Preparing to visit family near Christmas – While we love to get into the festive spirit come December, Christmas can be an extremely busy time for families. From buying gifts and Christmas cards, wrapping presents, and getting organised for trips to see the family for Christmas get togethers, there’s a lot to consider for parents during this time.
According to recent studies, during Christmas week, Brits are estimated to spend almost nine hours in the car travelling to see loved ones. Over half of adults find driving over Christmas stressful, with a fifth worrying about safety.
We know that visiting family can require a lot of planning to make it a stress-free occasion. Follow our top tips to make sure you’re as prepared as you can be for the joyous occasion.
Choosing Your Transport – Preparing to visit family near Christmas
For any parents with children or a large family to organise, squeezing everyone in one vehicle can prove to be quite a challenge. Ensure you choose an appropriate family car for the job, which has enough space to pack in everyone’s suitcases and belongings. Comfort is key when it comes to keeping everyone happy, especially if it’s going to be a long journey. Double check car seats are securely in place before setting off, and that everyone has been for toilet breaks to reduce any stoppage time at service stations.
Packing in Advance
Everyone knows that last minute packing is no fun. Rushing around on the morning that you’re due to leave only leads to stressful start to your trip before it’s even began! Be sure to get everything neatly packed away into the car the night before so all you have to do in the morning is focus on getting everyone ready and out the door. Don’t forget to triple check Christmas presents when you put them in the car – there’s nothing worse than forgetting to pack one present from your list and feeling awful when you arrive that you’ve left one person out by accident.
Plan Your Route
You may have travelled this same route one hundred times before but remember chaos that Christmas to local roads and particularly motorways! Everyone else is also travelling to see their family at Christmas which, as we all know too well, often leads to a higher risk of accidents, road closures and congestion when it comes to driving around the time of Christmas and New Year. Always do a quick check of live travel updates before setting off, so that you can plan your route accordingly to avoid delays.
Preparing to visit family near Christmas is a feature post
