When Holiday Excitement Turns Into Travel Stress

It was on Christmas Eve, and I was set to travel home with my family for the celebration. Getting stuck in traffic and not being able to get home the same day my family and I left Lagos City to our hometown for the yuletide celebration was one of the worst Christmas travel experiences I have had in the past.

You can imagine the whole excitement that usually comes with Christmas preparations; all of that almost died off while suffering the traffic stress with my little kids, who gave me the stress of my life and asked 1001 questions on why it's taking too long to get to our hometown.

The Christmas season is that period of the year that comes once but is celebrated for days, until the New Year celebration, and then the whole celebration goes on. It's that time when family members return home and spend quality and memorable time with each other; discuss, gist, and gossip; reminisce about old times; and also advise and find solutions to each other's problems. Actually, it doesn't stop here. It goes on to consuming various delicacies, entertainment, and a series of events here and there.

Such an incredible holiday is not one I flag off. No!! I was all set for the trip without knowing that I would face an unforgettable experience. One of the reasons why many people choose to travel earlier is to avoid getting stuck with traffic on the road because once Christmas Day approaches, the rate at which many travels are usually high. Couple with the terrible, bad roads in Nigeria. However, traveling so early means starting so early to spend, which might lead one to spend above budget.

So on that day, it was bad enough as I was on my monthly flow. I expected a sound journey to make things easier for me, but no. Just two hours into the journey, our vehicle broke down. It was strange as my husband took his time to fix the car thoroughly, and we left around 5 am in order to escape the traffic jam. To fix this vehicle took another 3 hours wasted on the road. Then we began the journey again, and on getting to a point, we met a fearful traffic jam long enough to anticipate the time we will get out from the mess.

At this time, my kids were already exhausted and couldn't stop disturbing my life. We were at a spot for a good 4 hours without movement; the traffic was deadly. By the time we had access to move a little, it was already night, and we still had long hours to drive before getting home. I was already uncomfortable; the kids were too tired. My people at home were calling nonstop, but then we had to make the decision to find a nearby hotel to pass the night for safety purposes instead of driving at night with children.

The next morning, that's Christmas Day, we continued the journey, but truth be told, the excitement of celebrating Christmas at home was all gone. Before we drove home that day, it was almost noon, and my people were already at the dining table eating and dining. I really didn't feel great on that day, but at least I reached home safely, and that's more important.

Wrapping up, the experience taught me to always prepare a bit earlier to travel, especially while traveling with my little kids. This year, we are already packing our bags and getting set to leave soon before the road gets too busy.

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