5 Holiday Travel Tips

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.

Top 5 Holiday Travel Tips #GoodHandsRescue

As a family of five, a car has been our preferred mode of transportation for the past 8 years or so. We love traveling by car because we can take everything we need with us and we can take our time getting there. However, two to three hours is about the max that I like to travel if we are staying four nights or less. That being said, I will happily travel longer for beach time.

Since we travel every single holiday that we can, it was the perfect fit to partner with Allstate to bring you our Top 5 Holiday Travel Tips. These tips have come from years of road trip experience both as a couple and as a family. Plus, we both grew up taking road trips as well. We think that we have compiled a good list that will make your holiday travel a breeze.

Top 5 Holiday Travel Tips

Plan it out & write it down

This is something that I am always a stickler about when we go on trips. I like to have a plan because often there are things in the area that we would love to do and I need to budget that into our vacation. This doesn’t mean we stick exactly to plan, but we do like to have guidelines.

I even have packing checklists, they are so handy. I can pack in ten minutes with a checklist. This is also a reminder of what was in your suitcase in case it gets lost.

Get your car serviced & take care of any last minute errands

I cannot stress this enough. This means get the oil changed, the tires rotated and balanced, all of the fluids topped off, check your windshield wipers, stock up your first aid and emergency kits, etc. I grew up with a father who made me learn to change the oil and the tires on a car before I could even take that first drive. I don’t want to take a chance of having to stop for car service in a town where I don’t know anyone. I love the mechanics who work on our cars. They are great guys and we have a good relationship.

The day before we leave, I spend the time doing last minute errands like: car servicing, gas fill-up, grocery run (if we are driving), haircuts (if needed), getting the dogs to their caregiver, holding the mail, letting neighbors know we are leaving for a few days, etc. I have a checklist because these kinds of things don’t really change for me.

Pack snacks and drinks for everyone

This is another tip that is incredibly important. My kids are gas station junkies. This means that they want every snack and every drink that is sold in that gas station plus they cannot make a purchase decision ever because, “OMG everything looks so good” will be repeated by them over and over. They can spend an hour negotiating who will get shares of what until everyone has the right thing. It’s tactical. Sounds a little nutty, right? That very scenario has happened to me a few more times than I would like to admit. On our list trip as I headed back to the car with $30 worth of gas station junk food, soda, other random things (clothespins – no one has ever confessed to this), I said never again.

We now pack our own snacks and drinks. We even bring a cooler. I pack the kids’ favorite things and some other wholesome things like milk, nuts, veggies, fruits and more. We also have crackers and they each get to pick one item they love. Doing this really helps control spending AND junk food intake.

Take it easy

Take it easy. Just saying those words makes me feel like I should be doing something. I am always guilty of this when I go on vacation or I should say not guilty of it. I simply cannot take it easy on vacation, but I am trying to get better about that. I will plan only a few things and the rest of the time we go wherever the day takes us. I am learning to take it easy.

Make certain that you are in “Good Hands”

We all know that traveling over the holidays can be stressful, costly, busy and just generally overwhelming. The last thing you need to deal with is something like a dead battery or a flat tire. You can ease the majority of that stress by making certain that you are in good hands with Allstate’s Thanksgiving #GoodHandsRescue promotion.

The Goods Hands Rescue® service is an on-demand, pay-per-use roadside assistance service accessible both online and via the free mobile app. From flat fixes to jump-starts, drivers can get immediate mobile access to convenient roadside services and pay for them only when you need them. The Good Hands Rescue® service uses GPS technology to pinpoint your location and connect people in need with a dispatched service provider and take the hassle out of providing an exact location to an assistance representative. As soon as help is dispatched, motorists receive a service confirmation with the service provider’s estimated time of arrival and can use their smartphones to track the provider’s en route status.

Need a Roadside Rescue this Thanksgiving season?

On Wednesday, November 23, Allstate is giving travelers a roadside rescue for $2 for the first 1,000 requests for standard vehicles* (no RV’s, commercial trucks). Travelers can use the mobile website or Good Hand Rescue® mobile app to access promotion.

Roadside Rescue Services*:

• Towing(Normally $99; Tows covered for five miles. Additional miles billed at $4.25 per mile.)
• Flat tires, jump-start, lockouts(Normally $69)
• Fuel delivery(Does not include the cost of fuel for fuel delivery.)

*Standard vehicles only.

With the top three roadside incidents for this generation of the population being tire changes, vehicle tows and dead batteries**, the Good Hands Rescue® service takes away the guesswork of who to contact when faced with a roadside emergency, and gets help to stranded drivers quickly and easily.

*Promotional pricing available only for first 1,000 requests on 11/23 from 12:00am to 11:59pm CT made from m.goodhandsrescue.com or the Good Hands Rescue app in the United States. Applies to standard vehicles only; no commercial, RV, extra weight. Towing limited to 5 miles; additional miles priced at $4.25/mile. Fuel costs extra. Must have valid credit card. Subject to terms, conditions, and availability.

** Allstate Survey of 320 millennials, May 2016.

This holiday season and after, drive with peace of mind wherever you go knowing Allstate’s Good Hands Rescue® service has you covered.

Allstate’s Good Hands Rescue® service is available as an app for free (download from the App Store or Google Play Store), or via the mobile website at GoodHandsRescue.com.

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.

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