Fun Family Travel Vacation

More People Rode Amtrak Trains for Thanksgiving Travel

Amtrak said that this past Thanksgiving they saw a 4 percent increase in the amounts of passengers on their trains.  They set a new record in the number of travelers of 685,876, which surpassed its previous record of 666,716 set in 2007.

With high prices of airline tickets for Thanksgiving travel it is no wonder more people chose to travel by train.   You also do not have the baggage fee that many airlines now charge.  Although, Southwest Airlines has said that they now allow you to have 2 free checked bags per traveler.  However, traveling by train may work out a little cheaper depending on your travel destination.

Source: Associated Press

We all know that travel during the holidays is busy and congested. Some airports have a lot more travelers passing through than others. We can guess that the busiest airports include those that are in some of the larger cities. Orbitz has released a list of the busiest and least busy airports. The list is based on flight bookings that include traveling to these airports.

Top 10 Busiest Airports for Thanksgiving Travel

1. Chicago, IL – Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
2. Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles International(LAX)
3. Denver, CO – Denver International (DEN)
4. San Francisco, CA – San Francisco International (SFO)
5. Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Hartsfield International (ATL)
6. Boston, MA – Boston Logan International (BOS)
7. New York, NY – New York LaGuardia (LGA)
8. New York – New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
9. Newark, NJ – Newark Liberty International (EWR)
10. Seattle, WA – Seattle Tacoma International (SEA)

Top 10 Least Busy Airports for Thanksgiving Travel

1. San Jose, CA – San Jose International (SJC)
2. Nashville, TN – Nashville International (BNA)
3. Richmond, VA – Richmond International (RIC)
4. Sacramento, CA – Sacramento International (SMF)
5. Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville International (JAX)
6. West Palm Beach, FL – Palm Beach International (PBI)
7. Hartford, CT – Bradley International (BDL)
8. Orange County, CA – John Wayne International(SNA)
9. Cincinnati, OH – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
10. Fort Myers, FL – Southwest Florida Regional(RSW)

5 Tips to Reduce Travel Time at Airports

Orbitz also has a list of 5 things that you can do to reduce your travel time. First, try to go to have your departure and arrival at airports that have least amount travelers. Avoiding a particular airport cannot always be done, so another suggestion is to book your flight for days that traditionally has fewer travelers. Orbitz recommends having your departure flight November 23, 2009 and your returning flight November 30, 2009. A third suggestions is to know your flight status and if it running on time. Fourth, check in online to avoid check-in lines. Fifth is to make sure that you are ready for security checks. Keep anything you need to show airport security such as ID, boarding passes, liquids in a zip-top bag, or medication, in a separate compartment of your carry-on bag. Digging for these items once you get to the front of the security line will cause delays and certainly not make you any friends.

Many families will be traveling this Thanksgiving holiday ;either by airplane, bus, train, or car. With all that traveling and contact with many different people there is risk of picking up germs.

One of my favorite episodes of “Everybody Loves Raymond” was when a man sneezed on Raymond at the airport. After that sneeze he felt like he was coming down with something. After telling his mom about the sneeze she told him that it was the airport and who knows what he has now. Well Raymond had strep throat .

Although people do not always sneeze in you face there are still opportunities to pick up a cold or flu bug. One important way to stay healthy as you travel is to remember wash you hands. Although this has been preached from the medical community for years it is surprising how many people do not wash their hand , even after using the restroom.

Also you try to get plenty of rest. I know you are saying “yea right.” Traveling sometimes leaves us with the least amount of time to rest, but get some downtime during all the travelling. Another important things is to not stress. Seeing family during Thanksgiving can sometimes be stressful, but you can try to avoid those topics that end up leading to a family shouting match.

Hoping you having a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day.