Getting Home for Christmas (The Easy Way!)
13 December 2023 | 
As the festive season approaches and you and your family get ready for presents around the tree and roast dinners so large you’ll feel like you’re the pigs in blankets, the logistics of getting home for Christmas can often become nightmarish. It’s a special kind of Christmas stress reserved for the days in the run up to the 25th, and it’s not jolly at all.
Whether you’re stranded thanks to inevitable train strikes, or braving typically unpredictable English weather, the journey back to your loved ones can feel like a never ending quest. But fear not this winter – we’ve got your back with a variety of short-term vehicle insurance options to ensure you get home for Christmas without breaking the bank, or losing your mind.
So, buckle up and choose a smooth, stress-free journey home this December – we’ll make sure everything’s taken care of, so you don’t have to. Ho, ho, ho, indeed.
Difficulties of Getting Home for Christmas
Everyone knows that heading home for Christmas can easily become a real ordeal – especially if you’re navigating challenges like returning from a far-flung university campus, or leaving the bustling city for your parents’ place in the countryside. Fancy avoiding cramped, delayed trains over Christmas this year? Of course you do. All anybody really wants is to recline on a heated car seat and cruise down the motorway, being serenaded by Mariah et al.
Of course, this blissful journey becomes significantly harder to imagine if you aren’t in possession of your own vehicle. Perhaps you’re lucky enough to be a car owner, but faced with the grim reality of skyrocketing fuel costs, are having to abandon your motor over the holidays in favour of more pocket-friendly public transport. Those relying on trains for a smooth journey face the recurring nightmare of strikes disrupting schedules, leaving travellers stranded, their Christmas plans hanging by a thread.
So, too, does the cost of public transport elicit tears, with shockingly high ticket prices now the norm. Ultimately, spending Christmas with your loved ones should not be tarnished by financial worries, which disproportionately affect students and young drivers hit the hardest by the cost of living. Luckily for you, we insure both.
At GoShorty, we’re proud to offer affordable and convenient temporary car insurance, so you can spend a little less on travelling, and a little more on gifting! You can get an idea of how much a temp car insurance policy will cost you using our handy calculator.
The Benefits of Temporary Car Insurance
Share the journey to break up any long driving stints in tough conditions and split the cost of fuel to make your journey home not only more enjoyable, but cost-efficient, too. Swapping a difficult journey home on public transport with temporary car insurance will have you feeling festive in no time.
For those who don’t own their own vehicle, temporary insurance provides the flexibility to share a car – meaning that you can secure your Christmas car share, safe in the knowledge that the owner’s no-claims discount won’t be affected in the event of an accident. Pooling resources and sharing fuel costs can transform the Christmas Eve commute.
When is the Best Time to Travel Home?
We get it, plans change at a moment’s notice, work has called you in and it’s all kicking off during the Q4 sales; emergency car insurance offers the flexibility you need when the unpredictable happens.
However, if you can plan ahead, it always pays dividends to pick the quieter travel days. Tradition would dictate that the two days leading up to Christmas are the busiest, but it’s not always this cut and dried.
In 2023, Christmas Day falls on a Monday, which means many people will finish working on Friday 22nd. Naturally, this is going to represent gridlock on the UK’s road network, and Saturday 23rd also looks like one to avoid (if you can). There’s a full football fixture list on this day, which will only add further stress to congested routes as fans travel around the country watching their teams.
With more workers having the ability to work from home, it’s easier to travel earlier in the week when roads should, hopefully, be quieter. Now you just need to ensure your hosts are happy with your plans for an extended stay!
Also, roads are likely to be quieter outside of the usual commuting times, so plan your trip wisely, especially if you’re heading into or out of city centres. With freezing conditions probable, you should check out our winter driving tips before loading up the car, too.
Also, roads are likely to be quieter outside of the usual commuting times, so plan your trip wisely, especially if you’re heading into or out of city centres. With freezing conditions probable, you should check out our winter driving tips before loading up the car, too.
In the spirit of hassle-free festivities, our helpful team is on hand to provide the easiest ways of getting home for Christmas. Whether you’re dodging train strikes, sharing a festive car ride, or avoiding the chaos of high fuel costs, our temporary car insurance options have you covered.
Quality Streets at the ready!
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