Whether you're driving a few hours to visit family, or escaping for a Tanzania safari, travel during the holidays can be difficult to say the least. This is the time of year with the greatest chance for travel to go wrong. It’s the most crowded, chaotic, and expensive time of year for trips. While some difficulties are unavoidable, here are a few tips to help you avoid some of the headaches encountered during holiday travel.

Book in Advance

Contact a travel agent to book your holiday travel in advance. This will allow you to secure your hotel rooms and get the lowest priced airfare. Keep in mind prices will generally rise during the holiday season, with the high demand. For some airlines and accommodations, booking early may help you qualify for a discount.

Pack Light

With the rising baggage fees and the hassle of checking your bag during the holiday season, it may be beneficial to travel with just a carry on if possible. Some airlines place special restrictions during the holidays and allow only one carry-on. So, if you need to check a bag, make sure it is less than 50 pounds to avoid additional fees. Avoid being the frazzled, stressed-out family unpacking and reorganizing their bags in the check-in line. Keep your things in order and ease the check-in process by printing your boarding pass before leaving for the airport and knowing the carry on restrictions. Liquids must be kept in containers of 3 ounces of less, the containers must be in 1 clear quart size zip lock bag, and only 1 bag is allowed per person. Flying may mean taking public transportation. By packing light you avoid the frustration of carry around a heavy suitcase or two.

Travel businesses are finally beginning to see a positive pattern in travelers since the US economy dropped in late 2008. Not only are the various sectors of the industry seeing growth, but also the travel agent is becoming a hot commodity yet again. Instead of waiting until the last minute to book flights and hotels for a vacation, people are beginning to book trips months ahead of time, specifically for the summer, demonstrating the hope that some have for this recovering economy.

The Leisure Traveler

Travel agencies have seen a rise in business as people are ready to spend money on travel again. It seems there is a bigger desire to have a connection with someone, instead of something (the Internet). The American Society of Travel Agents reported in February 2011 that 51 percent of agencies saw their revenue increase, while 49 percent saw a rise in transactions since 2009. If travelers are going to put their extra spending money towards a trip, they want to make sure they get the most out of it, and the solution for that problem seems to lie in the hands of the travel agent. Whether communicating through email, over the phone, or face-to-face, the personal experiences that are delivered from the travel agencies help people feel more comfortable and reassured about their destination and travel plans. An agent is able to compile all the things the traveler wants to do with the places they want to see to create a custom tour that they’ll remember forever.

Despite the rather unfortunate conditions of today’s economy, tourism is growing closer and closer to becoming the world’s largest industry. Just from 2008, international tourist arrivals were up 6.5% in 2010 to 935 million, and that was after the country with the highest GDP entered a recession. With rapid development occurring worldwide, there is a growing concern for the negative impacts of mass tourism. Sustainable tourism has become an essential aspect of the travel industry. However, many times travelers are unaware of exactly what sustainable travel entails and how to incorporate it into their itineraries. As travel companies begin to jump on the green travel bandwagon it can be difficult to decipher which ones truly embrace sustainable travel, by not only minimizing the negative environmental aspects of travel but also contributing the local economy and communities, and which ones are simply claiming to be greener as a marketing plow. Through a series of ecotourism blogs, we will highlight some of the industry trends and changes currently occurring to give travelers a better understanding of what it means to travel sustainably.

Meet the Goodwins: Aamion, Daize, and their two children, Given and True. With the philosophy that travel is the best teacher, they have set off an incredible journey around the world. Intent on showing their children the natural beauty of life, this young family left their home on Kauai to travel the world for 11 months, exploring 18 countries. Follow their story and encounters as they circumnavigate the planet, surfing along the way in places like Japan, Israel, and Fiji.

Scott and Christy are surfers and photographers who run an inspiring travel blog, (as well as a San Diego food blog,) where they provide tips to others who want to fulfill their dreams of travel, no matter what situation they are in. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter or view their travel photography portfolio. They were kind enough to answer some questions for us, thanks Scott and Christy!

1. Where in the world are you now?

We are currently using San Diego, CA as our home base and taking lots of trips to places like Nepal, Dominican Republic, Panama, Arizona, San Antonio, Texas and Yellowstone National Park. We named our blog Ordinary Traveler because we are two people working normal jobs, but still finding plenty of time to travel the world. We want to show people that you don't have to quit your job in order to travel.

2. When and how did you get hooked on travel?

Christy has been hooked on travel for as long as she can remember. Her parents are partly to blame for taking her on annual trips to exotic destinations throughout her childhood. Scott first caught the travel bug on a school trip to Italy during his senior year in high school.