9 Top Tips for Group Holiday Travel

1. Book Early for the Best Experience

If there’s one silver lining to Covid-era travel, it may be the flexibility some travel operators are affording guests. As gracious as these policies may be – making it easier, and often free, to change or cancel trip plans – it still pays to book your holiday travel early, from the airfare to the car rental. 

How?

• Book early and save money (ticket prices will generally rise the closer you get to your departure date). 
• Secure seating on flights as soon as you book.
• Reserve hotel rooms and attraction tickets early to get the best availability.
• Lock in your car rental to secure the size you need for your group. 

2. Take Safety Precautions

Not gone, and certainly not forgotten, Covid is a fact of life right now. To lessen the chances of anyone in your group getting sick, or infecting others in the group right before travel time, talk about the precautions you should all take. In the weeks leading up to travel, that’s as simple as masking when you go into the grocery store and being extra vigilant about handwashing. 

How? 

• Stay up to date on vaccinations.
• Wash hands often. 
• Carry antibacterial gel with you during travel. 
• Pack your vaccination card or have a photo of it on your phone.
• Wear a mask. 

3. Avoid Peak Travel Days

If you have any flexibility in your group holiday plans, avoid peak travel days. Even if you’re on a MT Sobek trip with a specific departure date, consider arriving a little early or staying longer after the trip, giving you more time to explore the destination on your own. When you’re looking for a flight, check on “flexible dates” so your search results will give you a grid of options from which to choose.

How?

• Fly early in the day, when flights have the best on-time performance. 
• Or, choose a late flight (fewer crowds and less likelihood of delays).
• Check-in online and keep your boarding pass on your phone. 
• Tack 30 minutes onto how early you would normally arrive at the airport (and if it is a peak travel day, arrive at least two hours before boarding). 
• Use your TSA PreCheck or CLEAR to get through security more easily. 
• Travel on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve, when airports are relatively empty and flights are cheaper. 
• Driving? Again, leave very early, drive at night or travel on the actual holiday. 

4. Splurge on Lounge Access

If you’ve heeded our suggestions and gotten to the airport with plenty of time to spare, consider giving yourself a holiday gift of lounge access. It’s a quieter place to find a seat and relax before boarding, just the respite we all need during peak travel season. 

How? 

• If you’re flying first-class, lounge access is probably already included. Take advantage! 
• Check to see if your credit card offers lounge access as a perk. 
• Consider Priority Pass, an annual subscription service that gives you access to some of the best airport lounges. 

5. Avoid Connecting Flights (or Make Them Work for You)

While this isn’t always a possibility (if say, you’re flying from Burlington, Vermont, to Ecuador, for a MT Sobek Galapagos tour), avoid connections if you can. If there’s no way around it, study those flight search results carefully to understand your layover time.

How? 

• Flying through a northern city? Look for longer layovers to give you a cushion if there are delays. 
• Consider working your flight schedule through warmer-climate cities less likely to experience weather delays.

6. Arrange Airport Parking (or a Ride) 

No matter how seasoned a traveler you are, there always seems to be a last-minute scramble: “How are we getting to the airport? Where are we parking?” Parking spots are scarce and go quick at the holidays, so – all together, now – book early.

How? 

• Whether for an airport lot, or an off-site location, reserve airport parking well ahead of time (ideally, when you book your flight). 
• Use a parking app to find the best spot based on location and price (i.e., SpotHero, ParkMobile).
• Calculate whether it would be cheaper to take a share-ride or shuttle service (particularly for trips of shorter duration).
• Enlist a friend to drive you and pick you up. (It’s the holidays – how could they say no?)

7. Pack Smart

Again, it depends on your destination (warm, cold, whether or not adventure gear is being provided, i.e., snorkel equipment), but packing light and smart is the way to go at the holidays. Suggest that each person in your group has their own carry-on, avoiding checked luggage as much as possible.

How?

• If you have to check a bag, keep medications, important documents and a change of clothing in your carry-on. 
• Purchase soap, shampoo, sunscreen, conditioner and toothpaste at your destination. 
• If you are bringing along holiday gifts, leave them unwrapped in your checked or carry-on luggage. (You can make them pretty once you arrive.) 
• Consider having gifts shipped directly to your destination. 

8. Use Your Phone Wisely

Your smartphone is your ticket to countless apps that will make your group’s travels easier. 

How?

• Use the Tripitt App Pro version to keep track of all bookings and itineraries. 
• Use GateGuru to stay up to date on security line wait times at the airport.
• Driving? Use GasBuddy.
• Download your airline’s app. 
• Load your phone with streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and HBO. 
• Add your travel info to your phone wallet. 
• Make sure you have a good map app. 

Bonus Tip: Embrace and Accept the Chaos

Perhaps the most important tip to remember throughout your group’s holiday travel, whether you’re headed one state away or around the world, is to accept that it may be fraught with problems. If you set reasonable expectations and maybe they’ll be exceeded. 

How? 

• Download a few meditation apps on your phone to use throughout your trip. 
• Take a breather. Traveling with a group can be, well, a lot sometimes. Taking a break for yourself – even a 15-minute walk – slows your mind and recharges you, so that you can get back to the fun. 
• Be flexible. There will be delays, lost items, a runny nose … take a deep breath. In the end, you’re traveling with your favorite people and that’s a win. 

Even just one or two of these tips, in practice, will help your group achieve a happy, healthy end to 2022. Before you know it, you’ll go from overextended to overjoyed with new destinations, new experiences and new connections.

For some incredible adventure opportunities for your favorite group of people, request a 2023 Catalog or give us a call to book your next adventure at 800-974-0300. Happy traveling!

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