Tips for traveling smoothly this 2014 holiday season

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Traveling this fall and winter? Make the most of your trip with these simple tips for easier, less stressful travel from Best Western’s YouMustBeTrippin.com travel expert and Latino Papiblogger Manny Ruiz.

•  Book your travel and hotel as early as possible.  The longer you wait to purchase your airfare and hotel, the more likely you will pay a premium for procrastinating– if you even manage to find last minute airline tickets and hotels.  

• Plan a leisurely pace.  Don’t forget that the holidays are supposed to be a time when you and your family travel in a laid back fashion so don’t book yourself into a tight, frenetic schedule.  

• Consider the weather.   If you’re traveling by road, remember to practice extra caution in cold or inclement weather and don’t forget to cushion extra time for potential winter delays.

• Ship gifts or get gift cards.  Traveling with gifts is not only stressful but it’s also almost entirely needless nowadays.  Consider buying your gifts in the city of your destination, shipping them or just purchasing gift cards.  

• Expect the unexpected.  No matter how much you plan or pre-package your holidays, the fact is that stuff always happens.  Before you go anywhere with your family, convene them and remind them that dealing with delays, inconveniences and bad weather are all part of the holiday journey.

• My favorite place to be for the Christmas holidays is usually with family in Austin, Texas.  During Thanksgiving my wife and I like to vacation in places that we have not visited before, like we did last year when we went to Charleston.  This year we’re going to take the rare route of staying in Miami, partly because my grandmother is 100 years old and we want to spend more time with her.