Celeste Johnson

In true Home Alone style, a large number of people are opting to ditch the old saying "There's no place like home for the holidays," and take advantage of their time off work and school in December to take a vacation. Across the U.S., there are several vacation spots that give you the freedom to get away from home while still experiencing Christmas customs.

It's that time of year. The temperatures are dropping, the leaves have fallen, and Starbucks is getting ready to sell once again the amazingness that is the Christmas Blend. The Christmas season is upon us, and as I begin designing my Christmas party exit tactics I'm starting to realize that I have far too many places to visit in order to accommodate "relatives" whose names I can barely recall.

Traveling for the holidays can mean friends, family, and fun times, but often getting there is a hassle, particularly when it comes to transporting gifts. Here we describe 5 tips to help make your trip be problem-free.

1) Hold off on gift-wrapping until after the flight. Don't waste your precious time wrapping gifts before you leave on your trip; airport security might have to unwrap them when you go through the checkpoint.

Don't you hate it when you return home from a summer trip and everyone raves about the awesome temperatures you missed? That's why it's to your advantage to travel during winter; you escape the freezing cold and make all your friends back home envious. This winter, be sure to make one of these hot spots your next vacation destination.

Ambergris Caye, Belize

Average high temperature in February: 80 degrees Fahrenheit

If you seek a stress-free, tropical trip, Belize's biggest island of Ambergris Caye is an amazing place to travel to.

Going on vacation with kids can be rewarding and a bit frustrating. Luckily, with the assistance of some tried and true advice, you can keep difficult moments to an absolute minimum and sail smooth waters of family travel.

Peruse these ten tips for kid friendly travel and let the voyage begin.

1. Don't overpack. There's nothing more miserable than dragging around ten tons of luggage, with or without the company of kids.

When people travel, they like to experience luxuries they don't have at home. For instance, many are inclined to rent a big, luxury SUV for the luggage space, as well as for the novelty of sporting a car they normally can't buy. Other people like that at a motel they can use freshly washed towels and sheets every night and stand in the shower for 30 minutes because the motel pays the water bill.

Living overseas is a monumental time in your life. You're in a new place, meeting new people, and learning about a culture that's markedly different from America. Your life abroad may have felt much more exciting and attractive than life at home. You may be feeling sad and annoyed with the lifestyle in America.

It's probably not necessary to get a prescription for ani-depressants just yet, you're probably just dealing with reverse culture shock.

Picking an appropriate gift that someone will both love and put to use is a complicated undertaking. Of course, I have a tendency to be more concerned with things that I enjoy, as opposed to taking note of the preferences of the people around me. However, if you have a better attention to detail than myself, and are searching for the perfect present for the travel enthusiast in your life, I know that I can be useful to you.

With the holiday season just around the corner, many are beginning to anticipate the chilly temperatures, the hot cocoa, and the amazing sales that the festivities bring. A few of us, however, are only experiencing the feeling of unavoidable doom as every day brings us closer to our own personal versions of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. If you find yourself breaking out in hives simply at the thought of listening to the gritty details of Uncle Larry's latest foot surgery or dodging Grandma Bea's questions about when you're finally going to get married, save yourself the trouble and stay far, far away.