The process of travelling can be stressful all year round but can be particularly troublesome during popular holidays and other busy times of the year. You may look forward to that well earned vacation but if you choose a busy time to travel you will likely be met with horrific traffic, hordes of tourists and insanely overpriced accommodation.

I discovered firsthand that it’s best to avoid popular travelling times after I flew out to see my oldest child at her New Hampshire boarding school on Thanksgiving weekend last year. After a thoroughly traumatic travelling experience I could only conclude that I’d never fly that close to a holiday again!

In order to avoid the same mistake that I and so many others make, try and avoid these 5 times of the year to travel:

Christmas

Unless you plan on flying on the actual day of Christmas, you will want to avoid travelling the couple of days leading up to Christmas at all costs. Roads quickly clog up and airports can be a nightmare. What’s more, the weather isn’t great throughout most of America around this time of the year making driving extra treacherous.

Labor Day

Labor Day happens in the US on the first Monday of September, and beaches get especially jam packed. Luckily for me, I attend an online university which means I can hang out on the beach pretty much whenever I want. However, for those that work 9-5 this is one of the few weekdays of the year they can enjoy the beach. Unless you enjoy busy beaches you will want to stay clear of beaches and their routes during Labor Day weekend. Many stores and restaurants close down on this day, so it can be a great day to just stay at home and relax rather than risk a far from relaxing day amongst the beach bum masses.

New Year’s Eve

Lots of people like to party on New Year’s Eve and so a lot of businesses cash in by raising their prices astronomically. If you don’t mind splashing out this is fine, but if you are a savvy spender like me, you will probably want to avoid going out on New Year’s Eve. Other disadvantages of travelling on New Year’s Eve are that there are going to be a lot of drunk drivers, which obviously can be very dangerous.

Thanksgiving Weekend

It’s great to spend time with your family during Thanksgiving but the travelling can be absolute hell! Often hailed as the busiest time to travel in the US of the entire year, it is never a lot of fun. Expect bad traffic, incredibly busy airports and accommodation and restaurants with skyrocketed prices. One albeit slightly selfish way to avoid this travel madness is to host Thanksgiving at your house this year.

The Summer

By all means don’t completely avoid travelling during the summer, but be aware that most places are going to be extra busy during this season. A good tip is to plan short, mini-getaway vacations in the summer and save your long trips for quieter seasons. Also, try and do your trips during the week during summertime rather than the weekends to get ahead of the crowds.

As you can see, there are many factors and dates you want to consider before booking a US vacation. This diverse and gigantic country can be enjoyed all year round, but there are some times that are best avoided in order to get the most out of your stay. Do a little research before you book and have fun on your trip! Bon voyage!