The holiday season is right around the corner and is the most popular time to travel. 

Many families utilize this time as a great opportunity to relax, visit different places, or even spend time and visit family. However, with so many people traveling around the world, traveling tends to get difficult during this time of year. Airports start to get overloaded and traffic begins to increase. With that said, the process of traveling or even just packing for a vacation can sometimes get a little problematic. Having said that, as a person who frequently travels, I few tips up my sleeve to mitigate the stress that comes along with traveling. 

Gathering Your Travel Confirmations: 

• First, make sure to confirm all of your tickets and expenses
• Make sure to print all your tickets or any other items that need to be shown. Also, use this time to make sure you have a proper ID or any other items which will permit you to travel. For example, a passport if you’re traveling out of the country. 
• Once you gather all these materials, place them all in one folder TOGETHER! This can prevent you from overlooking or misplacing any important items. 

Packing: 

• Understand where your destination is in order to pack appropriate clothing for the weather. 
• If you’re going somewhere known for cold weather, you may want to pack a few jackets or full-sleeved clothing to prevent you from feeling cold. For warmer climates, you may want to pack more shorts and short sleeves. 
• Before packing, remember to check the weather over the days you may be visiting. You want to be prepared for rainy weather. 
• Make a list of what you want to bring, whether it’s your wallet, clothes, lotion, etc. Creating one can prevent you from forgetting any items.
• After, gather all your clothes and wash the ones which need to be cleaned. After completing this, organize your pants, shirts, undergarments, and accessories in separate piles. This will allow you to see what items you do and do not have. 
• Grab pieces of clothing and set up pieces of outfits for your daily wear while for your vacation. This may seem time-consuming, but once you get the gist of it, the process gets faster and prevents you from forgetting any items. 
• During this time, you may find items that you may not have or maybe want to have, and if you plan on shopping for outfits write them down so you don’t forget anything. 
• After you complete your pairs, fold them and place them into your suitcase.
• While doing so, use this as an opportunity to keep your other essentials such as toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, etc. in a bag. If you are traveling through the airport ensure that your liquids are TSI approved and place it in a bag!

Day Before Travel Day: 

• Ensure that you have everything you want and place all your items including suitcases, wallets, tickets, etc. in one area.
• If you are traveling early in the morning, set an alarm to wake up. Make sure you have it set up and set a backup just in case. 
• Double-check your travel confirmation just in case if you need something else. For example, some may need you to print out a confirmation ticket. However, if your traveling in your own car, it may not be necessary to get any tickets. 

Travel Day: 

• Remember to bring all your suitcases and wallet.  
• Have tickets and identifications necessary with you at all times. 
• Since it is the holiday season, I leave 2 hours earlier due to unexpected traffic which may occur. For example, if you have a flight at 9 am you may want to leave at the airport and plan to be there by 7:30-8 in the morning due to security, traffic, and decreased parking spaces. Or if you plan to drive to your destination by 12:30, try leaving a few hours ahead so you do not need to be worried about arriving late due to unexpected traffic. 
• Remember this is the busiest time of the year. There are so many people traveling and that should be considered. 

Following these steps can help you ease the stress that comes along when going on vacation. Although it can be stressful, remember that in the end, you are going to make it through so you could later sit back and relax during your vacation. Remember to take some pictures and most importantly have fun. Safe travels, Titans!