The Road to Stress-Free Holidays: 5 Rideshare Tips for this Holiday Season
Posted on by Isabelle Brown
The holiday season is gearing up with Thanksgiving right around the corner. This time of year brings the joy of family gatherings and festive travels. However, daily traffic jams, crowded parking lots, the complexities of air travel, and being safe among other drivers can quickly turn up the heat even with a festive chill in the air.
In this blog post, we're unwrapping the gift of stress-free holiday travel with a sleighful of ways that ridesharing can keep the season merry and bright.
Sharing the ride = Saving money
A fact of life we’ve all come to accept is that driving is expensive! Fuel prices, vehicle maintenance, car washes, insurance—the list goes on. Carpooling is one of the most effective ways to mitigate the expenses that come with owning a car.
For one, splitting driving duties means taking turns using your personal vehicle. Leaving your car at home when your friend, family member, or coworker drives is a great way to reduce wear and tear and give you more time between fuel fill-ups. It’s a win-win, and you and your carpool buddy can both thank each other for the savings!
Choose other modes in inclement weather
Who else would rather cancel plans than drive in pouring rain or snow? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 21% of the 5,891,000 vehicle crashes each year are weather-related. Combine slippery road conditions with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, and you’ve got potential for extremely dangerous driving situations.
Sharing the ride is our saving grace for limiting driving during icy, snowy, or rainy weather during the holiday season. Going across the state to see family? See if a train can get you there! Taking transit instead of a long drive can turn a stressful, dangerous solo car ride into a more intentional—and safer—journey.
Prioritize safe driving
If you can’t find a way to share the ride during the holidays, there is still another way you can do your part to make the roads safer, save money, and reduce your carbon footprint—Practicing safe driving!
For most vehicles, gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 mph. Along with impacting fuel efficiency, driving at high speeds makes it more likely for a vehicle crash to occur. Speed gives drivers less reaction time and requires a longer stopping distance. In 2021, speed-related crashes made up for 29% of all crash fatalities in the US.
Even when it feels like we have to be in five places at once during the rush of the holiday season, you should always take it slow while driving. Being busy should not impact your driving in any way that compromises safety. We find that having a passenger with us motivates us to drive more safely, so consider making trips to the store or a holiday gathering into a carpool!
Spread holiday cheer in every little moment
Besides improving safety and saving you money, choosing to share the ride can turn any drive into a chance for fun. Playing holiday music and sharing holiday recipes and gift ideas is an easy way to spend a little extra time with your loved ones. Even on the way to work, the grocery store, or to run errands, carpooling makes a car ride a little more special.
Sharing the ride with coworkers to a work party is a great example. Why drive there by yourself when your work buddies are going to the exact same place? Showing up together means you get to spend the car ride home sharing laughs and getting more out of your car ride than you would have while driving alone.
Take advantage of airport shuttles
One of the most involved and potentially stressful ways to travel for the holidays is flying. There is so much to plan and prepare for, and showing up hours before your flight just to be safe is certainly not fun.
Airports can be confusing, parking included. Thankfully, there are rideshare modes surrounding air travel that can lighten the mental load. Instead of paying for expensive parking at the airport, shuttle services nearby can often offer reduced parking costs and drive you right to the entrance. These shuttles allow you to share the ride with others going to the same place, and also reduce emissions by utilizing an optimized route to the airport!
Happy holiday travels!
When the holiday season stress starts to get to you, don’t let transportation be part of it. We can make small changes to our routine and holiday travels to share the ride and reduce spending and stress. Be safe this holiday, and remember to share the ride whenever you can!