How To Avoid Stress When Booking Travel?
Avoiding stress from your travel begins at the travel booking stage.
You don’t need to book your travel right away. Put the dates in your calendar, and start looking for deals a couple of weeks beforehand. Doing research ahead of time can also help reduce stress levels because you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into before clicking Buy Tickets.
And if that’s all too much, there are apps like Hopper and Kayak that can find the best rates for you based on your travel date alignment.
On top of that, sites like Airfarewatchdog let travelers watch out for fare wars between different airlines while they’re checking flight prices. In this way, travelers with flexible schedules have an easier time finding flights at lower prices than those who don’t have as many options open to them yet but want to book sooner.
On top of all that, using a credit card with complimentary travel insurance can give you extra peace of mind when buying tickets. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers primary coverage for trip cancellation or interruption if you bought the ticket with points from the Ultimate Rewards portal.
If something comes up and your plans change, this will help you avoid stress when booking travel and getting your money back.
If stress is still a factor, travelers can make sure not to book during peak periods in which they know there will likely be higher airline prices and more stress from the traveling public.
It’s also important to know what kind of traveler you are: Do you want to be stress-free and have a stress-free vacation? Or do you enjoy the stress of traveling as an adventure, where you’re not looking for stress-free travel but rather stress-free vacations?
Finally, planning early can help you get cheaper tickets. Unlike most people who wait till the last minute to go shopping at stores or online for their gifts, stress-free travelers will start looking for deals a few weeks before they’re due to travel so that stress doesn’t fill up their flight ticket or hotel. Then, by booking early, stress-free travelers can minimize the stress of booking travel because more options and fares are usually cheaper.
If you know in advance when your travel will happen, take advantage of those few weeks before travel to start looking into deals and buying travel tickets.
If you wish to avoid the hassle of looking for deals yourself, then use a travel agent if you can. Travel agents have experience booking tickets and will be able to get you the best deals out there. Just be sure that they are reputable and not just after your money.
Stress-free Travel by Car
Traveling stress-free by car requires a lot of preparation. Follow these quick tips for a road trip to avoid the stress of traveling by car:
- Avoid having too many bags or children to take in and out of the car.
- Plan the trip with GPS routing so you can avoid traffic jams, road construction, or weekend lane closures that may mean a slower drive.
Do your research. Find out whether it’s more helpful for you to take the major highways or stick primarily to state and county roads, where traffic moves at a slower pace, and there are fewer road dividers.
Consider taking an alternate route that avoids some of the most congested parts of the metropolitan area during peak traffic time on weekdays if it is convenient.
Be aware of potential bottlenecks created by construction, accidents or other events that may cause lane closures and detours. Slow down if you have ample warning so you don’t waste gas (or money!) in stop-and-go traffic followed quickly by speed limits higher than what may be typical for the area.
- Be mindful of how far away from food shops, petrol stations, etc., when planning your journey. It might be worth stopping off at travel stores on the way if you have no idea where to stock up on snacks/foods when on the move!
- Use your in-car entertainment for good measure. This can help make the time zip by faster whilst also getting into a rhythm conducive to safe driving (or just singing along).
- Keep anything you may need in the car; charged mobile phones and your sat nav are worth packing.
Plan for all eventualities that could stress you out when traveling by car, such as breakdowns, delays etc.; plan for possible stress factors, and stress-free driving is yours 🙂