This is the first year we have traveled for Christmas, and I have learned a few things along the way that may be helpful for you if you find yourself jumping on a plane for the holidays.
We are flying from San Francisco back home to Flint, Michigan for Christmas this year. Our trip is all booked, and I am in the process of packing, so I wanted to share the few tips I have learned along the way while they are fresh in my mind.
Tip #1: Get creative.
We live in San Francisco, and most of our family lives in Flint, Michigan. When we started talking about our trip I assumed we would fly from one place straight to the other. I was wrong. Airline tickets are insanely expensive this time of year. We flew home in October, so we know what prices were then. When we checked for flights in December, they were 2x to 3x higher! We decided to get creative to get that flight cost down.
We are driving to Las Vegas on December 23rd, which is about an 8-hour drive. We will spend one night there, then fly from Vegas to Flint on Christmas Eve. This trick cut our flight price in half! On the way home, we will fly from Flint back to Vegas. We have a friend there, so we will stay with them for one night, hang out with them for part of the next day, then drive home. It extended our trip one day and gave us an adventure.
Tip #2: Be Flexible
When we originally started planning our trip we were talking about December 20th or 21st through January 1st. That is not our current plan, and that is ok. We adjusted our dates to accommodate our new plan and saved some money along the way.
Tip #3: Don’t wrap your presents
I wanted to wrap everything before we left so I didn’t have to stay up late on Christmas Eve after a long travel day to get it done. After checking the TSA website I have learned that wrapping your gifts is not recommended. If they look odd on the scanner the TSA agents will unwrap your gifts. (They also have very strong opinions about snow globes. I would read up on that before you travel with one.) I don’t want to have that happen, so I decided to pack everything unwrapped.
Tip #4: Take advantage of Amazon Prime
Since I am not wrapping my gifts before we leave, I decided to order a bunch of gift bags and tissue paper from Amazon Prime to be delivered to the house in Michigan on Christmas Eve. That way when we get there, I can put everything in a bag instead of wrapping each gift. You get a bag, and you get a bag. I used to be a person that had to have matching wrapping paper and gift tags each year. I am learning that those things are not important. I am also sending a couple of small gifts to Michigan so I don’t have to pack them.
Tip #5: Go into the trip with low expectations
Could our luggage get lost? Yep. Could our flight be delayed? Yep. Could what is supposed to be an 8-hour drive take 13 hours? Yep. Aaron and I are going into this trip taking it step by step. We know a lot of things could happen, and it will all be ok. As long as we eventually get to Michigan to see our friends and family we will be happy.
Good luck with your travel plans this holiday season. If you have any tips for me, I would LOVE to hear them!