While a lucky few get to focus on hanging stockings and roasting chestnuts at home, some of us have to deal with train delays, icy roads, and canceled flights during one of the busiest travel times of the year.

Holiday travel is stressful. But you have the power to make it better! All you need is a little advance planning—and travel insurance you can trust.

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1. Do your holiday travel planning way in advance.

When’s the best time to book a flight for the Christmas holidays? Some experts say September, and some say late October.^{1, 2} Taking the train? Book as soon as possible, up to 11 months in advance. “The earlier you book your tickets, the more likely you are to get the lowest fare available for the dates you want on the routes along your journey,” Amtrak says.³

Other elements of winter holiday travel to buy well in advance: hotels, rental car reservations, airport parking, tickets for holiday events and attractions, lift tickets, and holiday dinner reservations.

Tip: Travel insurance can protect these additional pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses! Be sure to include them in your total trip costs when purchasing your plan.

2. Book the early flight.

No one wants to drag themselves out of bed before dawn. But as a rule, early flights are less likely to be delayed.⁴ Trains, too! So if you’re trying to improve your chances of avoiding winter travel delays, those yawn-inducing 6 a.m. departures may be the ticket.

3. Check your connections.

While a direct flight may come at a higher price point, it reduces the chance of a holiday travel delay. If you can’t avoid a stop, try to choose a flight that connects in an airport that’s less affected by winter weather. Airports with the worst winter delays include Newark, Chicago O’Hare, JFK, Boston Logan, and LaGuardia.⁵

4. Buy travel insurance as soon as you’ve made your holiday travel arrangements.

In the trip-planning whirlwind, many travelers postpone buying insurance. That can be an expensive mistake. If you wait until after something happens to disrupt your trip plans—a forecasted winter storm, for instance, or a kid getting sick—then it’s too late to protect yourself with insurance.

The earlier you purchase your travel insurance, the sooner you’ll be protected. Also, you must buy insurance within 14 days of making your initial trip deposit (or within the time period described in your plan) if you want to be eligible for the existing medical condition benefit. (Additional requirements apply; learn more here.)

5. Stick to a carry-on.

Whenever possible, avoid checking a bag. If you’re staying with family, you can throw a load in the wash if you run out of clothes. By keeping your luggage with you, you reduce the chance of a lost or damaged bag. You can bypass the entire baggage claim process when you land, and you’ll have less to lug around over the holiday.

Tip: Use our packing checklist for holiday travel to get everything you need into a carry-on without breaking TSA rules. No cranberry sauce, jars of gravy, or snowglobes!

6. Give yourself an extra hour or two.

Everything takes longer during the busy winter holiday travel holiday season. Longer to drive to the airport. Longer to find a parking space. Longer to check your bags. Longer to get through security. Longer to get a cup of coffee at the airport. Ease holiday travel stress by allotting more time than usual to get from your house to the gate.

Tip: If your family pulls a “Home Alone” and oversleeps on the day your flight departs, you might still have a chance. Use our last-minute speed-packing checklist!

7. Have a stress-reduction plan.

The key to reducing holiday travel stress is taking action as soon as you notice it. Remember, stress isn’t just mental; it’s physical. Your sympathetic nervous system is releasing cortisol and adrenaline, which heighten your alertness and energy but also can make you tense, tired, and irritable.⁶

When you start feeling stressed, have an antidote at the ready. This might be:

• Listening to a guided meditation or mindfulness app
• Doing a deep breathing exercise that’s proven to relieve stress, such as box breathing
• Doing a body scan to recenter yourself

Tip: If you suffer from serious travel anxiety or flight anxiety, you may need a more detailed plan and/or medication. You can also request priority security screening and priority boarding in advance.

8. Be cool.

Feeling aggravated by holiday travel stress? Don’t be the person who screams at the gate agent, tries to cut the security line, or demands that someone else give up their window seat because you want to sit next to your Pookie Bear. Do be the person who goes out of their way to be kind to others. Ask the frazzled dad if you can watch his bags while he takes his twin toddlers to the bathroom. Thank airline staff with a chocolate bar or a $5 coffee card.

9. Need help? We’re here.

You’re supposed to join your family on a Christmas cruise, but a snowstorm just canceled your flight to Miami. Your mom is telling you to rent a car and drive seven hours, so you don’t miss embarkation. Your sister says you should spend $600 to buy a ticket on a different airline. You’d rather spend the holidays at home with your dog.

When holiday travel stress overwhelms you, Allianz Travel Insurance is there to help. Connect with our 24-hour Assistance team from almost anywhere in the world, via the free Allyz® app or by phone. We can help you figure out what to do—and reimburse you for covered expenses.

• If you experience a covered travel delay, your trip delay benefits can reimburse lost prepaid trip expenses, plus eligible expenses during the delay.
• If a covered delay postpones your arrival for at least 24 hours from the originally scheduled time, your trip cancellation benefits can reimburse you for the reasonable cost of alternate transportation to get to your destination another way (up to the maximum limit in your plan, minus any refunds). If you miss the cruise ship’s departure, we may be able to help you catch up at its first port of call.
• If your travel carrier can’t get you to your planned destination for at least 24 consecutive hours from the originally scheduled arrival time due to a covered reason (such as severe weather), that can be a covered reason for trip cancellation or trip interruption. That means you can get reimbursed for your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses.
• If you miss at least 50% of the length of your trip due to a travel carrier delay (or another covered reason), that can also be a covered reason for trip interruption.

(Coverage and exclusions vary. Always read your policy documents carefully, and contact Allianz Partners if you have any questions.)

Traveling soon? It’s not too late to get winter holiday travel insurance. Get a quote right now.

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