There’s no two ways about it, traveling during the holiday season is rough. Not only are airports and highways busier than ever, but so are you. If you’re planning on spending the holiday season out of town, you now have the added stress of not only packing and making travel arrangements, but also ensuring that all of your holiday gifts are purchased and make it to the appropriate destination.
With this in mind, we asked our in-house travel experts: when heading out of town for the holidays, what’s the best way to ensure that your holiday gifts arrive at the appropriate destination?
Shopping before you go
With so much going on during the holiday season, the last thing many people want to worry about is last minute holiday shopping. For this reason, many people tend to purchase their holiday gifts before they leave town.
Christmas gifts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
While going this route may put your mind at ease, logistically, this may create a bit of a headache during travel. Depending on how many gifts you need to transport, you may pay extra baggage fees due to additional weight — you may even find yourself paying extra for a suitcase reserved solely for gifts! If you do plan on this option, remember, do not wrap your presents until you arrive at your destination, as TSA may need to unwrap them for security purposes. Also, make sure none of your gifts are on the TSA’s list of prohibited items.
Shopping upon arrival
If you have a day or two to squeeze in some shopping and you’re going to an area with plenty of stores (a large city or somewhere in close proximity to shopping), this may be a good option. However, if you’re planning on visiting a tropical island two days before you’re due to exchange gifts, you may find yourself gifting hotel gift shop trinkets to your loved ones. While we all know it’s the thought that counts, the little ones in your family may not be overjoyed to receive a conch shell with googly eyes.
Your best bet?
The TravelPro team agrees: if it’s possible, your best option is to shop for the bulk of your presents online, then have them delivered to your destination. This will allow you to get your shopping done ahead of time, without having to worry about the logistics of getting your gifts from point A to point B. You save yourself the hassle and cost of a heavy suitcase, or even a second suitcase. Everyone gets what they want, and you get to relax and shop on your own time.
Or you could just give gift cards.
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