When I told my brother I had already gotten my daughter’s Halloween costume he about choked on the burger he was eating. He’s single and obviously has no clue that savvy parents who aren’t crafty enough to piece together a homemade disguise for their children buy Halloween costumes in August.
Sure, fall just officially began today and most parts of the country are still basking in summer-like temperatures, but like it or not, the holidays will be here before we know it. Christmas is coming… and before that Thanksgiving. Not to mention Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, etc. The happy holiday season–a time to make merry, and a time to dig deep into your wallet if you plan to travel during the months of November, December or January.
The holidays are traditionally the most expensive time of the year to fly. However, there are ways you can save some serious cash if you know when to book and when to take off.
MAKING RESERVATIONS
If you plan to fly during the Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday and you haven’t already made your reservations you’re out of luck. I’m only half-kidding. If you are limited by the dates you can travel it is vital that you book your flight now if you want to find reasonable fares, not to mention availability. From here on out airfares will not get any cheaper for holiday travel, especially if you are flying to popular destinations such as New York, California, or Florida. The best advice: Book early to lock in a flight at a decent price. If you plan to wait to reserve a seat closer to the holidays, you’ll need to be very flexible about your travel dates in order to secure an affordable rate.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
As I just mentioned, if you are serious about saving money it is critical to be as flexible as possible. You’re more likely to get a good rate if you avoid flying on peak travel dates. For example, during the Thanksgiving holiday, the busiest travel days will be the Tuesday and Wednesday before the holiday (November 20 and 21) and the three days following the holiday (November 24 through 26). In December, the most expensive travel days are December 21 through 23 and December 26 through 31. Frequent flyers know departing a city on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day will be cheaper than flying the days before. However, with Christmas falling on a Tuesday this year you might consider flying on Christmas Eve since most travelers will likely be departing on the Friday or Saturday before Christmas and making a long weekend of it. And here’s another tip to save money on holiday travel: avoid flying between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Believe me; two years ago I flew home to Hawaii on December 29th. I paid a ton of money for the tickets and the plane was packed with people who spent Christmas at home and decided to ring in the New Year with friends in paradise. I’ll never make that mistake again.
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