At the time of this writing it’s approaching Labor Day weekend and the San Jose Mineta International Airport just issued a press release reminding travelers that the busiest days will be get-away days on Thursday and Friday and with returns on Monday and Tuesday. This release also had some great information about the recent changes to the terminals.
This got us thinking about other holidays and traveling and resulted in these top seven tips for travelers during any holiday time:
- Get there early – no matter what form of travel you are taking, by plane, train or automobile it’s always a good idea to get an early start. While the time may be an hour or two early for a plane it’s not a bad idea to show up thirty minutes early when picking up a rental car.
- Dress for comfort – if you’re traveling there is a good chance you’ll be sitting in a seat for a lengthy period of time followed by potentially having to rush to catch a connecting flight or carry items up to your lodging. Because of this, it’s worthwhile that to note that six inch pumps are not the best footwear to use while on the go, nor is a tie and cufflinks. Save the dressing up for when you arrive at your final destination.
- Know what to take – while everyone has a different opinion on what essential items they need while traveling, it’s important to know what you can and can’t take with you on your travels. Do some research ahead of time and make sure you’re not in danger of being stopped or detained, such as for trying to bring a lighter or large soda bottle via airport security.
- Don’t wrap it – while transporting gifts, make sure you don’t wrap them until you have arrived at your destination as many security machines won’t see through the wrapping paper and as a result the items will have to be unwrapped. On the flip side, you can typically pack them via checked luggage, which uses a different method of checking bags.
- Travel Kit – like a first aid kit, these are some common travel items you will always want to make sure you bring with you: earplugs, snacks, hand sanitizer or wipes, small flashlight, something to entertain yourself with (such as a book or a video to watch on your cell phone or laptop), cash. It’s also a good idea to make sure you fully charge your cell phone the night before.
- Where are you going? – make sure if you are going to a destination you have never been before that you have at least a basic map of the city and an estimate of travel times. It’s also worthwhile to make sure you check with any concierge and information booths about the travel times of cab drives so you’re not taken for a longer ride than you want.
- Prepare children – it’s important that your child(ren) understand that you are traveling and how they should behave in public as well as provide ways for them to keep themselves entertained.