Be sure to look beyond COVID-19 to avoid falling into the holiday travel trap. Having traveled a lot in those days, I've learned how to avoid the following seven mistakes when traveling alone during the holidays. Otherwise, they can wreak havoc on your celebrations.
Tip one.
Never check your bags during the holidays. I spent most of this past family Christmas in the baggage room at the St. Louis airport. Unfortunately, most roller bags are black and have no identifying markings. If you have to check a bag, clearly mark your items so they are easy to see in the mass of lost luggage. Better yet, take a picture of your bag and the valuables inside.
Tip two.
Traveling the day before a major holiday. As I discovered while flying from Prague to Washington, D.C. on December 24, 2019, the overseas flight was literally the worst of my life. (To be fair, my two previous emergency landings on commercial flights do rank first.) If you have to cancel, don't make the "no show" mistake. This makes it less likely that you will recover miles or earn points for unused tickets. Check your airline's rules and cancel before passengers check in. Document any special circumstances for your travel insurance company or file a claim with the airline.
Tip three.
Failure to negotiate upgrades using miles and cash on overbooked flights. It pays to ask. On my return flight from Prague, I found that halfway across the Atlantic, I could upgrade to business class for four hundred dollars. Having flown economy on two of the longest flights in the world (to Australia and South Africa), I do try to keep a budget-friendly plan. However, sometimes a little splurge can go a long way.
Tip four.
There are too many destinations in one vacation. Unless you are going on a cruise, boat trip or escorted tour, especially during a pandemic, complying with national border entry requirements can take up most of your vacation time. As the pandemic continues, and I realize this can be a vacation spoiler, I have a round-trip ticket for a six-country European adventure. While the EU can set rules for the region, individual countries can also issue their own entry requirements. Fortunately, in my case, I was able to reschedule for next spring, May 2022, for free. I can only imagine what a multi-country stay would mean for a year-end vacation.
Tip five.
Not realizing that connecting flights through another country to your destination may require a visa or have other restrictions. Some time ago, I was on a business trip in February, traveling from Washington, D.C. to Johannesburg, South Africa. A violent snowstorm on the East Coast of the United States left only one runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Always looking for a Plan B, I thought I was smart enough to check out the Delta flight through Brazil, thus avoiding the blizzard. However, simply changing planes there required a visa for US passport holders. No such luck on a snowy weekend! Some countries do make exceptions for transit passengers who do not leave the airport and leave on short notice. For example, sometimes China waives visa requirements for visitors staying only two to three days or in transit. Be sure to check ahead of time.
Tip six.
It is not possible to check for special discounts based on the number of days of travel or pre-holiday holidays. If you're flexible, try traveling in November, when prices are lower. In any case, prices tend to climb by Dec. 22 (or before). For hard-hit ski resorts, early booking in season or before the holidays will be lower than Christmas-New Year. I've found this out in the past at the legendary Sun Valley Lodge in Idaho. I didn't hear about special pre-Christmas lodging deals until after I'd booked a few days later at the higher Christmas rate!
Tip seven.
No dinner reservations for holidays, on their own, or on Saturday nights. As a "party for one", booking dinner for a gourmet meal can be challenging. It is more competitive at Christmas and New Year's. I was shocked to stay at a top hotel and find that they didn't reserve space for their own guests first. I negotiated my way back to the restaurant after their bar served Christmas Eve dinner separately. Warning: This may mean eating at 5pm.