Holiday travel mistakes you don’t want to make (+ what to do instead)

Wrapping presents—check. Making a list and checking it twice—check. Prepping for your holiday travel… Um… Somehow, preparing for a holiday drive often gets overlooked or left to the last minute. I’m here to help. In this post, I’ll cover the 7 most common holiday travel mistakes—and how to avoid them.

Holiday travel looks a lot different this year. (If you want to skip searching for all the latest advice, you’ll want to check out my summary on how to minimize health risks while traveling these days.)

What remains the same: Common holiday travel mistakes can be a major detour on your road to fun, family gatherings or a quick trip out of town.

Read on for the most common holiday travel mistakes—and what to do instead.

Failing to plan stops ahead of time

“We’ll just stop wherever we need to along the way.”

Cue: a kid who has to pee so badly she’s nearly in tears or the child tantrumming because his blood sugar has dropped through the floor.

You’ve heard that old adage that failing to plan is planning to fail. Well, when it comes to holiday travel, failing to plan is planning to have a car full of meltdowns.

Here’s why you need to plan stops in advance, especially when traveling this holiday.

• Without planning ahead, you might end up on a stretch of road with no rest stops or quick food options right when you need the amenities most.
• Waiting until your crew is melting down—and then deciding to stop—makes travel miserable for everyone. Plan to stop before everyone really really really needs it now!
• You’ll feel confident in having a plan. Being in control of this factor—knowing when and where to stop—takes some of the stress out of holiday travel.
• You’ll avoid potty emergencies if everyone uses the bathroom at regular intervals.

So when you’re figuring out your route, look at rest stops, outdoor parks, waysides and quick food options along the way. When we take road trips, I generally stop at a park or playground to let the kiddos burn off energy!

Plan on stopping at least every two hours (adjusting for your family’s needs / temperament / bladder size).

**Want to travel safely but don’t have the time to scour the internet for the latest advice? Then you’ll love my 20-minute training on the travel tools you need today. Click to get my on-demand training! ⤵

Ignoring planning for your return trip

We tend to focus on the thing right in front of our nose: the upcoming holiday and everything we need to do to get there.

But too many people forget about planning the return trip.

This is tricky for a number of reasons. First of all, you and your crew might be stretched thin after days of relative together time and extra helpings of pumpkin pie. (That is to say, you’re not all at your best.)

Secondly, most other people fail to plan for the trip home. That means roads and airports are filled with stressed out people who are in a rush.

What’s more, all those thoughtful touches you planned for the first leg of your trip (like a special new activity for your kids or a holiday-themed movie to watch en route) are absent.

(My recommendation: Why not play Holiday Travel Bingo? You can download my free Holiday Travel Bingo printable, which even pre-readers can use!)

So when you’re planning for your holiday trip, think about the return as well.

Some ideas to consider:

• Can you make the return trip special, too? I like to pack a little surprise for my kids, even something as small as a coloring kit from the dollar store.
• Can you make the drive feel new and exciting? Kids love novelty. They’ll be excited for the trip home if you’ve stashed a new movie to watch or queue up an awesome new playlist.
• Can you pack healthy snacks for the trip? When you leave home, you have easy access to the go-to snacks for you and your family (string cheese, whole grain crackers, sliced apples, the works). But if you’re out of town, you have less control over the snacks on hand. So before you head home, make a quick stop at the grocery store so you have a fresh stock of the healthy snacks that will keep everyone nourished (and not hangry or sugar crashed!).
• Why not play a game that’s new for everyone? Remind yourself of the classics and learn brand-new activities with my book, Road Trip Games & Activities for Kids. Download the e-book or order the paperback ahead of time. (It also makes a great gift!

Packing at the last minute

Ahh, the holidays: A season for admiring twinkling lights and snowflakes, leisurely sipping a cup of cheer—and frantically packing up the minivan at the last minute before rushing out the door.

It doesn’t have to be that way!

I recommend pacing the prep of an upcoming trip for at least a few days before you actually leave. You can pack about 90% of your stuff in advance (you’ll just need to add toiletries, shoes and any last-minute items like glasses).

In fact, I recommend packing the car early, too. When you have your suitcases and other gear ready, put it directly into the car the day before you leave.

Packing up and hitting the road will be a breeze.

Not adjusting your itinerary

Most people wake up the morning of their trip, buckle their jammied kids into the car and hit the road. But a common holiday travel mistake is failing to check current conditions—and adjusting accordingly.

That’s why I recommend that one of the first things you do the morning of your trip is to check the weather, road conditions, and traffic.

Look for your state’s department of transportation online. This site typically has incredibly detailed information about road conditions like ice, any current closures and even live camera feeds.

You should also check a trip planning app or site such as Waze or the maps app on your iPhone. This should give you an idea of the flow of traffic.

Do you need to leave earlier than anticipated? Do you need to take a different route? Once you’re armed with this info, you’ll know exactly how to adjust your itinerary.

Rushing to your destination

You know that song—🎵 “Dashing through the snow” 🎵. Whether you’re on a one-horse open sleigh or a sensible minivan, rushing to your holiday destination isn’t the way to go.

I 100% get that you want to arrive as fast as possible. But is speed worth the stress of rushing?

No.

So give yourself extra time for transit. As a rule of thumb, I add an extra half-hour of estimated drive time for every 2 hours on the road while traveling during the winter. That way, I don’t stress if there’s traffic, poor road conditions or just the need for an extra potty break.

So instead of rushing this holiday, take a more leisurely pace. You and your family will end up having fun en route.

(If you really want to have fun on the road, get your copy of my book, Road Trip Games & Activities for Kids, before leaving home!)

Depend on food en route

Raise your hand if this has happened to you: You’re so focused on getting out the door and getting to your destination that you forget about that minor detail of eating.

You know, the activity that your very life depends on.

I know I’ve been there! (I once resorted to eating Baby Edie’s fruit squeezie pouch because I had totally forgotten to pack any food for myself.)

I totally get it: You have plenty on your mind, from checking the weather to confirming your lodging reservation. But figuring you’ll just “find something to eat along the way” is a big holiday travel mistake.

Why? Because you don’t want to be at the mercy of whatever food happens to be around.

Returning to reality at the last moment possible

Look, I get it. You want to make the most of your days off, so it’s understandable to return home right before regular life starts back up.

Unfortunately, too many people do this: get home Sunday night and return to work and school Monday morning.

The days following a holiday feel like a letdown already. All the anticipation of the upcoming holiday has disappeared along with the torn-up wrapping paper piles.

This is a time to be extra-gentle with yourself and your family, not launch into the demands of life-as-usual.

So when you’re planning a holiday trip, leave a buffer day in between getting home and starting back at work / distance learning / the daily grind.

Use that day to sleep in (if your kids let you!). Spend all day in your jammies. Watch a movie. Order takeout. Be kind to yourself and your body. (My favorite way: Do a little yoga. Even 10 minutes on the mat makes me feel sooooo much better.)

When you don’t rush back to regular life, you’ll manage the transition more smoothly.

Holiday travel doesn’t have to be stressful

When you know the common mistakes of holiday travel—and how to avoid them—you’re prepared to make your holiday trip as easy and stress-free as possible.

Do you have more to add? Share your advice in the comments below!