Welcome to Day 5 of our 5-Day Holiday Organizing Challenge!

Today’s Topic: Holiday Travel with Less Stress

If you’re heading over the river and through the woods this holiday season, you’re not alone! This is the busiest time of the year for travel, and it can be a really stressful time but we’ve got some tips to help ease that and ensure smooth sailing wherever you are headed.

Before You Go:

Now that your trip is scheduled, it is time to think about packing. Is there dry cleaning you need to drop off so you will have it back in time to pack? Check the weather ahead of time for your destination so you can pack accordingly. And don’t wait until the night before to put it in your suitcase. A thoughtful and organized approach to packing is much less stressful than staying up late the night before you leave. Plan ahead to be finished packing 24 hours before you leave.

Also, there are things you should do around the house before you leave. Have your mail held by the post office and set some of your lights on timers. Make arrangements well in advance for pet services you might need while you’re gone. If you’re leaving the country, be sure you have your passport and other travel documents and consider alerting your credit card company ahead of time, as well. By early December you should also arrange to ship gifts to your destination, if they haven’t been delivered there directly.

Travel Day:

If you are traveling by air, have arrangements been made for ground transportation/airport transfers when you reach your destination? If you are driving, you can map your route ahead of time using WAZE or another mapping app. Knowing what to anticipate in terms of traffic will help you plan enough time so you’re not rushed. Leave a cushion of time and plan for the unexpected.

Whether you are flying or driving, be prepared with water and healthy snacks, a good book or movie or anything else that will make you comfortable while traveling or if you encounter delays. If you’re traveling with children, games and activities should also be included.

Home Sweet Home:

If possible, block of a full day at the end of your trip before you have to return to school or work. Having a day to downshift, unpack, catch up on mail and grocery shop or catch up on homework will help to make the re-entry much smoother.

Today’s challenge is to begin making your holiday travel checklists! If any of your holiday includes business travel, here is a handy business travel checklist you can use to get started.

If you could use help preparing for the holidays, organizing when the holidays are over or if are looking for help with organizing and productivity strategies, contact us to to see how we can help you to have a stress-free holiday season.

We’d love to hear your comments and how we have helped you to feel more prepared and less stressed for the holiday season. Thank you so much for joining in our challenge this week!

We wish you safe and stress-free travels wherever your holidays take you!