Ten Tips for Thanksgiving Travel in Cars and Planes

Thanksgiving is already known as the most traveled holiday and it goes without saying the reason why is because it is the first holiday since the summer that people will get together with their families. People enjoy this time of the year to travel, but you have to be very careful while you are on the road or up in the sky during your Thanksgiving trip. If you are not prepared for everything that can go wrong then you will be stuck in situations beyond your control. Let's face it, you need a smooth traveling experience because you have to hurry up and get home to mommas traditional turkey feast! I am going to break down tips for Thanksgiving travel into 2 categories of car travel and plane travel.

Plane Travel
Tip 1 - Make sure you have a photo identification.
Tip 2 - ID everything you own with your name (first and last).
Tip 3 - Where easy to remove and put back on shoes because they will come off when you go through security.
Tip 4 - Carry your medicine, cash, jewelry, and any other valuables in your carry on bag with you.
Tip 5 - When heading to the airport either the morning of or at least 3 hours before your flight takes off, call the airport and your airlines 1-800 number to make sure everything is running smoothly.
Tip 6 - Always arrive at least one hour before your flight takes off.
Tip 7 - Never wrap gifts if you are taking any with you. They will be unwrapped by security.
Tip 8 - Put all liquids into clear bottles. If this is an inconvenience to you, then do not bring any liquids with you like shampoo or soap. Just buy that stuff at your final destination.
Tip 9 - Make sure your transportation from the airport, when you land in your destination, will be ready to go. If you are being picked up by someone make sure they know what time your flight should arrive at.
Tip 10 - Never give any information out to strangers. Sometimes as we are up in the air we tend to get buddy buddy with the person next to us. If conversation starts to happen, keep all personal details to yourself!

Car Travel
Tip 1 - Before you leave, make sure your car has had an oil change, tires are balanced and rotated and the spare tire is fully inflated. Also make sure the equipment for a tire change is there and ready to use.
Tip 2 - Stash a road map in the glove compartment with the directions written down for your destination. Highlight key points of interest throughout your trip so you know you are on the right path. Head over to www.mapquest.com and you can print out a sheet of directions.
Tip 3 - Head over to www.gasbuddy.com and search your traveling route for the cheapest gas stations out there. This will definitely save you money on the trip and you can also know when and where you will need to stop for gas.
Tip 4 - Pack a small cooler with a few drinks to get you by.
Tip 5 - Make sure the night before you leave you have fully charged your cell phone and do not forget to pack the charger.
Tip 6 - Make sure all your medications are in a bad next to your seat and fully marked. If you are in an accident and can not speak, this will tell the paramedics you are on medications and the types.
Tip 7 - When packing your vehicle, make sure the back window is clear from luggage. Once we pack a car we tend to not realize that we just covered up the back window and we can't look out of it. Usually his is not realized until we are halfway down the road.
Tip 8 - If you are making stops throughout your trip at hotels then make sure you call them about their check in policy. Sometimes we get ambitious and we may arrive at the hotel a little earlier then we planned on. You will need to know if the hotel has an early check-in available.
Tip 9 - If you are traveling with kids and they have a DVD player in the car, or they are listening to music make sure they wear the headphones. The noise from them and the machine will make you loose your concentration.
Tip 10 - If you are staying at hotels throughout your Thanksgiving travel, when you check-in to the hotel, make sure you empty your car out completely with all luggage and items.

If you use these tips during your Thanksgiving travel, I am sure it will make your Thanksgiving holiday a whole lot easier! Happy Thanksgiving, be safe and God bless.