This Christmas I did not wake up in my own bed. I didn’t even spend Christmas day with all of my family members from around the area. This Christmas I traveled to Utah with my girlfriend and her family to visit her brother. If a family member moves to Park City, Utah or another desirable destination, do not hesitate to visit. You will have your own personal tour guide, and you can save on a lot of things if you have a local connection. Everyone knows vacations are great, but sometimes the travel can be stressful and frustrating; here are my tips for travel during the holiday season.
Arrive Early!
We flew out of Philadelphia International Airport at 6:30am and were some of the first travelers to arrive. Some people don’t like early morning flights because you have to get up so early, but the benefits are worth the early rise. Arriving before the security check even opened at 4am gave us ample time to get through and find our gate. After setting up camp at the gate, the short wait until boarding began was very relaxed.
Use Sky Cap
I always remember going to the airport as a long series of lines; check-in, security, and boarding. With 11 bags to check, it would have been a hassle to try to roll and drag them to the counter and wait for the attendant to leisurely take care of the bags. At curbside baggage check the attendants mean business, they usually get tipped by the number of bags they can do and really know how to get the job done. We saved time and hassle by utilizing curbside check-in.
Cheapest or Off-peak Flight
Of course the first flight option should be the cheapest available. After that, travelling at off-peak hours has significant benefits that many passengers overlook. After we went through security at 4am with very short lines, we walked through empty terminals and found plenty of empty seats around the gate. Short lines at McDonalds, mellow passengers and a quieter terminal graced the airport so early in the morning.
We also few the last flight of the night, arriving back in Philadelphia around 11pm. By the time we walked to baggage claim our bags were coming out. There was only one other flight coming in around the same time and we were in and out with no trouble. I also recommend setting up a ride to and from the airport or utilizing the pay-per-day parking sites near some major airports.