It's no secret that Mercury retrograde periods complicate already complicated holiday travel plans (and everything else), but a less known fact is how Mercury retrograde periods will affect holiday travel. Spoiler alert: Getting from point A to point B will be harder to navigate, and chances are you won't make it out alive. That said, with a little foresight and careful planning, you'll eventually be able to get where you want to go.
Just as Mercury's retrograde period ends on November 20th, Mercury will enter its retrograde period until December 7th, which is the transitional phase it enters before going direct (aka normal programming). While there isn't as much backwards energy to propel us during retrograde, momentum can still be difficult to capture. According to astrologer Lisa Stardust, we're basically stuck in this fuzzy state of mind, where it's hard to remember basic things like packing your passport, and all-important little details like what day your flight is .
Without any additional planetary pressure, holiday travel can be stressful. Even with excellent planning and organization, there is a lot of room for error. So when you add reverse energy into the mix, which makes us feel sluggish and easily overwhelmed by minor complications, we are bound to make more mistakes than usual. You have to be clear-headed and proactive in order to leave your home in an organized manner, pack your bags efficiently, and navigate crowded transportation facilities without losing anything, forgetting anything, or misunderstanding something important to your destination. key details that matter. With so much on your mind along the way, reverse fog is bound to spell trouble for holiday travel, especially Thanksgiving.
While it's nearly impossible to predict what types of problems you'll encounter (seriously, all is fair), Stardust recommends adding the following steps to your travel plans to reduce the chance of an accident:
Pack and plan early
Don’t rely on yourself to pack efficiently. Stardusts recommends packing at least a day in advance, using a checklist, and double-checking everything and zipping up your luggage before traveling. At any other time of the year, you can rely on your intuition to pack the obvious things like your wallet, your ID, your passport, your phone bag, but during retrograde, you no longer are. You are. You’re not thinking about these things because you’re overwhelmed with stress and confusion. So even if you are an experienced packer and traveler, make a list like you have never left home before and use it as a compass.
leave early
Your mom has been warning you your whole life to get to the airport early and you've been ignoring her, but during retrograde, you should actually listen to her. Now you're not the only one with a confused mind, your taxi driver is confused, so is the airport staff, and so are everyone else wading through the terminal. The sooner you leave, the more time you have to prepare for the unexpected. The last thing you need right now is a rush. According to Stardust, giving yourself plenty of time will actually make you think more clearly because your brain won't resist stress.
Share your itinerary
Make sure to let a friend or family member know about your travel plans. There's a good chance your trip will be delayed, rerouted or even cancelled. To reduce confusion, make sure people at both ends of the destination know your itinerary so they can help you if you need it.
Even though it's a pain to have to put in all this extra energy and effort, when you get to your destination and can finally relax, you'll be glad you did it. Once December 7 arrives, we'll be free of the fickle complications and we'll be able to enjoy all the fun social opportunities and adventures that Sagittarius season brings.
