Traveling all over the country (and even the world) can be pretty stressful these days. From the flight, airport parking, security checking, and paying baggage fees, it all seems daunting. Planning as much of your trip ahead of time is necessary if you want to have a smooth and stress free time.
For Travelers
If you are going to a tropical destination for a holiday, traveling for Spring Break 2012, or will be visiting friends or family somewhere, make your travel plans well in advance. If you forgot to book your flight 60-90 days prior to the holiday, you are not completely out of luck. Many airlines still have open seats a few weeks before the holiday and you may even get a big discount at this point. You can shop for the best flight deals online, which will enable you to save the most money possible.
If you will be renting a car to drive to your destination, or if you will rent one once you have landed after your flight, make these arrangements well in advance. The rental car companies will raise their prices closer to the date, so if you want to save money you need to plan ahead of time.
If you will be driving yourself to the airport such as Burbank Bob Hope Airport or Baltimore Washington International Airport, and then flying to your destination, ensure that you have planned out how and where you will park. Many people have missed their flights in the past because they did not leave enough time to find a parking spot and ended up having to park too far from the terminal to make their flight. Allow for at least half an hour to an hour (depending on how big the airport is) to get your car parked and to get to the terminal. If you want to cut down on that time, you can choose valet parking. Many people do not even realize that this option is available to them. It will help you to save quite a lot of time.
You can also choose to reserve your parking online with Airport Parking Connection, which is an excellent way to save time as well, because you do not have to search for a spot. You can reserve with SouthWest Parking or VSP Parking out of BUR airport, and EconoPark Express or ValetPark Express out of BWI airport. Reserve and print out your parking voucher and other travel itineraries and be on your way!
Don't forget to stay up to date with the status of your flight as airline travel is always changing with the weather and delays. Check out FlightStats.com and keep up with your flight status.
Whether you are traveling to see your friends and family, planning ahead can help make your holiday trip smoother and easier.