6 Ways To Stress-Free Christmas Travel

Travelling during Christmas can be stressful, but it shouldn’t necessarily be so, and this is where a little bit of planning comes into play. If you prepare a checklist and do some research, it can help make the most of your holiday travel. Over the years, I have developed a sort of a list – things that we usually make sure to account for when we travel, and this has come from past experiences and learning from our mistakes. Maybe these would prove to be useful for you too?

Make a simple checklist and tick things off the list 

This would include making sure that you leave the heating on at a suitable temperature or automate it in a manner that it would come on for an hour or so every day. This would ensure that you don’t come home to burst pipes. Remember no one wants to come from a good holiday to burst pipes, and a house in disarray! I was especially careful about doing this every time we left for our Christmas holidays because a clause in our rental agreement had made me aware that should the pipes burst if we were away, and it happened because we hadn’t provided for some heating to come on, the costs for repair would be borne by us. 

What other things made it to my checklist? I made notes for my houseplants (making provisions for them to be left with a neighbour or to leave the pots in trays of water), for cleaning the fridge of any leftovers that would go stale by the time we were back and making a small list of supplies that I would need once we were home from our holiday. We usually pick up milk and bread from the airport shop on our way back or if we are driving, stop by a convenience store. This ensures us a cup of hot tea as soon as we are in our apartment, and I, for one, always seem to miss my familiar brew of Indian chai. I would add to this grocery list if we needed something in particular apart from the usuals. 

If you are taking a road trip 

Make sure that your vehicle is serviced and equipped for the weather ahead. Keep a reliable emergency number in place if you are not on an insurance plan that includes emergency repair and such. 

Once on our way to a Christmas break, we made a rather impromptu stop at a walking trail. It wasn’t the best decision because we hadn’t researched this trail at all, and there were no parking spots. We tried to imitate a car ahead of us and parked on the side of the road. It turned out to be boggy and our car got stuck.

We were about to call an emergency number when two men in a truck saw our plight and stopped by. They had a rope and towing equipment and got our car out of the muddy area. We were so grateful, and we asked if we could all stop by a pub and buy them a drink, but they just grinned and said, “Be on your way, and don’t stop by unfamiliar roads. And oh yes, Merry Christmas.” After this incident, we are now more prepared when we travel during Christmas because while the world is full of kind strangers, we cannot always depend on kindness to get us out of tricky situations!

Make reservations in advance at restaurants 

It would help if you did so because do keep in mind that many restaurants may be booked out months before, and also that some eateries are closed for Christmas day (or for Boxing Day). If you are staying at an Airbnb, you can buy groceries to make yourself a simple meal if the eating out options are booked out or closed for the day. 

If some local attractions are closed

Try going to a neighbourhood church for a service – even if you are not religious. It just gives you a lovely experience, plus all the carols and singing will brighten up your day and ring in the Christmas cheer. Once we had done so, and the church had a lovely flower display on as well – something that we really enjoyed.

Make allowances for delayed flights or some hiccups on the way 

If you are travelling during Christmas, chances are that you may encounter some delays or there may be a transport service which has been cancelled or is limited to certain hours of the day. While it pays to do research on alternative modes of public transport or what to do if Plan A doesn’t quite go as planned, remember the most important tool in your kitty is your attitude. If we are going to get irritated by the queues or closures, we are not doing anyone any good, including ourselves. Use that time. For something. 

I keep a little notepad on me. It is my ‘idea diary.’ I jot down ideas for blogs. I write down little descriptions of shops, people and scenes I encounter at train stations, airports and bus stops while I wait – those details come in handy later on when I am writing a piece. If writing or people watching isn’t your thing, you can keep a sketch or doodle book, a miniature colouring book or even use the time to write down handwritten notes that you may want to post later to friends and family.

Check the forecast 

If we are travelling to a colder part of the world, we usually check the forecast. This helps us to pack appropriately as well as making sure that we have something to do if we don’t venture out on one of our vacation days. Most Airbnb accommodations provide some sort of entertainment. Once in Cornwall, we spent an evening (we were with friends) playing board games and then putting together a jigsaw puzzle because we felt that we were better indoors than outdoors. In the morning, we braved a light drizzle and went out to the many beaches, but the evening was perfectly spent with games, hot chocolate and puzzles. 

Because we had kept a good eye on the forecast, we were able to utilise the morning to go to the beaches. We had also taken along a pack of playing cards and this came in handy too. The next evening was better and we could all dine at a Rick Stein restaurant and the friendly waitress there gave us recommendations on going to see a sinkhole – apparently so many tourists had missed that.

Most of our evenings and mornings were planned based on the weather forecast and the typical list-maker that I am, I had prepared a list called – ‘Things to do if the weather is lousy!’ Feel free to borrow the idea and make it your own, and if you are going to be in a hotel room, pack a board game and some playing cards.