Are You Going to be Home for the Holidays?

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy of pinterest

The joys of the holiday season revolve around getting together with family and friends to exchange gifts and reminisce about years gone by.  For some that means traveling out of town, while with others it means staying home for the holidays.  Whether you plan on hosting this year’s holiday get together, or you are planning to pack the family up for a trip, there are several things you’ll want to keep in mind to keep the ho, ho, ho in your holiday.

You’re a mean one, Mister Grinch.

Whether you stay or go is immaterial to criminals who would love to pull the rug right out from under you and yours during the holidays.  Below are several ways you can get Grinched during the season of giving.

1.      Online Scams – As soon as the holiday shopping season cranks into high gear, so do the phishing scams where cybercriminals send you emails that looks as though they came from legitimate big box stores, prominent shippers (Fedex, UPS, etc.) and/or a friends who ask you to click on a link.  Don’t fall for these tricks unless you want to hand your financial future over to a thief. 

2.      Facebook – Another way to shoot yourself in the foot before Christmas is to post what you’ve bought this year or when and where you plan on going during the holidays.  If you spill the beans about what Santa is bringing you, don’t cry when you return home to find your presents gone.  If you blab on Facebook that your family is going to be far from home over the holidays, don’t be surprised when you return to learn you were burglarized.

3.      Mailbox Bandits – You don’t even have to leave home to get hit.  Not when there are mailbox bandits prowling neighborhoods like yours looking for packages left lying unattended by the door. Since most Americans do some of their purchasing online or via mail order, it’s better to take the extra second or two to click the box marked “signature required,” than to wind up having some of your gifts purloined in front of your home.

4.      Credit Card Cannibals – Of course, if you really want to give thieves the gift that keeps on giving, give them your credit card data.  All it takes is for you to click on a phishing link, make a purchase at a cloned e-commerce site or pass your credit card through a skimmer and thieves are off to the races.  Chances are you won’t even realize you’ve been had until you get your next credit card bill that will contain dozens of fraudulent orders.  Even worse, if the thieves got their hands on your debit card, you could find it hard to pay the bills, since they will undoubtedly clean out your bank account as well.  The key to avoiding getting taken for a ride is to be careful where you swipe your card, as well as with whom you do business online.

On the Road Again

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While many families heed the call of the open road to visit family during the holidays, bear in mind that more than 100 million Americans have the same idea.  This means everything from traffic delays and the potential for road rage, to breakdowns and accidents.  If you plan on taking to the road over the holidays, make sure you prepare for contingencies in case you wind up stuck in your car for hours or even overnight, should you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Better to pack extra food, water and blankets than to be stuck alone and shivering while hoping and praying a tow truck will get to you before you freeze to death. Especially if you’re taking a long road trip north, make sure to pack winter coats, gloves and hats.  Even a trip to Atlanta can be a shock to the system, since the average temperatures in December range from a high of 51 to a low of 34 degrees.  Brrr!

If you plan on taking a jetliner to your destination, expect longer than normal lines at security, as well as the possibility of delays and cancellations with connecting flights depending on the weather across the country.  If you hate being trapped at the airport for hours or days on end, here are a few suggestions:

1.      Take a direct flight to avoid having to make connections.

2.      Book a morning flight as opposed to an afternoon or evening departure.  Since two thirds of cancelled flights are the result of weather and a third are the result of maintenance problems, as the day progresses, the cumulative strain begins to take its toll on all airlines.  The later in the day you make a connection, the lower the probability that you will be able to catch another flight before you wind up camping out in the terminal for the night. 

3.      Don’t check your bags, carry them on.  If you check your bags and are forced to change to another plane, good luck reconnecting with your luggage before your holiday is over.  If you carry your bags with you, they won’t get separated if you miss a connection or are forced to take another flight to reach your destination.

4.      If your flight does wind up cancelled, don’t stand in the cattle call headed toward the airline counter, use your smartphone to call the airline to see when you can book another flight.  The airline’s have a lot more manpower working the phones than they do working at the gates.

5.      If it appears you aren’t going to be able to get on a flight until the following day, start dialing and stop grumbling.  If you wait too long, all the local hotels will be booked solid and you’ll have no choice other than to camp out in the terminal.  If you really want to get ahead of the herd, load a hotel booking app on your smartphone like HotelTonight that will expedite finding an available room near the airport.  

What to do with your pets

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When it comes to dealing with pets when you plan a trip, you have two choices:  take them or leave them.  If you want to take your pets on a road trip, make sure you call ahead to make reservations at pet friendly hotels.  Also make sure you pack plenty of food, water, treats, and toys to keep your dog or cat entertained along the way.  Don’t forget to allow for the added time it takes to stop the car every hour or so to let your pets stretch their legs and do their business.

If you decide to board your pets for the duration, there are several options, including kennels, pet hotels or having a friend puppy sit.  As with all thing associated with the holidays, don’t wait until the last minute or you could find out there’s no room at Club Pet.

Catherine Powell is the owner of A Plus All Florida, Insurance in Orange Park, Florida.  To find out more about homeowner’s insurance, check out her website at http://aplusallfloridainsuranceinc.com/