Holiday Travel Tips for Getting In and Out of Boston

Traveling around the holidays can be quite the challenge. This is especially true about busy cities like Boston. If it isn’t a delayed flight, it’s lost luggage, a major traffic jam, or a crowded airport with ridiculous lines. Although no one wants to deal with holiday travel hassles, sometimes there’s no way around it. However, there are ways to improve your travel experience and reduce the holiday stress. Here are some holiday travel tips that will help you get in and out of Boston with fewer hassles.

If you plan to fly out from the Logan Airport in East Boston, it’s always a good idea to stay up-to-date on traffic issues. This will help you get to the airport on time, and not miss your departure. The MA Traffic Info app for your smart phone will help you with this. Be sure to download this app so you can maneuver to and from the airport in good time. Once you arrive at the check-in desk, be sure to ask the check-in assistant how to get to your departure gate.

Don’t forget about the Boston tollbooth lines. While holiday traffic in Boston is crazy enough on its own, highway tolls can make things a lot worse. Instead of sitting in backed-up lines of traffic, purchase an E-ZPass transponder. This allows you to keep moving, and the E-ZPass can be used on Tobin Bridge, at Sumner Tunnel, the Turnpike, and Ted Williams Tunnel.

Try the Amtrak Acela Express as an alternative way to get out of Boston this Christmas or Thanksgiving. Although it’s pricier than regional trains, it’s comparable to flying. The advantages of Amtrak include a fast trip, plenty of scenery along the way, and no airport lines or flight delays.

Purchase airline tickets three to six weeks in advance. This is a general rule of thumb, but around the holidays, the earlier the better. Although airline tickets can fluctuate greatly in price, everyone knows that droves of people travel around the holidays. So if you plan to be somewhere for Christmas or Thanksgiving, buy those airline tickets a month or more before your departure date. It is also wise to avoid flying the day before the actual holiday. Leaving a few days early means less crowds.

Avoid taking any excess luggage or gifts. The more you have to tote onto the plane and store under the plane, the more you are going to spend and the more stress you will feel. Not to mention, waiting at the luggage claim for multiple items is no fun. So, if you have gifts for family members or loved ones, ship them out ahead of time. The packages may even beat you there.

Pay close attention to the weather and any weather updates. Around the holiday season, weather is one of the most crucial factors when it comes to reaching your destination on time. If you have a smart phone, it’s not difficult to stay up to speed on weather alerts. Regardless of whether you are going into Boston, MA, or leaving, knowing what the weather has in store will likely impact your travel decisions.