4 things you can do right now to make holiday travel easier
Believe it or not, the holidays are actually approaching. If you haven’t finalized your travel plans yet, now is the time to do so.
If you are traveling Thanksgiving, Christmas, HanukkahNew Year’s Eve or any other holiday, you probably have quite a few things on your to-do list, such as booking airline tickets (if you haven’t already) and renew your passport (if it is set to expire soon). However, this is not the only detail that needs to be updated.
Here are four tasks to do before the holidays.
Book your flight
If you haven’t purchased your flight for your vacation yet, you should do so.
Normally, according to the regulations of Hopper booking appSeptember and October are the best months to buy holiday flights. From here on out, prices will start to increase steadily, so you really don’t want to leave it any longer if you don’t want to end up spending a huge amount of money on airfare.
This advice is suitable timeline in the Google Flights booking trends reportnote that average airfares around Christmas are at their lowest 71 days before departure.
It’s not too late but we wouldn’t wait any longer if we were you.
If you can be extremely flexible, we’re currently seeing some cheaper ticket prices during Thanksgiving week on both the Sunday before Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving day itself.
Check your passport
If you’re planning to travel abroad over the holidays, you should check your passport’s expiration date now if you don’t have one, as you’re close to renewing it if the expiration date is approaching.
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Normal passport processing time currently estimated to take six to eight weeks, while expedited service can take as little as two to three weeks. Act quickly if you need to innovate.
Processing times have remained the same since last December, and the U.S. State Department would not comment on whether those figures will remain the same through the rest of 2024.
In general, the State Department advises travelers to renew their passports at least six months before planning to travel. Remember that most countries also require a traveler’s passport. Valid for six months at the time of their trip. Remember to check the requirements of each country you will be visiting as some countries want your passport to have six months validity from the date of entry while others prefer six months validity from the date of arrival. intend to depart.
Because Emergency international travelYou can request a direct processing appointment in two (limited) cases:
- Life or death emergency: You can request an appointment if an immediate family member has passed away, is dying, or is facing a life-threatening illness or injury. You will need to provide documentation of the emergency.
- Other emergency travel situations: If you have to travel abroad within the next 14 days or need a foreign visa within 28 calendar days, you can request an in-person appointment to speed up the process. However, it’s better (and less stressful) to simply renew your passport before it expires.
Keep an eye out Website of the Ministry of Foreign AffairsRegularly updated on the latest passport processing time for tourists.
Enroll in an accelerated security program
Whether you’re planning to fly during the holiday season or not, programs like TSA Pre-Check And Airy can provide visitors with an expedited security experience all year long.
TSA PreCheck allows users to go through a separate, dedicated security line. Unlike passengers in the regular Transportation Security Administration line, passengers in the TSA PreCheck line do not have to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, belts or light jackets.
The explicit user also initiates the security process in the Explicit Only Lanewhere users are biometrically identified via fingerprint or iris scan, often preventing them from showing their ID during security checks. However, all travelers, including Clear users, are still subject to random ID checks administered by the TSA.
The user is then taken to the front of the security screeners – the front of the TSA PreCheck screening line for those with Clear and TSA PreCheck or the front of the regular TSA screening line.
The third program to consider is Global entryThis is most useful for frequent international travelers. It allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to get expedited clearance when arriving in the United States from abroad. Global Entry users can enter the country through automated kiosks at more than 50 airports.
Enrollment in the three programs comes at a cost: Clear users pay $199 per year, while TSA PreCheck and Global Entry cost $78 to $85, respectively (depending on the enrollment program). ) for a 5-year membership and $100 for a 5-year membership. Please note that if you are approved for Global Entry, then Comes with TSA PreCheck.
While these programs may be worth the retail price for users, some credit cardAirline and hotel elite levels and frequent flyer memberships offer them for free or at a discounted rate.
Send your gift in advance
While you can technically bring wrapped gifts through airport security, this can be risky depending on whether the TSA officer checking your package lets them through without further testing or not.
Instead, consider having gifts and other large items shipped to your loved one’s home or wherever you’ll be staying. Please do so well before leaving in case there is a delay in mail delivery.
Bottom line
Traveling during the holiday season can be stressful due to family dynamics and larger-than-usual airport crowds, but you can take steps to make it a little more bearable.
Some things you can do to reduce stress include enrolling in expedited security programs, submitting your passport for renewal at least six months before traveling, booking airline tickets in advance, and sending gifts. to help make your holiday travel experience easier.
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