December is one of the most magical months of the year. Between coming off the food high of Thanksgiving, the lights and decorations leading up to Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and the blowouts of New Year’s Eve, this is the month that makes the dark and cold of winter so worthwhile. We get to see all of our family and friends, celebrate with food and drink, be thankful and happy, and give and receive gifts. But in between that there is tons of traveling and to-and-fro to be done. It can be hard to stay organized when you spend this season migrating between the homes of various relatives, so here are our tips to keep you on track and organized as you navigate this magical holiday season!
Stick with the Essentials
The most important tip we can give you in terms of staying organized while traveling is to keep your luggage light! You’ll already be carrying extra baggage with things like gifts to bring along; don’t make things harder for yourself by bringing things that you won’t need or use. For the ladies, try and get creative with your outfits, bring basic pieces that can be turned into various different outfits through clever use of accessories, rather than a new statement dress for every holiday party. Same thing applies to the guys, stick with a simple button up and you’ll never go astray. If you forget something like a toothbrush, you can always pick one up at your destination, but don’t expect lots of places to be open for Christmas!
Plan Ahead
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in terms of getting disorganized during the holidays is by putting things off to the last minute. This, of course, applies to all aspects of the season. Don’t put off getting gifts until all the good ones are gone. Don’t put off cooking or planning an elaborate meal until the night before. And of course, don’t leave your packing until the last minute, or you might find yourself racing for a plane with only half of the stuff you need for the trip. And don’t forget the presents in your haste! Figure out exactly what you’ll be doing and where you’ll be going during your stay, and plan exactly what you’ll need to bring to it. This will also help with our first tip, as you’ll be less likely to pack non-essentials when you’ve made a plan in advance.
Have a Checklist and Itinerary
This tip falls in line with the previous tip about planning ahead because there’s no such thing as being too prepared! Having a checklist will help you make sure that you have everything you need before you head out the door, and you won’t have to be turning around to pick up any last minute forgotten items, and potentially missing your flight. Having an itinerary will ensure that your schedule is as organized as your luggage. People who keep itineraries will save money, time, and immeasurable amounts of stress by making sure that they are where they need to be when they need to be there.
With these holiday travel tips, courtesy of Closet & Storage Concepts of New England, you’ll be well on your way to having the stress-free, happy holiday that you deserve!
Photo credits: [1] © Choreograph. [2] © yalcinadali.