The Ultimate Travel Checklist: 9 Steps to a Stress-Free Trip

[Callalily]

Good reminder of things we should do before taking a trip.

https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-essential-travel-checklist?

[dutch777]

1. Travel, at least when airlines are involved, is hard to make stress free.

With increasing unpredictable delays that are not just due to weather anymore-- crew shortages and seemingly increasing aircraft maintenance or ground logistics issues among others, air travel is just inherently stressful. We have found that if we are trying to join a hard deadline event-- a cruise, family celebration or whatever, going a few days early and lingering a few days after is a way to not get put in a stressful situation. In the last two years, in my wife and my travels, most for pleasure but some for business, we have had meaningful (more than four hour) delays due to non-weather airline issues over 50% of the time. Maybe our bad luck, but we increasingly are wary. We have tried to go only on non-stop flights as it seems every take-off/landing sequence and multiple aircraft and airports opens us up to more issues. We really are evaluating our travel and probably will do less unless we can just get there by car. Luckily we live on the East Coast and have lots of options by car to places and activities we enjoy.