5 Ways to Save on Holiday Travel

If you’re trying to figure out when to book holiday travel, if you are flexible about travel days and if you are going on holiday vacations then destinations and lodging options, then it is not impossible to save on holiday travel.

Here are some tips to make the most of the options available and make the best of what you get by being frugal with your spending and vigilant with your bookings.

1. Avoid the Busiest Travel Days

If you are looking to travel during the holidays then you know how high the fares can rise because of the demand. If you want to save money then traveling during the busiest travel days might not be the best idea.

One of the most expensive and busiest travel days is Thanksgiving. Avoid the Wednesdays before the holiday and the Sundays after, most people will be traveling to and fro on these days. Fly on any other days and you’ll likely pay less, with the cheapest fares available on the holiday itself.

2. Travel During a Dead Week Instead

Like I told you why you shouldn’t travel on busy holiday days, the question arises when is the best time to travel then. How sooner or later than the holidays should be book our tickets. Just before and after the major winter holidays, each year are what travelers call “dead weeks.”

These are the dates or days when vacation travel is at a yearlong low. In some cases, these happen due to a decline in business travel as holiday hours start to kick in and winter weather inspires folks to stay put.

There are two main “dead week” stretches for you to consider, each week here is about 10 days long. The time between the two December weekends immediately following Thanksgiving is the first “dead week” stretch, and the time between the first two January post-New Year’s weekends is the second.

3. Check for Business-Class Fares

Like we talked about the dead week, I mentioned one of the reasons being that there is a decline in business travels during holidays. Because of this, sometimes you can get yourself some prime seats by searching on business-class fares.

The seats will usually be priced higher than coach fares, even if they are lower than the regular price of a business-class fare, but if it is a long flight it may be worth the extra cash to get a bigger seat as well as expedited security and boarding and don’t forget built-in baggage fees. All things considered, it can make a higher fare more affordable since you don’t have to pay for luggage.

4. Try a Travel Agent

Travel agencies know what they are doing so they might be able to snag a better deal than what you can on your own. The travel agents will also most likely offer you package deals with pretty standard flights, slightly off-the-radar and off-brand hotels, and down-the-road-a-piece destinations. It might be worth it if you are going for holiday vacation but if you are going to visit family – the flight prices can be best too with the minimum headache of booking on your part.

5. Look for Package Deals

One of the reasons I suggest looking out for travel agents is the package deal. The package deals are designed to be on a cheaper end for it to be affordable, so the destinations might not be dreamlike but they will still be enjoyable.

Many package deals are for spots that are just down the road from top destinations – confirming my description of package deals as standard flights, slightly off-the-radar and off-brand hotels, and down-the-road-a-piece destinations. But, if you are on a tight budget, this might be the way to go, as you won’t have to figure out every bit by yourself.