How to travel stress free this Christmas

Travelling at Christmas when you're spending the festive season with loved ones can be an apprehensive time as no-one wants to miss out on Christmas day. No matter how prepared you are, there's always something that can go wrong when you're relying on different modes of transport and with Christmas being the busiest time of year, you're competing with thousands of other people all wanting to get home to their families too. 

Today I've put together a short guide on how to travel stress-free this Christmas so that you can sit back, enjoy your journey and spend more time thinking about the things that truly matter.

Book in advance

When you're travelling at busy times, always book as much as possible in advance so that you don't have to waste time waiting around or miss out due to people queuing in front of you.  Booking in advance is particularly important during the festive time as there might be limited services due to restricted opening hours.

Give yourself plenty of time

Give yourself plenty of extra time in between your bookings to allow for any delays that may occur in between your journeys.  It may mean waiting around if you're earlier, but it is better than missing your connection altogether.

Check your flights regularly

If you are flying, make sure you check your flights regularly for any delays or cancellations. Ryanair has already announced that they are going on strike this Christmas and with the UK experiencing severe weather warnings regularly at the moment, there's a small chance that flights could get disrupted over the next few weeks.

Research the area you are travelling to

Research the area that you are travelling to so that you can see where will be open around Christmas to avoid any disappointment. Each country or area will have their own Christmas traditions, many places will stay open, but some may have limited open hours or shut entirely so that people can celebrate the festivities with their families.

Have a backup plan

Although the chances of your travels being cancelled are very slim, it's always important to consider the 'what ifs' when travelling at busy, wintery times.  Consider having a backup plan if something does go wrong so that you still have a way of spending Christmas with the ones you love.

Have you flown over Christmas before?