With travel during the holidays comes the ever present battle of airport crowds, or the fight through traffic on the drive to visit family and friends throughout Oregon, Washington, and points beyond. Sometimes the stress brought on during holiday travel is the result of unintentional mistakes made by people.
To help make your travels a little less bumpy this holiday season, consider avoiding some of the following common mistakes which are frequently made by travelers:
- Don't Wait too long to purchase your travel tickets
It is often believed that by waiting to purchase travel tickets, fares will drop just before the holidays. However, it was shown by a CheapAir.com analysis of more than 300 million airfares from 2013 that the deeply discounted air fare you’re waiting for isn’t likely to happen. So look for your holiday airfares early. - Traveling on peak days can cost you a great deal more
It makes sense to many travelers to actually travel the day or two before the holidays, and come home the Sunday after. But that’s what everybody does. If you can be flexible and adjust your schedule and find non-peak days to fly or drive, you’ll save a lot of stress, and potentially pay less money. - Flying with all those gifts can be costly
We all seem to be loaded down with gifts when traveling during holidays. Remember, the lighter you can travel, the easier it will be to navigate airports and other forms of transportation. It is usually much more economical to ship your gifts ahead of time or wait until you arrive at your destination and then buy them there. If you decide to carry gifts on your flight, it's best not to wrap them. You could find that security agents may open your gifts during a routine luggage search and ultimately expose them to breakage or other damage once they have been opened and re-packed. - Failing to make airport parking reservations
During the holidays, airport parking lots fill up quickly, as do private lots. Travelers that just show up at airports in hopes of finding a parking spot might be in for an unpleasant surprise – and a lot of circling around. Be smart and avoid a lot of stress by making a parking reservation well ahead of time. - Consider Travel insurance For The Unexpected
Evaluate the cost and risk of travel insurance, which can help protect you against flight cancellations and trip interruptions. Many people don’t even consider it. However, if you’ve spent a lot of money on airfare and accomodations, that coverage could make a big difference. Be sure to read the policies carefully and understand what you're buying. - Not Having an Alternate Plan
Although travel plans seldom work out without some unplanned surprises, it seems people are seldom prepared when things go wrong. For example, they may be waiting in line at the airline counter or sitting on the side of the road because they forgot to bring snow chains. It doesn’t have to be that way. Although you can never plan for every mishap, try to plan ahead about what you need for bad weather, flight cancellations, road closures and more.
We're all human, and we make mistakes. By avoiding or limiting the effects of the ones described above, you’ll probably find yourself in much better shape than most of your fellow holiday travelers.
Enjoy the holiday season and please be safe!
Contact Us!
We hope you have a safe and joy-filled holiday season. If you have any questions or needs be sure to call us at 503-277-2300 or send us a note at info [at] foxinsure [dot] com, Fox Insurance Agency are your local insurance experts serving Portland, Beaverton, and throughout the rest of Oregon and Washington. We are always ready to assist you with your home insurance policy, auto insurance policy, and other insurance needs. You can also protect your property in the event of an earthquake with a personal earthquake insurance policy. Just ask our agents if your situation may benefit from a policy like this. You can also visit our insurance website 24/7 to see about the other insurance products we offer.
From all of us at Fox Insurance Agency, we wish you a safe and joy-filled holiday season!
