With the festive season just a few weeks away, plans for getting away for some seasonal sun may be uppermost in the minds of those who prefer to spend the period in a warmer climate.

The period is one of the busiest of the year for tour operators and airlines with passenger travel plans concentrated into a small window. The busiest days depend on where Christmas Day lies on the calendar in relation to the working week. The friday of the week ending before Christmas is always a convenient point for people to take as their last day of work before the break. Airport terminals and roads are always busy then as many people don't want to hang around at home for any longer than neccessary. Christmas Eve and the day before it are both very busy days, regardless of where they fall on the calendar. Also Boxing day is a favourite travel day for anyone who prefers to spend Christmas at home with family and friends but still wants to take advantage of the extended break to fly abroad for some winter sun.

Airports over Christmas take on a very different atmosphere too. Everyone is more relaxed and seems happier than on a typical day where business travellers make up a significant proportion of those underway. The spirit and goodwill of the season affects airline and airport staff too, who do as much as they can to make everything run smoothly for the festive travellers.

FlyThomascook.com operate numerous flights from various UK airports that can take you away for a warm festive stopover to places like Mallorca, Tenerife, Fuerteventura or Lanzarote . There are also flights to places further afield like Dalaman in Turkey or Vancouver in Canada