Ways to make the most of your holiday travels

Successful winter travel is all about successful navigation of winter weather and the holiday crowds. Preparedness and safety are key. Whether it’s a two-hour drive or a two-hour flight, traveling can be one of the most stressful parts of the holiday season. And while there are some things you can’t control, there are ways to make the most of your holiday travels this year.  Nationally recognized media maven, Amy Goodman is here to help us ensure happy travels.

• Do your homework- Comparison shop to plan the vacation of your dreams! Booking.com makes planning an adventure easy with nearly 1.5 million unique places to stay across every budget – from five-star hotels to beachside villas, cozy mountain cabins, houseboats, wellness retreats and more. Whether your style is après-ski or “get-me-to-the- beach!”, you’ll find exactly what you need. When searching for your accommodation – whether through the website or mobile app– check out the up-to-date reviews from guests who have stayed at the properties. That’s 132 MILLION real reviews to help ensure that your travel experiences match your expectations. They also have an in-house customer service team available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you’re never stuck in a lurch.
• Protect yourself- From hurricanes to earthquakes, the last month alone has taught us there’s a lot that’s not in our control. But something that is? Protecting our travel investment with coverage from Allianz Travel Insurance. Travel insurance can reimburse your non-refundable expenses if you must cancel a trip due to sickness or injury and most importantly, it’ll cover you for medical emergencies that may happen while you’re traveling. One of the best gifts you can give yourself this holiday season is free!  The new TravelSmart app from lets you track your flights, find hospitals, doctors and even police stations overseas, provides local emergency numbers around the world, and lets you access travel assistance with just the touch of a button.  You can even file and track your travel insurance claim right from the app!
• Hit the open road: For those of you hitting the highway this holiday season, why not join Hertz’s Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program, it’s free to join and you can participate in the Great Gold Giveaway for a chance to win 1 million Gold Plus Reward points, which can be redeemed for up to four years’ worth of free rental days. If you are traveling at major U.S. airports, you can also take advantage of their new Ultimate Choice service which allows customers to choose the car that’s right for them by selecting any make and model they want from the car class they reserved at no additional cost.
• Lighten the load: During the holidays, consider sending unwrapped gifts in advance to your destination to lighten your load and wrapping them upon arrival. Pack a capsule wardrobe so that you can mix and match your outfits, and if laundry services are available at your destination to do a light load while on the road. Wear your heaviest clothing item: a knitted sweater or a pea coat to lighten the weight of luggage or leave more room for packing. Think about things you don’t need, and consider going more natural to save weight: hair dryer, hair spray, your entire skincare bottle lineup (maybe just take the moisturizer and sunscreen in travel sized containers), mini makeup kit, etc.
• On the go games: The best kid games on the go are the ones without small pieces and that don’t make a lot of noise: cards, coloring, reading books are great. Car games that require rider participation are also a wonderful way to keep kids entertained and don’t require any packing.