Chick Vacations

Thanksgiving is only a couple days away and I thought I would share some tips I have learned over the many years of holiday travel I have done.  Hopefully these tips will help ease some of your stress this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Do not wait till the night before to pack! With all of our lives being so hectic many of us just keep pushing packing until 11pm the night before a 5am flight.  I have done this and it sucks! You are exhausted when packing and the whole next day.  If you are a late packer you either over pack or forget something which makes you feel even more stressed when you are already exhausted and stressed! Solution:  Make a pile in the corner of a room with the stuff you want to take a week ahead of time.  You can keep adding to the pile all week and then pack it all two days ahead of time.  Then the night before you can just add a last minute item to the already closed suitcase and head to bed in less than a minute!  Easy right?  You can do it!
   
2. Pack snacks that will fill you up and keep you satisfied in case of a backup on the road or a long wait on the tarmac.  Everyone is running every which way during the holidays and unfortunately this means more car accidents and longer delays at the airport.  Food wise I always carry some nuts and some small packets of peanut butter or almond butter like Justin's with me.  An apple is always good to have and an easy snack as well as some jerky that is not loaded with bad stuff.  Golden Island Chili Lime jerky fits that bill for me.  Lastly I always, always have ginger candies on me in case my stomach gets upset..  If you are driving you have the advantage of packing a small cooler with water or whatever beverages you like. I usually put at least two ginger ales in the cooler in case my stomach gets upset but water is my main drink and should be yours as well!  Hydration is key to a great trip.
   
3. Make sure you have window washer fluid and that your wipers are working well.  Growing up in the Midwest this time of year you really notice if you need new wipers and if you have a long drive you might want to check them out.  I recommend getting new wipers in case of rain, sleet, or snow so you do not have to worry.  Also make sure your window washer fluid is full and carry some extra in your car.  The worst thing is when a truck splashes you with watery mud and you have no way to clean it off because you are out of fluid.
4. Have a blanket and a votive candle in a container in your car in case your car dies.  You might think why a votive candle but it is proven that a simple votive candle can help keep the heat up in your car.  Also always have a blanket whether it is to keep you warm or to use on the ground to change the tire if it goes flat. 
   
5. Make sure to secure your house when you are gone.  These days you can do a lot more than lock your door and hope that no one breaks in since this is the biggest time of year for home break ins.  You can easily install a video doorbell that records when someone walks past your door and allows you to answer the door from anywhere.  You can also put some cameras up in your home so that it will detect any movement and record it.  Of course you can always use the old school motion detectors on the outside of your house that will detour anyone who does not want to be seen.