Pack Smart
The trick to packing for a short journey like a Christmas break is to pack your travel bag light while ensuring you have all of the essentials, and to do this it's best to spend a little bit of time planning. Clothes wise. creating a mini capsule wardrobe for each family member is your best bet. This involves having a couple of staple pieces that can be dressed up or down and worn in a variety of ways, that way you get the most bang for your buck and can save on precious space while still having enough outfits. If you have some idea of what you'll be getting up to when your away it will make everything a lot easier, if you'll be doing any walking around in the daytime then save space for some warm comfortable boots, rather than throwing in every pair of heels that you own! For toiletries, now is a good chance to use the travel sized and samples of products you've been saving all year and makeup-wise go for good multi-use products and versatile palettes. When it comes to gift giving, you could get any larger items shipped directly to the address you're going to and make use of the gift wrapping option a lot of sites offer- this saves having to lug around loads of presents with you.
Prepare your Vehicle
If you're planning on travelling by car, ensure you do a maintenance check before you start your journey. Things like checking wipers, water levels and oil are important and could prevent accidents and break downs on the way to your destination this Christmas. Good tyres are essential for any journey. Before making a long journey at Christmas it's always wise to pack an emergency survival kit in the car (blankets, a torch, a fully charged mobile phone and some food and water). Hopefully you'll never need it, but if the worst were to happen, you'll be glad you came prepared.
Plan Your Route
Christmas is a busy time, remember that there will be more people out in public and on the roads which could significantly affect your journey. During December you can also expect bad weather, so watch out for flood risks, ice or snow which could all lead to diversions and public transport cancellations. Whether you're driving the whole way or just need to make your way to a train station, bus station or airport- be aware that around Christmas your journey is likely to be longer and more difficult so leave plenty of time and have a backup plan just in case.
Will you be travelling anywhere this Christmas?
