If you are one of those people that prefers to take a holiday at Christmas time, then make sure you get it right and make the most out of a relaxing break. The last thing you want is to book a holiday over christmas that turns out to be more hassle and stress than it's worth. 

To make sure you get the best deals on your Christmas holiday, without putting a huge hole in your yearly funds, start looking early. December and January are a popular time to disappear on holiday, especially seeing as it is a national holiday, so the later you leave your booking the more expensive flights, accommodation, airport parking and attractions are likely to be. If you are lucky, on occasion, there are some cheaper accommodation packages floating around the mid december mark when hotels attempt to fill rooms that have not been booked - but this does not apply to flights, airport parking and attractions so it's good to weigh up your options and have a look around in advance. 

At a guess, I would imagine most of you will want to make the most out of your Christmas trip and, depending on where you are going, there are bound to be a few tourist attractions or sites that you are looking to pay a visit to. Have a look around online before you set off on holiday to try and book some of the things that you want to do, this way you can guarantee that you get tickets and the prices are bound to be cheaper the sooner you book. 

Packing is a pain and not the most enjoyable part of going away, but it has to be done and doing it a little in advance of a holiday never hurt anyone. Make sure you have thought of everything that you need to take in terms of clothes, toiletries, maps, creams, sunnies etc etc. Write a list of all the things you could possibly need and make sure they are all tucked away safely in your bag a couple of days before you go. There is nothing worse than getting up at stupid o'clock in the morning only to realise that there are lots of little things you haven't done and rushing madly to make sure you're not going to forget anything. Plan ahead to avoid a headache at the start of your holiday. 

Alternatively, to save having to get up at ridiculous hours in the morning to then drive (in some cases hours) to the airport - it might be worth looking into booking an airport hotel. Some are just a 5 minute walk from the airport, meaning you get a good nights sleep before your flight and don't have to worry at all about missing it. It also means you have a little more time to gather your thoughts before travelling, so if there are any last minute niggles you may be able to sort them without so much trouble as if you were getting to the airport from home. 

Start your holiday as you mean to go on; by relaxing. If you are travelling with your family at Christmas, which I presume that some of you will be, don't let the airport be a stressful place. Getting to the airport, booking airport parking and waiting around for flights can often be a nightmare of a time - when all you want to do is be on holiday, sipping a beer and making the most of your time off work. Check out the airport that you are flying from and find out what there is to do to amuse you and your family while you wait for your flight. Often airports will have a game area, opportunities for shopping, cafes and restaurants and wifi hot-spot areas to keep everyone entertained. 

If you are travelling with your family you are also likely to have quite a lot of luggage to take with you. Make sure that you have had a look at the luggage allowance guidelines so that you make sure you aren't going to have to pay over the odds for the amount of bags you are taking - especially if you are having to take Christmas presents along with you too. 

Keeping this in mind, it might be an idea to check out the different services offered for airport parking or make sure that the taxi taking you to the airport has enough room to fit all of your bags in - you don't want any being left behind. If you are taking a taxi to the airport you will be dropped off at the terminal meaning you won't be having to carry your bags too far but if you are using an airport parking service you might have to lug your bags from the car park to the terminal. To avoid the strain and panting why not use a meet and greet service so you can drop yourself and your family off at the terminal and allow someone else to park your car for you.