Thanksgiving travel tips

November 20th, 2009 at 03:00pm Thomas V. Bona

With AAA projecting a slight increase in travel this Thanksgiving, I rounded up some travel tips for the busy weekend.

First, some road-trip tips from AAA:

• Plan trip in advance to find most direct route. Use AAA Trip Tik travel planner to bypass construction and find gas prices at 100,000 gas stations across the country. Budget for how much gas will cost at www.fuelcostcalculator.com
• Make sure kids’ car seats are properly installed and used before your trip. Parents can go to www.seatcheck.net to find local certified child passenger safety technicians or go to their local AAA branch.

• Avoid distractions while driving – let passengers do the texting/talking on the phone and deal with navigation and children in the back seat. Don’t eat, change clothes, put on makeup, etc., while driving.
• Make sure your headlights are spotless so you can see everything on the road and every other driver can see you better
• If hosting a Thanksgiving gathering, make sure each group has a designated driver

And for flying:

 

• Take the number of the travel agent with you in case there are any difficulties.
• Check your flight status online before you leave for the airport, know the rules and limitations of your ticket, carry cash with you to purchase necessities.
• Pack entertainment and necessities in your carry on so you have them with you in case there are flight delays or other problems.
• While airline travel will be down this year, travelers still need to get to the airport well ahead of time as airports will still be much more crowded than usual.
• Air travelers should review the latest travel guidelines set forth by the TSA on what they can/cannot bring on carry on – this will save them time and hassle at the airport.

Speaking of air travel, my new favorite blogger Heather Poole, has some tips for getting through airport security. She gives some good ideas on how to move quickly and not hold up the line, while reducing your hassle.

Safe travels!

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