The biggest travel holidays of the year are just around the corner! Unless you’re Mr. or Mrs. ‘GotRocks,’ or even if you are, we all look for ways to have a comfortable journey at a reasonable price.
Here 10 ways to save on holiday travel – 5 from me, and 5 from Corrie, the “Centsable Momma.”
1. WHEN TO FLY – If you can be flexible, FLEX!!! Weekday flights (Tuesday-Thursday) are usually MUCH less expensive than weekend flights, and HOLIDAY flights (as in Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Years Eve…) can offer deep cuts too.
2. WHEN TO BOOK – Don’t you wish you had a crystal ball for this? Download price predictor apps. My favorite is Hopper, but Kayak can be pretty good too. The hard thing is waiting to say “CHARGE!” until they say ‘stop waiting and book.’ This is not 100% fool-proof, but I’ve had a lot of luck using these sites to predict.
3. DON’T BUY FOOD ON THE AIRPLANE – Bring munchies with you! Carrot sticks, trail mix, a sandwich. The airline food (usually not included anymore unless you’re flying on Hawaiian or First/Biz Class) is expensive and mediocre. Make sure you don’t bring anything liquid with you! Beverages are still ‘free’ on most airlines (NOT on Spirit).
4. PRE-SHIP GIFTS – If you’re travelling for a gift-giving holiday or event, unless your gift is YOU or something you can fit in your carry-on, pre-ship it. If you’re staying in a hotel, you can call in advance for their procedures. If you’re staying with or near family and friends, warn them that something is being delivered and tell them not to open it! You can even take advantage of the ‘free shipping’ on many shopping sites if you have them ship direct to your destination (make sure to say it’s a “gift,” and consider adding wrapping services)! I LOVE shopping on Amazon to do this! You can pack folded gift wrap and ribbons and a small roll of tape in your carry on (and iron the creases out of the gift wrap with your hotel-room iron on LOW!). YOU REALLY DON’T WANT TO PAY TO CHECK GIFTS IN LUGGAGE (it costs $, and has a better chance of disappearing from a luggage carousel at this time of year, than any other – ’tis the season!’).
5. MAKE THE TRIP YOUR GIFT – This is my FAVORITE way to save money on travel during the holidays! If I make the trip the ‘gift,’ then I can take my grown kids on vacation with me! Yes, you’ll probably spend a LOT more than you would than buying them another holiday sweater or giving them that all-so-meaningless gift card, but the value of $ to memories and life-adding joy is an unquantifiable bargain!
Here are the other 5 tips I promised you from Centsable Momma:
Wishing you happy and safe travels!
