With Christmas break sneaking up on Lakeland High School in two weeks, families around the district plan their trips for the two-week break. The only downside to the travel is that Lakeland families are not the only ones planning to travel this holiday season.
It is no lie that one of the most stressful times to travel is around Christmas. The roads and airports can get cramped with everyone coming home to see their families.
“Normally, a lot of people are traveling during the same time for the holiday season which makes it stressful,” Liberty Hatcher said.
With families worldwide flying, driving, or taking a train into town to see each other, it can cause significant issues.
“Travelling during the holiday season always makes people cranky,” Natausha Hollis said.
Travel during the holiday season is usually described as stressful, and different sides to people emerge.
The hot air from everyone crowding into a small airport can set off a certain mood, making it feel as though everyone is in a rush. Most people get in a reasonably lousy mood during this travel time because of the crowds, the waiting, etc.
With all of the stress during travel already, without the mass numbers of people and delays, adding all of these things is just the cherry on top of a bunch of attitudes.
People get easily annoyed with the crowds and the delays or cancellations. Traveling with a bunch of grumpy people can affect a whole unit.
Usually, when we travel, it is right after the holidays when people are coming back. Still, if one of my parents is in a bad mood because of other people’s actions, it can affect all of our moods, and then the whole family will just be annoyed with each other.
“It can be stressful traveling, and it puts everyone in a bad mood because we all just want to get there and home,” Hatcher said.
While most of this stress is seen in airports during the holidays, many people who travel on the road experience the same thing.
This time of year is filled with tons of accidents. Not that the snow helps, but the more people travel home by road for the holidays, the more jammed everything gets.
People are impatient when it comes to road travel, whether they are stuck in traffic for too long or taking it slow because of the weather conditions.
People do not feel the need to slow down on ice or try to find “shortcuts” to get out of traffic, which essentially leads to more traffic.
“Travelling on the roads is hard because people are eager to get where they are going but do not take the safety precautions into much consideration,” Hollis said.
Traveling to Seattle after Christmas is one of the worst rides I have ever taken. The snowfall is so bad you can not see half the time, and with people being so drained from their trip that they are just in a rush to get home, it makes the whole drive stressful. Especially on the pass, where the snow storms feel like they never end, and half the time, you are just guessing where the road is.
While all of this travel seems like more of a hassle than an adventure, it can be good, too. Getting past all of the stress and seeing family and friends in the end is what makes the travel worth it.
Even if families travel to experience Christmas elsewhere, it can be fun and worth the journey.
“I believe that the travel is worth the expense because it is fun to experience different parts of the world and create memories,” Hatcher said.
I personally love to travel, and while I may complain about all the people or the bad moods it puts me in, the end result is one hundred percent worth the hassle.
I love being able to see new places and experience new things all over the world.
If I had enough money, I honestly would never stop traveling.
I also love to see distant family and their way of living in other states or countries.
Letting the stress of traveling ruin a trip is more of a mentality. Getting past the stress and enjoying the journey makes it all worthwhile.
