7 Crucial Holiday Travel Tips to Avoid Stress

Let's face it, traveling during the holidays is the most stressful time of year.

Everyone's traveling on the same dates.

The airports are packed with people, and winter weather can cause delays and flight cancellations that ripple throughout the whole world.

Before you know it, you're stranded in the airport; they've lost your luggage, and your dream vacation has turned into a travel nightmare.

I'm Marko.

I'm Alex.

You're watching Vagabrothers.

In this video we've teamed up with Skyroam to give you guys some travel tips for the holidays to make your holiday travel plans as smooth as possible.

The most effective travel tip is to travel on actual holidays.

Now obviously not everybody's willing to do this, but that's precisely why you'll save time, money, and stress.

By traveling on the holidays, you will avoid the crowds that happen right before the holidays when the airports are at their busiest.

Trust us.

Growing up with a mom as a flight attendant, we spent many a Christmas morning in the airport.

As kids we complained; as adults we see the value.

If that's too hardcore for you, then consider flying from a smaller airport.

If there's one theme in this video, it's to be swimming against the stream– doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing– and flying from a smaller airport is really easy.

All you have to do is add “nearby airports” when you are searching for flights.

Chances are it's going to be more affordable, and it's going to be much less crowded.

But no matter where or when you travel, one thing is key: traveling carry-on only! We always recommend this, but during the holidays it's vital for two reasons: Number one: your chances of losing your bag are higher than any other time in the year because so many people are traveling.

And secondly, with all the delays and cancellations, having your bag by your side keeps you flexible.

There's nothing worse than getting your flight cancelled and being stranded without your bags.

If you are going to check your luggage, make sure that it stands out.

If you have black luggage, join the club.

Pretty much everybody nowadays has very similar looking luggage.

So make yours stand out.

Add some stickers, a label, maybe a decorative piece of fabric because the last thing you want is in the chaos of getting your luggage and leaving the airport.

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accidentally taking somebody else's bag or god forbid somebody accidentally taking your luggage and giving your thoughtful gifts to their in-laws.

If you do check bags, make sure you pack some essentials in your carry-on.

That means a toothbrush, a clean pair of clothes and a phone charger in case you have to survive an overnight delay.

Another one of our travel essentials is the Skyroam Solis X, the world's first global smart spot that keeps you connected in over 130 countries worldwide.

The Solis X is a lightweight, pocket-sized Wi-Fi device that gives you 4G LTE Wi-Fi wherever you go and allows you to connect up to ten devices simultaneously.

It's also a smart device that includes a power bank and a camera that allows you to snap a group photo or a family pic without having to bring a tripod.

Whether you get it for yourself or as a gift for the traveler in your life, the Skyroam Solis X is one of our top travel tech tips for this holiday season.

Speaking of gifts we highly recommend that you ship the gifts in advance to your destination.

Sure, this requires a little bit of planning, but it's preferable to jamming them all into your checked luggage and potentially losing that checked luggage when you travel.

If you do travel with your gifts, make sure you don't wrap them until you land.

Not only can boxes get crushed during travel, but airport security could rip open your packaging to search it.

It's just generally better to wait till you land to wrap those gifts.

Once you've got your bags packed, make sure you check the wait times for security before you get to the airport.

During the holidays it's not uncommon for security wait times to go for hours.

So making sure that you know that time before you get to the airport is super helpful.

We recommend using the TSA website if you're in the United States or apps like Kayak or What's Busy, which work worldwide.

When you do get to the airport, use curbside check-in to skip all the lines.

Now not all airports have this, but if they do it's a great way to save time for just a little bit of extra money in tips to the bag handlers known as “skycaps” in the US.

When you check your bags, make sure you wear your heavy jackets.

Now you may be wondering why should I do that? Because during the holidays staff are extremely strict with size and weight allowances for your luggage.

So wearing your heavy jacket, wearing your big winter boots, stuff in a book in a pocket or two, it's going to help you avoid those extra baggage fees.

Plus having a book on you.

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a lot better than just staring at a wall while you wait for a delayed flight.

It's also smart to travel with a scarf.

Not only can this be used as a pillow or a wrap during a flight but also as an eye shade so you can catch a nap before the holidays begin.

Lastly, avoid getting the flu or other seasonal illnesses by washing your hands, drinking plenty of water, and taking supplements like Emergen- C or Airborne.

Also, it's a good idea just not such things that you don't need to on the airplane.

The last thing you want to do is to get sick for the holidays.

Those are our travel tips for the holidays.

What are yours? Let us know below in the comments section.

And if you found this video helpful, please give it a big thumbs- up, share with your travel buddies, and subscribe to Vagabrothers for more travel tips from all around the world.

Once again huge thank you to Skyroam for making this video possible.

If you're interested in more information, it's down there in the description box.

Alright, as we always say: stay curious, keep exploring, and we'll see you on the road.

Peace.