Every year from Thanksgiving to New Years, millions of people take the journey to visit love ones. Its always a time of excitement, but also lots of stress. One of the biggest factors contributing to the stress is the high cost of airfares.
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1) Book early: If you’re thinking about holding out for an amazing last-minute airfare, get that out of your head. Historically, deals are scarce during the high-traffic holidays and, what’s more, procrastinators often get shut out of the most desirable hotels and non-stop flights. Instead, start pricing airfares now and look for good overall value instead of a slam-dunk steal.
This year, I booked my ticket for Thanksgiving in July. Southwest was having a sale and I took advantage. $130 round-trip!
2) Be flexible with travel dates. Given that airfares are based on supply and demand, it’s unsurprising that the most expensive days to fly are typically on the eve of Thanksgiving and Christmas and on the Sundays following holidays. Moving your travel dates one or two days forward or back can make a big difference, too, and leaving a day before the school break almost always brings costs down.
One year, I flew home on Christmas Eve. The airport was empty and my ticket was 50% cheaper than flying the day beforehand.
3) Consider an alternative airport. Heading to or from a big city? It can be cheaper—often significantly cheaper—to fly in and out of a regional airport within a short drive of a major hub. Think Monterey instead of San Franscisco or Providence instead of Boston. Smaller airports typically offer a more pleasant experience during the holidays anyway, with fewer crowds, shorter lines, and cheaper parking.
My recommendation is ask your family first before booking yourself at a small airport. You may save $50 on your air ticket, but it takes 2 extra hours for your family to pick you up. Sometimes your family will pay you to fly from a close, more expensive airport to save them time.
4) Fly early and non-stop. Booking an early-morning and, preferably, non-stop flight is your best defense against getting stuck in an airport quagmire. It’s the domino effect: Airport delays tend to pile up as the day wears on, creating afternoon log jams.
My other suggestion is to have back-up plans. If you flight is delayed or cancelled, have multiple other airline options planned in your back pocket. Also, have the airline's 1-800 phone number programmed in your phone. Don't wait to talk to someone at the airport, call the 1-800 number. You most likely will get to speak with someone on the phone before you would at the airport.
5) Watch your inbox. Keeping an eye on a particular route? Sign up with Airfarewatchdog.com and you'll get an e-mail when a better-than-average airfare pops up.
Also, set-up alerts on Bing!
6) Take the low road. For every destination experiencing high season, there’s another in low season. One no-brainer money-saving trick is simply to target off-season destinations. For an affordable Thanksgiving getaway, for example, you might take advantage of one of the many early-bird ski deals available in late September and October.
Many people head to Europe or Asia for Thanksgiving. Airfares tend to be cheap. Last year, I went to Japan for the Christmas holiday. Counties that don't celebrate holidays are perfect destinations to escape to.
7) Play dead. The week immediately following a holiday—such as right after Thanksgiving or right after New Year’s—is known in the travel biz as a “dead week.” If your dates are flexible, that’s where you can save big.
Self-explanatory. Plan your vacation around the dead week or if possible see if you can work remotely. When I worked at my first job, I planned my vacation to ensure that I came back after the New Year. That required me to use some of my next year's vacation time, but my savings in airfare/stress was well worth it.
My last suggestion is to think of alternatives modes of transportation to get home. Can you get home on a train, bus or carsharing? Getting home to Connecticut, I have taken Amtrak, Megabus and even shared a ride with a stranger. Don't think you HAVE to fly home!
Holiday's are stressful times for all. Don't let high airfare cost add to the stress. A little big of planning can go a long way!
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