AARP Home » Travel » Travel Tips »5 Holiday Travel Tips

5 Holiday Travel Tips

These simple steps can save you time and headaches with air travel, baggage and crowds

by: Alexis Flippin, Frommer’s Travel, from: AARP,

Oklahoma Tornado Relief Fund

You can help those impacted by the recent tornado.
Donate and AARP will match your gift.

4. Don't Check Your Bags
The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are traditionally the busiest times to fly, which means the odds of losing your luggage rise exponentially with the increased air traffic. Not to mention the expense of paying $25 or more per bag. (Consider shipping your luggage ahead of time with these tips from AARP money expert Sid Kirchheimer.) Be on the safe side: carry on your luggage.

5. Take the Back Roads
Driving the interstates can be dull at any time, but holiday travel often adds big-time gridlock to the mix. If you have some time on your hands, why not leave the major highways behind, and hit the back roads for serendipitous pleasures? (These 7 iconic drives are some of the best in the U.S. any time of year.) Of all the holiday travel tips, this one will help you to focus on the joys of the season most of all.

Published December 12, 2011.

You may also like: