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Can you believe the holiday travel season is approaching so fast? It’s almost time to visit loved ones, eat far too many sweets and make memories that will last a lifetime. Before you do, make sure you know these travel tips (that the airlines don’t want you to know!) before planning your holiday getaway.
Compare Airfares
Set up flight alerts for upcoming travel. If I know exactly where I’m heading for the holidays, I input the dates into travel sites like Kayak and apps like Hopper, so I’ll be alerted of upcoming deals months or weeks in advance of booking. Typically, you should allow yourself between 30 days and 3 months before booking domestic tickets and 1 ½ months to 5 1/2 months before booking international tickets. During peak seasons like the holidays and the summer months, start browsing 2 months in advance. Set up those alerts, jetsetters!
Pro Tip: Clear you browser’s cache and cookies on your devices. Airlines track your activity on their site, which often leads to higher fares. By clearing you virtual trail, they can’t track your activity and you can see fresh fares.
Book Your Flight on a Tuesday
You can save hundreds of dollars by simply booking your flight on a Tuesday. Research shows that Tuesday at 12:00 PM PDT is the cheapest day to book your flight in the US. By this time, airlines have released their sales and the competition has matched the lower prices and you have more deals to choose from. The most expensive days to book travel is Friday and Sunday. Booking connecting flights separately can save you hundreds of dollars, especially when you are traveling internationally. Budget airlines are common internationally and offer low fares. It can get tricky, but with a little bit of research, you can find great travel deals by booking this way. Plus, you’ll have a little extra spending money at your destination!
Be Flexible
If you are really looking for a steal, be flexible with your dates and times. Most people do not like to travel overnight and between meal times. Take advantage of people’s preferences and you’ll often find cheaper fares. You can save about 20% by leaving on Thursday rather than Friday and returning on Monday instead of Saturday. During the holidays, the busiest travel days are the days leading up to the holiday. You can save a little money by booking travel on the actual holiday, not to mention the airports will be less hectic and you’ll avoid crazy lines!
Safe travels! I hope these tips keep
XOXO,
Candy
