003 | Making the Most of Holiday Travel with 5 Easy Steps
003 | Making the Most of Holiday Travel with 5 Easy Steps
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Holiday travel. You don’t even need a full sentence for that statement as most people despise it. In my experience, you can use holiday travel to your advantage. Think about…these are extra vacation days here, people. And I can think of a ton of things to do with extra paid time off (PTO) whether you are going home to visit family or head out on an exotic trip.
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My mantra is make the holiday work for you. There are five ways I like to do this: 1) remote work, 2) extra luggage, 3) holiday activities, 4) “open house” gatherings, and 5) flexibility. Let me tell you how!
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In today’s world, Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezo, says it best, "It actually is a circle. It's not a balance”. Don’t strive for work-life balance, aim for making both work for you. Not everyone is lucky enough to have the luxury of remote work, but if you have it, use it. Remote work during the holidays…especially when you are the one traveling is great. It gives you the ability to see family longer while not burning all your precious vacation days. It also gives you a “buffer” during your visit.
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I plan my holiday work days in advance to include cleaning up email, completing corporate trainings, and organizing project files. It is not the glamorous part of any job, but it still needs to be done. This is the perfect time to do it. With few interruptions, you can be productive while taking time to spend with family in the evening…and even the day if you can manage it. Remember it is not about working harder, but smarter. Then, you can leave your precious PTO days for full days of exploring/traveling.
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Bring extra luggage. This is really easy to do if you have airline status. Most US airlines give you free luggage if you have their credit card or if you are a frequent traveler. If you don’t reach either requirement, you should still consider purchasing an extra bag for a trip.
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I always bring an extra bag on every trip I go on. Non-holiday trips it is some sort of small duffel that I store in my suitcase for day trips while traveling and an extra checked piece if I need it on the way home. (Sometimes I go crazy with souvenirs/gifts.)
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If it is a trip during the holidays, I prefer to bring my old duffel bag from sleepaway camp to fill with gifts for relatives and friends. These treasures are souvenirs I have acquired across my travels which I save for Christmas to give. (I’ll talk about why I like souvenirs as gifts in a future blog.) The best part about this trick is if you keep your gifts small, you can fit them all in your extra bag during the holidays saving you valuable postage money allowing you to travel more!
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Now, it’s the holidays have fun. There are tons of different holiday activities whether you are visiting the same place year after year or headed to a new locale. Be sure to check out local events by researching museums, concert venues, theaters, city websites, and event social media sites for the latest activities to enjoy the holidays. (You’ll see a few of mine in next week’s blogs.) You never know you could create a new tradition. 😊
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When visiting a locale with lots of family and friends, I like to set-up an “open house” gathering or two allowing you to see a lot of people in one location getting the “best bang for your buck”. Your friends and family should understand you have already done the “heavy lifting”. You travelled to them. In my book, “busy” isn’t a word. It is about priorities. People who matter make themselves available and mobile to meet-up when you are in-town allowing you to see more people, sharing cheer. And isn’t that what the holidays are all about?
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Throughout all of your travels (and life), remember things happen. You simply can’t plan everything and being flexible is key to enjoying the journey. Plan a framework to assist you in making the most out of your trip but be sure to stop and “smell the roses”. You only get this moment, experience once. Be present and take it all in. That is the real gift of a holiday trip…or any trip for that matter.
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Whether you’re the one traveling or the host, please remember to enjoy the next few weeks. There is something magical about this time of year.
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With love,
Kelly
