Winter travels can be awesome! Whether you like skiing, snowboarding, winter hiking, Christmas markets, or just a lot of snow, winter is a fun time to travel! Here are my best tips—from packing to weather conditions. Take a look, and start planning your winter trip today!

Check the Weather for Your Layover Cities

You’ve probably had your destination city’s weather information on your phone for months before your trip! But what about getting there? It may be 80 degrees in Cancun, but if you’re connecting in Chicago in January, your chance of weather delays goes up exponentially! Check the weather at your layover city or cities, and have a back-up plan. If you catch weather issues early, you could pre-emptively change your routing—doing yourself and your airline a favor!

More here: How to Be Your Own Travel Advocate

Leave Plenty of Layover Time Between Flights

Just in case, winter is not the time to chance that 30-minute layover and hope for the best! Rolling delays can set your flight back by hours, but a lengthy layover (2-4 hours) could be your best friend. Just ask anyone who’s missed a connecting flight by minutes.

Read on: How to Handle a Layover

Fly Early in the Day

Speaking of rolling delays, as mentioned above, I recommend getting a flight early in the day. Rolling delays happen when regional flights with quick turn-around times get a little bit delayed, creating a domino effect that only gets worse as the day goes on. If you can fly out before the delays start to roll, you don’t have to worry about it!

Related: How to Find Cheap Flight Deals

Travel with Gifts Correctly

Winter travels often mean Christmas travels! And Christmas means gifts. I love to wrap the gifts I take to others, but that’s not always the best thing to do. Remember to carry-on all the breakables, put all the sharp objects in your checked luggage, and if you’re not sure you can travel with it, consider shipping it in advance instead!

More here: Tips for Flying with Gifts

Embrace the Cold

If you’re traveling in winter, you probably already like it. If you’re like me, though, the idea of snow and cozy sweaters seems nice, but I need a little encouragement for the reality! Just embrace the cold, savor the fireplaces and warm beverages, and expect to layer up as much as it takes!

Read on: The Best Winter Travel Destinations

Wear the Right Travel Day Gear

What you wear on your travel days matters as much as what you pack in your luggage! Always wear your heaviest shoes on the flight. Wear your coat instead of letting it take up space in your luggage (and make it a puffy coat). Wear your heaviest sweater, too. If there’s anything else that’s bulky and will take up a lot of space in your luggage, consider wearing it instead of packing it.

Keep reading: Gear Up for Winter Travels

Coordinate Your Warm Accessories

Speaking of bulky items, you’ll be glad if you try to coordinate your gloves, hat, and scarf. You’ll be wearing them a lot, and you’ll want to wear them with everything you brought. They don’t have to be a matching set, but you’ll be glad if they all “go” together!

More here: My Top 10 Packing Hacks

Pack Efficiently

Speaking of bulky clothes and accessories, packing for winter can be a challenge! But if you can fold, roll, play a little packing Tetris, and be willing to re-wear a sweater or two, you can pack light, even in winter! I have a whole page devoted to packing, including several winter packing tips!

Essential info: Packing Strategy 6: Winter Packing

Want more? Check out the Travel Seasons section on my Travel Tips Page!

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