8 Winter Vacation Tips For A Fun-Filled Family Holiday

It can be challenging and stressful to plan a good winter vacation, all thanks to overcrowded airports, flights, jammed roadways, and, to top it all, snowstorms! 

 

You cannot make other people jam the roads or the snowstorms away from you when trying to reach your destination. However, you can still follow these winter vacation tips to ensure you are traveling smoothly even when others are not! 

 

Here are eight best winter vacation tips to get rid of the sticky, cold, and freezing travel situations, or at least get out of some of them! 

 

1. Check Your Flight Status Before You Leave Home

 

 

If you think you will not face any troubles with your flights from summery California to sunny Florida, you are mistaken! 

 

The plane you are going to board in a few hours might be coming from Chicago or Minneapolis. 

 

Suppose your airplane is coming into your local airport from a city hit by severe weather conditions. In that case, you should check in with your airlines about your flight status. Your warm-weather plans could still be hampered by a flight coming in from colder regions. You can also get on the Flightview app and track the path your aircraft is taking. 

 

2. Avoid Driving Into A Storm

 

No matter how anxious or jumpy you are about catching your flight, pay special attention to winter travel warnings. 

 

Keep track of local and regional weather forecasts and news. If the weather report in your city of departure or arrival advises people to stay home or stay put for their safety, consider taking that advice. Do not hit the road in such situations. 

 

If there is any possibility that bad weather conditions could affect your journey while you are on the road, be sure to carry extra layers and shoes. Also, bring some excess water with snacks and charged gadgets. 

 

If you are traveling with little ones, be sure to carry some extra diapers and clothing for them. 

 

Last but not least, always ensure your car has a full tank of gas and flares in case the weather makes you stop in the middle of your way to the airport. 

 

3. Rebooking Your Flights 

 

 

Most airlines have dedicated teams devoted to tracking weather conditions and managing flight schedules accordingly, especially during bad weather conditions. 

 

Suppose the winter weather conditions in your region are too dangerous to fly. In that case, your airline will offer you an opportunity to rebook your flight, either on an earlier or later flight, free of charge. 

 

So before you leave the airport due to bad weather conditions, make sure you check in with your airlines to get a free change of flights. 

 

Airlines, in some cases, can also waive the fee to rebook flights for customers who are up to date with the weather conditions, right before the stormy weathers start hitting in. There are no guarantees in such situations, but it indeed is one of the best winter vacation tips to get from our Leisure travel guide experts. 

 

4. Follow your airlines and airports. 

 

No matter where you are, you should always follow your airport and the airlines you are traveling with on social media platforms. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

 

Today, most airlines and airports post the quickest updates on their social media feed. So if you follow them, your airlines/airports will update you on the latest news and flight schedules. 

 

You can also sign up to receive newsletters and update emails from the airport/airlines directly to your smartphone. 

 

5. Make sure your devices are charged.

 

 

This is one of the winter vacation tips that is not talked about very often. You should always reach your airport and board your flight with a fully charged smartphone or other devices. 

 

Suppose there is any chance that your flight is delayed. In that case, you will find hundreds of people surrounding that one comfortable charging outlet at the departure airport. There is no guarantee that the crowd will slow down after a while. There will be a fleet of another hundred people grabbing that one chance to charge their smartphone. 

 

Either carry an extra portable battery charger or ensure your phone is fully charged so you can read more of our Leisure travel guides. At the same time, you wait to board your flight! 

 

6. Stock up your snack bag 

 

Carry extra non-perishable snacks and drinks in your vehicle. Suppose you are going to be on board soon. In that case, you can avoid the drinks, but be sure to carry an empty water bottle to be used after the airport security checkpoint. 

 

You can carry some granola bars in your bag, dried nuts and fruits, protein-rich snacks, beef jerky, and other things you like. If you are traveling with your family, with kids, this is one of the best winter vacation tips we can offer you! You can thank us later. 

 

7. Multitask your way into the flight 

 

 

If you are traveling in winters, especially when the forecasts state terrible weather conditions, chances are you might get stuck at the airport. If you are stranded at an airport, try to multitask. 

 

You can go to your nearest ticket counter. You can also use applications like NextFlight to search for the next flight on various significant airlines. You can simply type in your departure city and arrival city to know more details about other flights. 

 

From this point, you can simply call the airlines on your phone to give them your preferred options of flying out of the airport you are stranded at. This ensures a good chance you will board another flight faster than you can reach the front line at the airport, because of crowds! 

 

If you can, but we do not recommend this, try to take a car rental service or a cab to drive to your destination. This only works if you are traveling somewhere nearby and the weather conditions for driving are okay. 

 

8. Opt for a train 

 

Trains are better at handling bad wintery weather conditions in comparison to flights. Opt for them, if you can. 

 

The credibility of this winter vacation tip works in areas and regions connected adequately via a network of trains, like in the US or Japan, or England.

 

The US train service Amtrak offers an opportunity to passengers to reach their winter holiday destination safely, with two 50-pound bags for free (of course, the tickets wouldn’t be free!). You can also bypass the jammed or blocked highways and airports this way and reach your destination with peace in your heart and relaxation in your mind with all the extra seating and leg space. 

 

Final Words

 

Do not fret winters; they are beautiful! Fret the lousy weather conditions that come along. They can hamper your vacation plans. With these fantastic winter vacation tips, you can indeed combat some of the significant problems people witness during winter holiday travel plans.