Tips for planning holiday travel to the U.S.
There are few bigger mistakes, budget-wise, than buying a ticket to fly over the U.S. Thanksgiving or the Christmas/ New Year’s holidays. Prices are always at their peak, and discounts are nil. But tell that to your grandmother. Or to the other eager family members who want you home for the holidays. So even though the fares are a killer at this time of the year, and the crowds at the airport will demolish what’s left of your soul, many of us end up flying for the holidays. If you have to fly during the upcoming holiday season, here are a few tips to help preserve your bank account balance ... and your sanity.
1. Shop for tickets at the right time. According to the experts at fare search engine Hipmunk. com, buying at the right time could mean big savings in 2018/2019. They are predicting that those who purchase their tickets for Thanksgiving travel sometime during the week of Oct. 1 will pay 23 per cent less on their tickets than those who book earlier or later. The “golden week” for Christmas and New Year’s purchases is Oct. 15, once again according to the data-crunchers at Hipmunk. They’re saying booking over that week will result in a 25 per cent savings. 2. Fly at the right time. Every year, those who fly on the holidays themselves (so on Nov. 22, Dec. 25 or 31 or Jan. 1 this year) spend much less than those who fly in the days leading up to these dates. According to Hipmunk, doing so this year will lead to a 20 per cent savings. 3. Book a nonstop flight, and one early in the day. This is less of a budget tip than it is a strategy for actually getting to where you’re going. It’s important to remember that the holiday season, particularly Christmas and New Year’s, is not only a pricey time to fly, it also can be risky in terms of the weather. In the past decade, winter storms have wreaked havoc on holiday travel. And delays from those storms tend to pile up as the day goes on, as planes in snowblasted cities miss their departure times, causing waits and cancellations even in those cities outside the storm zone. By flying earlier, you’re more likely to get a plane that was parked at your airport overnight, and so won’t have to brave any storms before your flight begins. Booking a nonstop flight helps eliminate uncertainty: The fewer times you have to take off and land during a storm period, the more likely you are to get to your destination. 4. Consider having gifts shipped directly to your holiday destination. Nowadays, the lowest airfares you’ll see almost always will be for “basic economy” airfares. That class of ticket always has hefty fees attached for the checking of luggage. So bringing just a carry-on can be a big moneysaver (usually less than the cost of shipping, especially with the shipping discounts many online vendors offer in the weeks leading up to Christmas). Note to the reader: Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. The information in this column was accurate when it was released, but prices are competitive, sometimes limited and can always change without notice.
Pauline Frommer is the Editorial Director for the Frommer Travel Guides and Frommers.com. She co-hosts the radio program The Travel Show with her father, Arthur Frommer and is the author of the best-selling Frommer’s EasyGuide to New York City.