Use these strategies to get to your desired destination this Thanksgiving and Christmas without spending a small fortune.There's no place like home for the holidays. The only trouble, often, is getting there at an affordable price.
Most peak holiday airfares book up by late summer or early fall. So it might be difficult to find seats at this point for flights on peak Thanksgiving travel days -- let alone a deal. "The game is already up," says George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.
If you plan to fly on peak travel days during the Christmas holiday and haven't booked a flight yet, do it now. "Don't wait for fares to go down for peak travel," Hobica says. "They're not going to go down."
Boy, that sounds encouraging. Don't give up hope, though. You CAN get home for the holidays without blowing your budget if you stay flexible with your travel plans, watch the Internet for sales and consider alternate modes of transportation.
Here are five strategies with the holidays fast approaching:
1. Snag an affordable flight
Don't fly on peak days. You can save money if you're willing to travel several days in advance of the holidays or on Thanksgiving day, Christmas Eve or Christmas day. For example, if you avoid a Friday or Saturday departure before Christmas this year, you can save up to $90 by booking a flight on Thursday or Sunday instead, say the fareologists at Farecast.com, an airfare prediction site. And you can shave a little off your ticket price by returning Tuesday (Christmas day), Wednesday or Thursday. Avoid flying the Sunday before New Year's Eve -- it will be the most expensive day for return flights.
Travelocity has an easy-to-use flexible-search option that finds available domestic flights over a range of days. Farecast.com, which predicts whether fares on 2,000 domestic routes will go up or down, also has a flexible search option that lets you see not only a range of prices for flying on different dates but also into alternate airports. Enter your itinerary and the site will say if you should buy your ticket now -- or if an even better fare is probably on the way. For international flights, try ITA Software's flexible search (click "Looking for fares," log in as a guest, then do a month-long search).
Watch the Internet. "When the airlines lower fares during the busy holiday season, they will typically offer just a few seats at a time at the lower price, holding back the bulk of the seats to sell later for a higher price," writes Farecast fareologist John Rauser in the Farecast Blog. "So, when prices drop, you are in competition with everyone else interested in your itinerary to get what might be just a handful of discounted seats, and the fastest clickers win."
Southwest has a sale on fares for travel for December 15 through January 15 -- if you book by November 5. Hobica says Southwest rarely has sales on fares for holiday travel. So this could be a sign that other carriers might start discounting fares, too.
Sales for off-peak flights usually pop up two weeks before the Thanksgiving and Christmas, Hobica says. To find bargain flights, check Airfarewatchdog.com. It posts low fares on selected flights or itineraries -- and it does so faster than other Web sites. To take advantage of these time-sensitive flukes, you must book them right away. For fare deals from the airport nearest you, sign-up for Airfarewatchdog.com's airfare alerts. Another good source: Kayak.com gets fares (plus hotel rates and other travel products, if you ask) from more than 140 sources.
Be sure to check more than one travel search site. Not all airlines participate on Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia, so it's a good idea to check them all, including discount airlines' Web sites. Carriers such as JetBlue and Southwest Airlines advertise fares only on their sites (however, Airfarewatchdog.com will list deals from these carriers when its team of searchers finds them).
If price matters more than departure times and layovers, try looking on Hotwire.com or bidding for a seat at Priceline.com. You might find a cheaper fare, but this is sort of like flying blind. Both sites tell you the day of the flight, but withhold the departure time and name of the airline until after you buy. And if you just can't find a ticket in your price range, sign up for free e-mail alerts from Orbitz or Travelocity, so you can act quickly if fares drop into your comfort zone.
Consider alternate airlines and airports. You can save by flying on smaller airlines, such as SkyBus, Allegiant Air and Spirit, Hobica says, or out of alternate airports. For example, we found a flight from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Nashville, Tenn., for $100 less than a similar flight (same airline, in fact) from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
One final tip: If you fly home regularly, join a frequent flier program. You could score a free flight. Just don't overpay for a ticket to earn a few miles or you could end up paying for your "freebie" yourself. And don't overlook programs at discount airlines.
2. Get behind the wheel
Hey, this is how people used to go over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house. If you don't think your clunker can make the trip home, however, consider renting a car. There are some definite advantages to renting: If the car breaks down, you don't have to pay for it, and you can typically get another car fairly quickly. If you already have auto insurance, you're covered for a rental, too. Don't pay for the added coverage the sales clerk will inevitably pitch.
If you rent an economy car for a week and drive from Chicago to Dallas you would pay about $200, not including fuel and meals along the way -- a little less than airfare we found for travel around the Christmas holiday. Plus, you have wheels when you get to your destination. On the downside: An 800-mile trip will take you more than 14 hours (one way).
To get the best price, rent on weekends and choose an off-airport location to avoid additional charges. But watch out for extra fees if you intend to cross state lines. And if you're under age 25, a rental gets more expensive. A few companies, such as Alamo, won't even rent to you except for select corporate contracts. Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, and Thrifty will, but they may charge an extra $10 to $25 per day for drivers age 21 through 24. The surcharge is even higher for younger drivers in New York state (up to $110).
Orbitz fetches car rental rates and displays them in a table that is uniquely easy-to-understand. The site also discloses total pricing, including all taxes and fees, unlike many rival sites.
3. Share a ride
If traveling by car, your biggest expense will be gasoline, now averaging $2.82 per gallon nationally. If your car averages 20 mpg, you're looking at a total round-trip expense of $112.80 on an 800-mile trip.
What to do? Why not find someone to come along. Sharing the costs and the driving with a travel partner or two can make your road trip more appealing.
You can match up with someone planning to travel along your route on eRideShare, Craigslist or AlterNetRides.
If you live in a college town, make use of campus bulletin boards where students often request or offer rides to their hometown.
But your best bet -- particularly if you aren't comfortable driving long-distance with a stranger -- is to try out your networking skills. Ask friends, or check with coworkers and members of your alumni club.
4. Hop on the bus, Gus
It may not be the most glamorous mode of transport, but if you're really pinching pennies, the bus is your ticket home. Right now you can travel Greyhound's Northeast regional routes to and from New York City for as little as $12 one-way. Blackout dates may apply. Or you can travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Oakland, or San Jose for just $39 one-way. If you book seven days in advance and travel on a weekday, you can take advantage of Greyhound's Go Anywhere fares that start at $29 one way.
Here are other ways to snag a good bus rate:
- Travel on a weekday.
- Book your trip at least seven days in advance, and buy a round-trip ticket.
- Buy your ticket online for discounted rates.
- Travel with a friend. When you buy one adult ticket, you get 50% off for a companion.
- Get a Student Advantage card ($20) to save 15% on tickets purchased the same day of travel.
Check out the Peter Pan Bus Lines Web site to get fares for Peter Pan, Greyhound, Bonanza, Capitol Trailways, Susquehanna Trailways, Vermont Transit and The Arrow Line.
5. Don't forget the train
There are few bargains on the railways during the holiday season. Amtrak isn't even offering any special fares from November 20 through the 27. But if you don't mind waiting until the last minute to book a ticket, you could still land a weekly special.
Unlike the airlines, Amtrak does offer discounted rates for children. You pay half-price for kids ages 2 to 15 traveling with an adult. Travelers age 62 and older get a 15% discount, as do students with a Student Advantage card.
Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.
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