A Mapquest poll regarding Thanksgiving traffic indicated that most people who travel by car for Thanksgiving, have more than an hour's drive ahead of them—and 25% have road trips that exceed 200 miles. With all those Thanksgiving travel cars on the road, traffic can get pretty messy.
The busiest Thanksgiving travel days are Wednesday and Thursday. If your schedule allows, try to leave Tuesday. It feels early, sure, but nothing dampers the fun of a family holiday more than hours stuck in close quarters, as the highway—crowded with cars at a near standstill—stretches out interminably before you.
And, since you've started a day earlier than usual, you may then be able to avoid traffic jams post-Thanksgiving, by returning on Friday. The Mapquest poll suggests that Friday is the best day to return home for those traveling by car. Most people polled either leave Thursday night, or stay for a long weekend. The time of day with most cars on the road appears to be between 9 in the morning, and 12 noon. It follows, then, that either leaving very early, or in the afternoon, should also cut done a bit on your time spent sitting in traffic during Thanksgiving week.
Travel by train or plane
A telephone poll by the AAA indicates that around 82% of all holiday travelers, travel by car. In light of this, another way to reduce the stress of holiday travel, could be to take a train or even (shudder) air travel. I know, I know, but let me finish! There was a time when flying, and airplanes, were the epitome of luxury travel. Some of that remains today; after the decidedly unglamorous herding of passengers like cattle, travelers at least get to relax en route to their destination. (Same with train travel, if it's convenient.)
Since holidays are major airline's blackout days for using frequent flier miles, Thanksgiving can also be a good excuse to try that low-cost airline you've been eying, like Jet Blue. Budget, no-frills carriers such as these usually have cheaper tickets.
Remember to leave yourself plenty of time (2 hours are recommended) before takeoff. The calm luxury of let-someone-else-do-the-driving air travel can be easily ruined by a mad dash to your terminal, luggage and children in tow.
Last, nothing takes the luxury out of travel, be it by plane, train, or automobile, faster than complaining children. Jet Blue has TV sets built into each passenger's seat, but if you're using a different airline, going by train or driving, consider investing in a portable DVD player. Our 6-hour cross-country flights have been much quieter and less stressful since we got ours. Dora the Explorer's Thanksgiving and Rugrats Thanksgiving are especially pertinent for young children during Thanksgiving travel, and for older kids and teens, my perennial favorites are Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Home for the Holidays. So, buckle them in, turn on their DVD players, and have a happy trip to your happy Thanksgiving.
Halloween Safety Guide By Patty Onderko, Parenting
Stay bright. It may be dark outside when you go trick-or-treating. If you can't convince your kid that there's a secret order of ninjas who wear only yellow, trim his costume and booty bag with reflective tape so he'll be visible to drivers. Keep costumes short. Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries, so watch out for long hems. Save face. A mask can block your child's peripheral vision (and can be a suffocation hazard for infants). Stick with nontoxic face paint instead. Go with them. Kids under 10 aren't old enough to trick-or-treat alone. Carry a flashlight with you and have your kids hold glow sticks (trust us, this one's a snap). Walk on. Enforce a strict "no running" rule, and use the sidewalk. If there isn't one, walk on the street facing traffic, as far to the left as possible. Cross the street at crosswalks, "Kids are twice as likely to be struck and killed by an automobile on Halloween than on any other night." Be neighborly. Trick-or-treat in a familiar neighborhood. Stick to the homes of people you know when you can and never let your kids enter alone. Fill up first. Feed your kids a hearty, early dinner so they're not too tempted to sneak treats on the go. Check it out. Look over all candy before your kids dig in to make sure it's in original, unopened wrappers. Tots under 3 are at increased risk of choking, so remove any hard or gummy candies and chewy bars made with caramel, nuts, marshmallows, or raisins. (You can save those for yourself!)
