal daily activities until a reasonable hour to turn in. Even better if you head to bed after dark, setting those circadian rhythms to your new location.

Remember that travel is supposed to be fun! You’re here to spend time differently, which for me usually means relaxing a little bit and then making the most of my destination.

Now is the time to get out that handy itinerary you made! Spend time with your loved ones, or by yourself if that’s what recharges you. See the sights, eat delicious food, attend local events. You’ll enjoy your trip much more by immersing yourself in it.

As you embark on your holiday travels, remember to savor every moment. Whether it’s a quiet moment of reflection or a bustling adventure with friends, cherish the experiences and the people that make this season truly special.

Safe travels and happy holidays!

Howdy, MaryRose Denton

How to De-Stress During Your Holiday Travel: Expert Tips and Tricks