When you’re out with the family this holiday season it’s going to be crazy. It seems that no matter how bad the economy is, every year the holiday travel records get broken. With more and more people on the highways and byways this holiday you have got to have a plan of attack. Here is a handy guide of things to do in order to keep your holiday sanity about you.
Travel
Many times you don’t have a choice for when you will be traveling; your plane takes off at a certain time or your train pulls out at a certain time. But if you’re driving and you have the option, plan your getaway time around when traffic will be most forgiving. If you live in the country but are arriving in the big city, plan to get there outside of rush hour. For the reverse the opposite is true. Make your driving smarter and your trip will go smoothest when you most need it.
Play And Placate
You have got to keep your kids occupied. Lucky for 21st Century parents your kids likely have smartphones, tablets or other things they can stick their noses in. Maybe all the parents today just remember how boring our holiday trips from our youths were. Making the kids happy is one-half of making you and your spouse happy. Come up with a fun driving mix to really put everyone in the holiday mood.
Another thing you can do with your kids is play games. Hearken back to your time driving and choose games that are going to keep you and the adults in the car engaged as well.
Food And Drinks
If you’re driving you need to have some food in the car with you. Going out to rest stations and fast food places is terrible. Pack some favorite snacks and keep them in Tupperware to make your kids really happy. Even if you need to get extra containers it’s a lot cheaper and friendlier to your body to pack some tasty, healthy sandwiches than the alternative.
Keeping drinks in the car is a great idea as well. Try to avoid sodas or juices loaded with sugar for your kids. Pack in a thermos some all-natural juice and water for sure. You should have a lot of water because if your trip is a great distance then you want to be sure you have got plenty of fluids.
Rest And Reroute
You should visit the rest stations as often as your family needs to. Taking a couple of minutes to use the facilities and stretch out the old legs is a lot better than the alternative of someone having a back-seat-accident!
You may have made this trip 1000 times. You may know these roads like the back of your hand. But! Holiday travels often call for impromptu improvisation. Keep one ear to the radio and one eye on your phone to see if there is crazy amounts of traffic upcoming and if there is a way around it. You need to remain in flux when you are out for holiday driving; this includes your ability to reinvent oft-traveled routes when they are overrun with traffic.
Having fun on your holiday trip starts with having a smart plan of attack. You need to be on the offense with your holiday travel plans and you need to be prepared for anything. Make sure everyone is taken care of, think of all the possible things that could happen, and then let the adventure take you where it will! Be safe and have an amazing time!
