Ah, the words “Driving home for Christmas” conjure up a mix of nostalgia and dread for me.

Welcome to Day 20 of our 25 Days of Nostalgia series!

On one hand, there’s the romance of the festive season—twinkling lights flashing by during a moonlit drive, a car packed with presents, and the promise of reuniting with loved ones.

On the other, there’s the reality: endless queues of traffic, overpriced train tickets, and the ever-present fear of snow or rain, maybe some high-winds (or why not all?) disrupting your plans.

How Has Travelling During the Festive Period Changed Over the Years?

From navigating paper maps to relying on Google Maps, and from mixtapes of the best 80s and 90s Christmas music to Spotify playlists, here’s a look back at how we used to hit the road (or rails) for Christmas.

The Road Trip: Nostalgia on Four Wheels

In the 80s and 90s, driving home for Christmas was both an adventure and a test of patience (mainly your parent’s).

Forget sat navs—back then, you relied on a combination of paper maps and vague directions from relatives. (“Turn left at the big tree, you can’t miss it!”) Inevitably, someone missed the turn, leading to family arguments and being stuck on the M4 for another 10 miles before making a frantic U-turn.

The car itself was a character in the journey. My dad had a Volkswagen Passat, and my mum wasn’t in the picture for those drives as they were divorced.

However, she once drove us to Romania in her trusty Volvo. We managed the journey in just under 24 hours. I’m pretty sure she downed five Red Bulls and then slept for a day and a half afterward.

One year with my dad, I remember the weather was absolutely abhorrent. The Severn Bridge was closed, so we had to detour via Gloucester.

My brother already hated the drive, so adding two extra hours to it was, let’s say, “memorable.” It was a journey filled with fogged-up windows, bickering over directions, and a lot of muttering (and cursing) from Dad.

Not to mention the endless Christmas dad jokes and perpetual repetition of Dr. FOSTER. Yay, echolalia.

Then there was the soundtrack. Before Spotify or Apple Music, you had cassette tapes—and if you were fancy, maybe a 6-CD changer. Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas was obligatory, alongside Slade, Wham!, and whatever mix your mum threw together that year. But if Dad was in control? It was Jamiroquai or James Dean Bradfield on repeat. Not my cup of tea, and it drove me up the wall.

At least I had my Game Boy to keep me company… waiting for the street lights, because I didn’t get a Light Boy attachment like my brother…

And if your parents were smokers, like my mum and stepdad, the car added another level of discomfort.

You were either stuck in a smoky haze or subjected to the bitterly cold frosty air smacking you in the face as they cracked the windows to let the smoke out. Either way, it wasn’t exactly festive.

Public Transport During Christmas: A Festive “Adventure“

Travelling by train or coach during the festive season was its own kind of challenge. My family would take the train to Cardiff, and I loved the old InterCity trains despite how crammed they always were.

One year, we had our seats reserved, only to find another family stubbornly refusing to move.

My dad kicked up such a fuss that we ended up in first class instead. I’ll never forget the ticket inspector donning his little Santa hat and handing out bags with drinks, a sandwich and crayons and paper.

Coaches weren’t much better. Sure, they were cheaper, but the journey took twice as long, and there was always a chance you’d be stuck next to someone eating a tuna sandwich. And let’s not forget the joy of National Express toilets—truly a Christmas miracle if they were usable.

Snow added a whole new layer of unpredictability. Delays were inevitable, cancellations frequent, and your only hope was to huddle in a freezing station waiting room, clutching a lukewarm cup of tea (Bovril was my preference) from a vending machine.

Modern-Day Travelling: Digital Bliss

Fast forward to now, and travelling home for Christmas looks a bit different.

Google Maps means you’ll never get lost—though it can’t save you from the monotony of motorway service stations. Cars are smarter, comfier, and less prone to breaking down halfway through the journey (though the boot is still crammed with presents).

Heated seats? A Christmas miracle we didn’t know we needed.

And let’s not forget the playlists. Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music have replaced cassette tapes, offering endless Christmas hits to suit every mood. Want an hour of Mariah Carey or a deep dive into your favourite 80s and 90s Christmas songs? No problem. Just make sure you’ve downloaded them—no one wants buffering in the middle of Last Christmas.

Public transport, while still a headache, has seen some improvements. Apps let you book tickets in advance, check live delays, and even reserve a seat.

That said, the prices are more extortionate, and the tuna sandwich-eating coach passengers remain a universal bane.

The Spirit of Travelling Home

Despite all the changes, some things remain the same. The anticipation of seeing loved ones, the car stuffed with more presents than people, and the magic of arriving home to the smell of mince pies and a roaring fire (albeit most likely an electric one).

Whether you’re battling traffic on the M25 or squeezing onto a packed train, the journey home is as much a part of Christmas as the day itself.

So this year, as you navigate the challenges of festive travel, take a moment to appreciate the journey.

Stick on Chris Rea, have a snack ready (preferably not tuna), and enjoy the ride.

Only a few more left of my Christmas nostalgia series.

Merry Christmas from all of us here at DadBlog HQ—yule be sorry if you don’t check back next year (more bad Christmas Dad jokes you say?!)

• Day 19: How We Survived Christmas Before Wi-Fi
• Day 21: TBC