Holiday Travel: Preparing for Multiple Stops

Dec 13, 2019

The holidays are seen by most of us as a time of joy, cheer, giving and family. While these are all great associations, many of us can also include holiday traveling, shopping, cooking, and attending multiple events to the list. Because of this, the holidays can turn into a very busy and stressful time if you aren’t prepared.


Step One: PLAN

As with anything, it helps to know what is ahead so you can plan accordingly. The first step in planning for holiday travel is communication. Talk to your significant other about plans with their family and expectations, talk to your own family to see what they have in mind, and make sure you’re clear on work events and which days you may have off around the holidays.

Once you have a good understanding of where you need to be and when, you can start to take action. Add all of your events to a calendar or jot them down on a piece of paper to have everything written in one place and clearly visible. Keep in mind that weather issues may cause holiday travel delays, and you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time if you’re doing multiple events in the same day.

After you have everything calendared out you will need to start making travel arrangements. Most major travel sites suggest booking flights as early as possible to get the best deals and save money. Unfortunately, this isn’t always an option and you will need to make last minute arrangements. Visiting multiple sites and comparing prices is always a smart tactic to see the best prices available.

If you’re flying, you will probably want to determine what kind of transportation you need from the airport to your destination. Although airports and surrounding areas have car rental services, with so many people traveling around the holidays it may be more cost effective to find a local U-Haul dealer or center to share a vehicle. If you are arriving outside of typical business hours, you can even take a look at Truck Share 24/7 as an option.

Sharing a U-Haul vehicle can also open the door for extra family fun and some adventure too. You can start a tradition of picking and cutting down your own tree or even suggest a group sledding event. Make sure you select the right type of vehicle for whatever your needs may be and let us help you make the holidays that much more special.


Step Two: PREP

One major area of stress during the holiday season is cooking. Whether you are hosting and having to prepare and entire meal or traveling and bringing some food, it can be a lot of work on top of other things going on. Depending on the weather, you may be able to get some help from your old friend from the summer time, your grill. You can do almost anything on a grill, including creating an entire meal or even making cookies.

As far as wrapping gifts goes, most major department stores and online retailers have an option to wrap your presents for you. Many major retailers offer gift wrapping services for in-store or online purchases at little to no extra charge too. These can save you a lot of time and extra trips to purchase gift wrap, bags, etc.

If you’re wrapping yourself don’t forget to re-use the boxes and moving supplies that you already have available. Not only is this more environmentally friendly, but it can also be creative. Most of us have seen the prank of having someone open a large wrapped box only to find a small present inside of it. What a simple and easy way to add some fun!


Step Three: TRANSPORT

Now that the presents are purchased and packed and your food is prepared, you will want a plan for transporting these things to your destinations. Ready-To-Go℠ Boxes are perfect for transporting small to medium sized items. They are water-resistant so they will keep your items dry in the snow, rain, or other winter weather and durable so the contents will be safe.

On top of that, they are stackable for easy loading and unloading and there is no minimum rental period and box quantity unlike some other options out there. They are  also a great way to separate items by stop so you aren’t accidentally mixing up what you are bringing, and they’re perfect for hiding wrapped presents so children don’t see them and get excited. Available in select cities, they also help reduce waste, so no extra garbage to cart around – you just return them when you are done!

Now that you have some extra ideas for covering the holiday travel basics, multiple stops this holiday season should be a little bit easier. Even though U-Haul is typically thought of as making moving easier, we want to help you make everyday life easier, as well. If you’ve used any of our products or services to make your holiday season easier, we would love to see it! Just use #uhaulfamous on Twitter or Instagram, or upload a photo to uhaul.com/myphotos. We hope you have an amazing holiday season!

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