So you know that traveling around the major holidays is torture so we have come up with some tip to help your holiday travel run a little smoother.

You’ll need to plan well in advance for the trip and the easiest way to do this is to contact a travel agent to get the lowest-priced airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars that usually sell out quickly for holiday travel. You can also check the major travel websites like Yahoo, Hotwire, and Orbitz so that you can get the best deal. Sometimes you might get a good deal if you go directly to the airline or hotel’s website. Prices usually escalate during the holiday season because demand is higher.

When you are figuring out when you are going to travel always think about the peak travel days and do your best to avoid them. These days are usually before and after the holiday. If you book your flights for two days before and after any major holiday then you should be set.

You’ll want to fly with the fewest connections because landing in places like Detroit or New York and trying to take off for your next destination becomes increasingly harder as inclement weather and air traffic problems increase your chance of a delay. Another good idea is to book morning flights since they are the first to take off and tend not to be delayed as much as the afternoon and evening flights.

If you choose to pack your gifts and not send them ahead of time then make sure whatever is in your carry-on is not wrapped because security needs to get in there.