Summer Fun Ahead

10 Tips to a Less Stressful Vacation

Whether you and your family are planning a road trip this summer, or flying to your vacation destination, your trip can calm instead of chaotic if you implement these simple 10 summer travel tips:

1. Take only what you need (truthfully, I have yet to master this).
2. To save room in your luggage (and baggage fees), pack only clothes that can be mixed and matched.
3. Take clothes that do not wrinkle: rayon, polyester blends travel well.
4. Leave all extra credit cards at home.
5. If you are traveling out of the country, make copies of your passport, itineraries, and credit cards. Take copies with you and leave one with a relative.
6. If flying, be sure to allow plenty of time for check-in AND security. Nothing is worse than thinking you have plenty of time only to find that the security check-in line inside the terminal is 3-miles long…and is moving very slowly.  STRESS!
7. If taking a road trip, have your car properly serviced prior to travel.
8. Take a couple of expandable file folders for brochures that you pick up along the way.
9. Always have a camera handy to capture those picture-perfect moments along the way.
10. Allow time for spontaneous side trips and R&R. Traveling with an extensive and rigid “must see, must do” list is stressful, not to mention, co-travelers can become resistant and resentful if their entire vacation is planned, right down to the millisecond.