Do not believe that simply because you will be traveling over the holidays that you will be unable to find cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, or cheap vacation packages.
Remember cheap is a relative term and suggests a better price than other prices being offered at the time vs. the cheapest price of the year.
It is true that the longer you wait to make your reservations the pricier they are likely to cost you as the holidays approach. The best tip a potential traveler can follow is if you find a good price, reserve immediately. The odds are far greater that most prices will rise vs. falling.
The following are tips on how to save on holiday travel:
By being flexible as to the days you are willing to travel and adding a few days to your trip before or after peak holiday travel days much cheaper airline ticket prices can be found. By flying on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or early New Years Days travelers can usually realize significant savings.
Be open to taking connecting flights since often an itinerary that includes one stop can be as much as $100 less than direct flights.
Consider flying then driving or driving then flying. Select airlines enjoy virtual monopolies out of certain airports which allow them to charge higher ticket prices. Some airports are expensive to fly in and out of because they lack a low cost airline to keep prices competitive. Most Internet search sites can check fares at airports up to 100 miles from your ultimate destination.
Be open to selecting one airline for your departure and another for your return and even arriving at one airport and departing from another. Given that most airlines sell competitive one way fares, sometimes one airline is cheaper outbound while another offers a lower fare on the return.
If you are certain of your travel plans, many hotel offer discounts for non-refundable reservations.
Typically vacation package prices are cheaper than reservations made separately for airline tickets and hotel rooms. If you will be staying at a hotel at your destination, always look into package pricing.
Hotels and car rental companies often offer discounts to members of AAA and AARP as well as to government workers. They also offer special rates to employees of select companies. www.cheapfares.com