Everyone hates sitting in traffic, especially when the kids get restless after watching all the movies you brought for them. The last thing you want to think about is how loud the car will get on the long ride to, and from, your destination. Here are some tips and tools for traveling this holiday season.

Traveling Dates and Times

A lot of people take an extra few days off to make their week longer, especially since Christmas is on a Thursday this year. Google Maps suggests leaving on a Wednesday, for long weekend ventures, but that is Christmas Eve. If you are in a snow-covered area, don’t forget to have your winter tires on your car and to expect some weather delays. Typically, traffic falls between 3-5pm around the holidays. Leaving a few hours earlier, or later, means you will just miss all, if not most, traffic. Traveling during the night may be your best option.

Don’t forget about the return ride, it may be easier to leave a day later. Have some fun and spend time with the people you care about for an extra day. Google Maps reported that people who travelled on the Sunday vs. the Saturday during Thanksgiving had a smoother ride home.

Get the Essentials before the Party

Google reports that people miss out on three essentials, and run out for them last minute; wine, pie and ham. These are essentials that can be purchased weeks in advance. Need help picking the right wine? Going in to your local Wine or Liquor store allows you to talk to an associate and ask the right questions about having the right wine available for your meal. Shopping early means getting the best of the batch, and not the small disappointing ham that the mother-in-law may complain about. Impress her with your knowledge this holiday season.

Know Your Waze

We all have this problem: arriving late means the turkey and/or ham gets cold. You know your route, but there is an accident or traffic ahead of you. Do you know the back roads and are they clear? Sometimes there is traffic everywhere, or there is a shorter route to take, rather than the easiest. Have a look at an app called Waze (iOS, Android and Windows Phone). Not only is it a GPS, but it has some amazing features:

1. Reroutes you to the quickest route.
2. Notifies you of debris on the side of the road.
3. Warns you if there is a chance at flashing lights being in your rearview mirror.
4. Tells you where the closest rest stop is.

Stop getting lost and download Waze, it’s free! With it, you can let your mother-in-law know where you are, that way she doesn’t start the cooking too early.

The holidays are all about family and friends, whether they nag at us or not, we still care about them. Enjoy this holiday season and stop worrying about your technology issues. Give us a call at (888) 505-8215 or email us at info@verticalitcorp.com, where someone from Vertical IT will be happy to help you. Happy Holidays.