Ah, the joys of holiday travel! The lost baggage. The layovers. The crying babies. The missed trains. All in all, it’s a small price to pay to be with loved ones during the most festive of seasons. But in the moment, it sure feels like you’re paying a million bucks — and then some.
Lucky for you, we’re happy to lend a hand through these trying, traveling times (shoutout to ATL airport). As our gift to you this joyous season, here are six secrets to surviving the craziness that is holiday travel.
An App that Tracks Airline Fares
Each year we promise ourselves that we’ll look into holiday travel by the time Halloween comes around. But October 31st comes and goes and booking flights completely slips our mind. This year, however, we downloaded the flight watching app, Hopper. With its handy technology, all you have to do is put in your desired travel dates and airport details, and it watches the flights for you, predicting when’s the cheapest day to buy tickets. Once it’s time to book, the app sends you a push notification to let you know. See ya never, overpriced airfare.
An Ingenious Way to Pack Liquids
We’ve all been there: You’ve finally arrived after a long journey, just to unzip your bag and find everything soaked in shampoo. Not anymore, friends! Expertly seal your liquids by unscrewing the top, placing a generous amount of saran wrap over the opening, and rescrewing the top back on. No matter the change in pressure, your clothes will be safe from an unexpected spill.
A Trusty Travel Uniform
Comfort is key, whether your traveling by plane, train, or automobile. Choose a go-to travel outfit — one without too many bells and whistles that you’ll have to take off for security screenings (i.e. belts, laces, etc.) — that helps you stay comfortable throughout your journey. We recommend starting from the inside outward with a soft, supportive bra. Add a great pair of leggings, a cozy t-shirt, and a blanket scarf for temperature control.
How to Avoid the Dreaded ‘Travel Flu’
Confined spaces + coughing seat mate + early wake ups/jet-lag = you’re sick for the holidays. Not if we can help it, though. Up your immune system before your journey to avoid catching a cold en route. How? Zinc supplements and increasing your water intake are the magic tools you need. Start the regimen a day before you travel and keep it up for a full day after you’ve arrived.
To the Left, To the Left
Security lines are the worst. And, while there is no way around them, there is a way to strategically find yourself in the quickest lane. The majority of the population is right-handed, which means they tend to choose lanes to their right more frequently than those to their left. Therefore, taking the left lane is usually the quicker option. (Unless there’s a family with six kids under the age of six. Then, you might want to choose the other line.)
Download, Download, Download
Listen, we all love a good trashy plane flick. (Hello, 13 Going on 30.) But what really makes the time fly is diving back into that Stranger Things episode you’ve been meaning to finish. The trick? Download a few episodes of your favorite show onto the Netflix app on your phone the night before you travel. Trust us: You’ll be so deep into the Upside Down that you won’t even realize that you’ve landed.
Want even more helpful tricks? Take a peek at our Life Hacks section.