Your Ultimate Travel Checklist for a Stress-Free Holiday Trip

Over half of all Americans are planning to travel this 2024 holiday season, according to a recent travel survey. Whether you’re driving or flying, you may be flustered thinking about how to pack your suitcase or carry-on and how to prepare your home to spend several days away. 

I’m feeling the stress too. I’m planning a 16-hour road trip to visit my sister in Oklahoma, and while I’m excited to see her and explore a new city, I’m already feeling the pressure of undertaking such a big trip that requires four days of driving. It’s nothing I can’t handle with a little preparation. I just need to take it piece by piece. 

To start this preparation journey, I compiled tips to make the whole process smoother, ranging from how and what to pack and ways to prepare your home for your absence.

Want more travel tips? Here are the best times to book plane tickets for cheap airfare and how to avoid having your flight canceled or delayed.

Tips for easier flying 

Airports can be anxiety-inducing even during the best of times. From researching flight cancellations to packing strategically to maximize space in your suitcase, here are some necessary tips for easier, stress-free flying. 

Fold, roll and cube clothing

You may have your own unique approach to packing clothes. Some people opt for the folding method, others prefer rolling garments into tight logs and some choose to flatten their clothes into packing cubes. My suggestion is to combine these three methods.

You can maximize space by folding your structured and bulkier clothes like jeans, trousers, formal dresses, jackets and coats. Then, roll up the rest of your clothes and fill the remaining spaces in your suitcase. To further compress your items, place some of the rolled clothes into packing cubes for added organization. It’s also helpful to pack loose items like socks and underwear into these compressed packing cubes. 

Prepare for TSA

If you’re flying, consider getting TSA PreCheck or Global Entry to skip the long lines and for easier security screening. Whether you’re a frequent flier with these perks or showing up for the standard TSA lines, keep your electronics in a convenient spot where you can take them out and put them back with ease. 

It’s best practice to have your electronics in the top layer or outer pocket of your suitcase, or your allotted personal item. Otherwise, you’ll have to dig around for your laptop, iPad, etc. stalling the line behind you in the process.

Pack essentials in your carry-on

When you check your suitcase, you run the risk of losing it. I haven’t had this happen frequently, but the one unfortunate time my checked suitcase was lost — and I had to spend three days exploring London without my luggage —  I was thrilled that my essentials were still with me in my carry-on bags.

Your carry-on or personal item is the optimal place for the essentials that would be most difficult to replace. This includes your wallet, contact lenses, eyeglasses, prescription medication, chargers, electronics or anything you would hate to not have for several days. 

Track your bags

To give your luggage some extra protection from loss or theft, consider outfitting both your carry-on and checked bags with tracking devices like Apple AirTags or Chipolo One Point Trackers.

Leave wiggle room

It’s very likely that wherever you travel, you’ll want to shop and bring back souvenirs. That means you need to take into account any extra space you might need for the trip back to avoid overweight bag fees.

Tips for a stress-free road trip

Driving comes with its own set of concerns. From preparing for flat tires to mapping out your route, here are some necessary tips for easier, stress-free road trips. 

Get your car serviced beforehand

If you’re hitting the road this holiday season, you should take your car for an inspection to make sure you don’t have any issues on the route. Ask the mechanic to check the tires, car battery, brakes, fluids and wiper blades, or anything else that may concern you. 

It’s best to do this several weeks in advance to make sure you have plenty of time to fix any issues or order any parts. 

Prepare for an emergency

Roadside emergency kits are a must-have if you’re traveling any significant distance. Some 30 million roadside assistance calls are made every year, according to AAA, so it’s best to be prepared for any emergency. 

Plan your route

Maybe this seems like a no-brainer, but it’s imperative to know which roads you’ll be taking on your drive. Not only will this keep you confident while driving, but you can note any road closures or inclement weather that may impact your route and adjust your plan accordingly. For instance, sections of I-40 in North Carolina and Tennessee will be closed for the next several weeks, and knowing this means I can choose a new route for my Thanksgiving road trip and won’t need to be rerouted miles out of the way, delaying my trip.

As another safety measure, I recommend taking a screenshot or printing directions if you’re traveling in regions where cell service could become spotty.

You should also take into account any hotels, gas stations and rest stops along the route in case you get tired or need a quick stop. 

How to prepare your home before your trip

To ensure that you’ll come back to find your home just as you left it, follow these safety and home-preparation tips.

Unplug your electronics

Not only can unplugging electronics lower your energy bill, but it will also reduce the risk of electrical fires. Before you depart, unplug your appliances, lamps, chargers, routers, computers and TVs for maximum safety. 

Lock your windows

Triple-check all your doors and secure all windows before you head out of town. Consider purchasing a smart lock that can alert you when a window is unlocked and allow you to lock it remotely or a home security system to arm your home while away. 

Time your lights

Leaving lights on to make it look like you’re home can deter any potential burglars. Rather than leaving lights on all day and night, plug light timers into your outlets or install a remotely controllable smart bulb. Then you can set your indoor lights to turn on and off as they normally would, and set your outdoor lights to turn on at night. 

Safety is a priority for most families when they travel. To keep your home safe and secure while you’re away, follow this home safety checklist to complete before going on vacation.

Keep your plants alive

You don’t have to leave your house plants to die when you travel. You can fashion a drip system out of a plastic water bottle by filling it with water, drilling some holes toward the top and placing it into the plant soil. Read this guide for a full tutorial on how to keep plants alive while traveling. 

For more, check out CNET’s picks for the best travel credit cards in 2024. You can also explore the 12 travel essentials you always need to pack and the worst airlines for flight delays and cancellations.