Posts Tagged ‘travel tips’
Tips for Preparing Your Holiday Travel Plans
Author Alexine
By: Alexine
With children going back to school and fall weather beginning to set in there is much to think about. The November and December holidays will be here before you know it. While some people live close to their relatives, many do not. This requires lots of people to travel over the holidays. To ensure you get the best deals and make good traveling decisions I have come up with some tips for planning your holiday travels.
Check Schedules
This has got to be the most important part of making plans as everyone has different schedules and vacation availability. Making sure you check K-12 school schedules and college schedules if you have children and work vacation schedules for yourself and your spouse is very important. Sometimes there is a couple of day variance between high school and college break.
Checking the schedules of the people you are visiting is also equally important. This will ensure you all can make the ski trip or tropical vacation together. On the other hand it is important if the family is meeting up at Grandma’s house for the holidays. Because we all know Grandma likes to plan way in advance.
Choose Dates
Now that you have gathered everyone’s schedules it is time to pull the dates together. This may mean you have to be flexible by about two days on either end if you live far away and travel time is lengthy. Remember to give yourself plenty of time if you are driving to a distant airport in case of slick roads and snow storms.
Search Sites
With your dates finalized you now get to start playing with the different airline ticket search sites. You will notice that most offer a flexible date’s search mode that allows you to see dates before and after the ones you came up with. This will show you the rates around that date you enter. Sometimes leaving a day later or coming home a day earlier can cut your costs in half.
When searching on the different airfare sites you will also want to go to the airlines personal sites as well. Sometimes they offer better deals than the larger sites that offer multiple carriers.
Watch Rates
When planning ahead for holiday vacation it is wonderful if you can get started right away. The advantage of getting a head start is that you will be able to watch rates and check for deals with your local carriers. Sometimes buying too far in advance can be very expensive along with buying too close to your departure date. Somewhere in the middle is where the best deals are so watching the rates will really help save you money.
Book & Get Miles
The last steps to planning your holiday vacation are booking the flights and signing up for air miles if you do not already have an account. Once you see the rates and are comfortable with the price it is a good idea to book your flights. Sometimes people wait until it starts going up again which is good but if you can get the best rate go for it before the prices change.
When it comes to the air miles it is a wonderful thing to start accumulating them. After you accumulate many air miles you can cash them in for an airline ticket. There are also credit cards that the airlines have that offer you double miles when you purchase the ticket through them. Take advantage of specials like this to help save on your future travel plans.
Safe Travels
With your travel plans set I hope you can relax and enjoy the next couple of months before the holidays are in full gear. With shopping and prepping to look forward to it is nice to have the travels plans in order with plenty of time to spare. Good luck on your holiday vacation wherever it may be and have safe and happy travels.
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Money Saving Tips for Traveling by Plane
Author Alexine
Air travel these days costs so much more that it once did. There are fees for everything from luggage to legroom. In order to help you save a little money where it counts I have come up with some money saving tips for traveling by plane.
Packing Lght
The days of two free fifty pound bags of luggage allowance are over. Now the airlines are counting on luggage fees for profits instead of the tickets themselves. To help you save a little try and pack your luggage in a carryon bag.
This may mean you have to choose several tops that match the same bottoms or one pair of extra shoes that match your dressy outfits. However, you are going to spend about twenty five dollars for the first bag and about thirty five for the second if you choose not to budge.
If the carry on option will not suffice then you can try to pack the family in one large suitcase and carryon luggage. This will only cost you a minimal fee compared to paying for each family member to check a bag.
Pack Your Snacks
Airport food has always been expensive so travelers have often packed a lunch or eating the costs or waited until the flight. Airlines would provide nice meals for longer flights along with their usual beverage service and peanuts or pretzels.
Today the airport food is still expensive but the airlines food is more expensive. They have snacks and snack boxes from three dollars up. The more little goodies you get the pricier the food. To help avoid this expensive food pack your own snacks.
Remember not to pack drinks as they are free from the airlines and are not allowed through security. However, sandwiches and snack food are perfect to throw together in a backpack and bring on board. Make sure you pack enough for the length of your travels and include all family members in the selection process.
Bring Pillows and Blankets
You might not think that pillows and blankets are such a big deal if the plane ride is just a couple of hours but if you have a long day of travel they are nice to have. Making sure your airline does not charge for the pillows and blankets would be the best way to determine if you need to pack them or not.
If they do charge for pillows and blankets then either dress in layers where you can stay warm in the air conditioning and use your extra sweatshirt as a pillow. Or you can pack a travel pillow and blanket in your backpack.
Comfort is important when you have little children and long flights. Packing the right cozy blanket or favorite stuffed animals are a good way to get your little ones to nap so you are able to relax.
Save For Fun
While it may be more of a hassle to pack light, bring food and carry pillows or blankets you will save yourself quite a bit of money. Not to mention the money you save by sitting in a normal seat instead of the ones that have six to eight inches of extra legroom.
Instead of spending the money on getting to your destination, by using these tips you will save your money for the fun stuff at your destination. Enjoy your travels and be sure to plan ahead so you can save money on your trip.
