So, you’ve promised your family a trip to “The Happiest Place on Earth!” Now, all you can think of is the accident-prone road trip endured by the Griswold family in “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” (And if you aren’t convinced you need to plan your vacation, go rent that movie!) With that troubling thought in mind, just how are you going to get there?

Traveling in this age of tightened security requires more planning and patience, but there are still few vacation destinations as easy to reach as Southern California. It’s a path well-traveled by vacationers, businesspeople, immigrants, and the occasional swallow, and it’s served by countless airlines, superhighways, trains, and tour groups.

In this chapter, we walk you through the process of making your travel arrangements. We brief you on weather, attendance levels, and rates so you can pick the best time to go or make the most of the dates you’ve already chosen. You’ll find descriptions of each major path to Southern California and a worksheet to help you pick a route and make your reservations. Then it’s time to get packing, with the help of our special packing lists. Finally, we help you smile and enjoy your journey with tips for having fun along the way.

What we can’t do is take up space with the phone number of every airline and car rental company, or provide travel directions from every city. You can find that easily in your phone book and on the Internet. Just jot down numbers and notes on the worksheet, and transfer the winners to the appropriate PassPocket in the back (in deluxe spiral editions).

It’s useful to note that traveling is generally less flexible than lodging, which is in turn more costly. We find it works much better to make travel decisions before finalizing your hotel. However, you may prefer to skip to the next chapter and shop for your lodging first. Just return here to tailor your travel plans to your lodging choice.