The first long weekend of 2020 is just around the corner and plenty of people will be travelling to or from Vancouver Island.

That means that BC Ferries will be busy between Thursday, Feb. 13 and Monday, Feb. 17, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful experience.

An extra 20 sailings between Vancouver and Victoria have been added to make things a little easier on the busiest route between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

According to BC Ferries, the busiest travel times for island-bound folk are typically Thursday afternoon, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

Family Day Monday and the following Tuesday morning are the busiest times for people to return to the Lower Mainland.

Photo Credit: BC Ferries

BC Ferries recommends that people make a reservation if they plan to travel this weekend or chose to travel at less busy times.

To alleviate stress on yourself, arrive early to the ferry terminals and have your booking reference number ready to check-in, if you’ve made a reservation.

Last year, BC Ferries carried more than 205,000 passengers over Family Day weekend.