Now before you go calling the Easter Bunny, and Santa on me, I want you to read why I am giving up on "The Holidays".
I am giving up the pressure of making sure my house gives the North Pole a run for its money. I am giving up making sure I got the same amount or presents than I did last year for everyone I know. I am giving up spending money on things that will be celebrated for about half a day and then forgotten about the other 364 days a year. I am giving up "the holidays", instead catch me and my family on a "Destination Holiday".
I started about 5 years ago forgoing birthday parties, big expensive plastic trees, gift wrapping 2933892 gifts for one thing...a vacation. Some people might think of Home Alone when they think of the madness of traveling near the holidays, BUT
Here are some tips I would give to keep you from having a mental breakdown and leaving your kid at home (not once but twice she did that, I all of a sudden don't feel like a terrible mom).
Save enough vacation days at work to travel outside the "holiday window". Now what is the Holiday window? It's the day before or the day after the holiday that everyone books their travel for. I mean why take an extra vacation day when I can fight 322 people for an armrest. Plan to get to your destination 2-3 days before the holiday window and leave 2-3 after the window.
Give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to be. This means don't show up the day after Christmas with your flight leaving in an hour, fighting everyone to get thru Security.
Budget for Holiday Prices. Although I am not spending my life savings on Christmas gifts I do expect the price of hotels, airfare, even ride sharing to be higher than normal.
Get the insurance. Travel on any day can be unpredictable, don't stress yourself out by skimping on that travel insurance and end up in the back of a van with the Polka Kings. Get your FREE Quote for Insurance from this link: Home Page (roamright.com)
Hire a Travel Agent (www.worththemilestravel.com) They will know the busiest times, when to start searching for the best deals, and can walk thru each step of travel to really put your mind at ease.
Now that those handy tips are out of the way where should you go?
One of the most popular options is a Cruise. The kids are already out of school, work is already giving people time off, so it makes it really convenient on the personal side for alot of people. Plus have you seen NYE fireworks in the middle of the ocean before?
Although this is not my recommendation Disney is a VERY popular option. Again, for the same reasons, school is out, people already have the time off, but that's you and half the country all trying to fit into 4 parks. They also have separate ticketed events available.
All Inclusive Resorts are a very popular option especially for couples. I will endorse this decision every day! You get to escape from the family obligated dinners, white elephant parties, and not catching the cold running thru your sister's house.
I want to end this with you can GIVE UP on "The Holidays". We lose the meaning of holidays when it gets commercialized when in the end, it's about making memories, and spending time together. We all know we are spending too much money on things we don't need, and I don't know one person in my life that doesn't need a vacation.
-Samantha Cooley
Worth the Miles Travel
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