More unconventional holiday travel advice

Act appropriately with the culture. Abide by the laws of the land.”

To travel safer, you also have to research the emergency numbers (which are not always 911), local law enforcement, hospitals and transportation routes. Find out more about where you’re visiting and what common threats might be. A trusted source is the State Department Advisories page, travel. state.gov.

“Take steps to protect yourself from local threats,” he said.

A personal plea for just a little common sense

Don’t think this is going to be easy. It rarely is. If you can avoid traveling just before or after the holidays, when everyone else is on the road, do it. Better yet, don’t travel at all. You’ll save a bundle, and you can always see your family in January.

And please lay off the eggnog until you get to mom’s house this year. I want all of my readers to come home safely. What you do after that is up to you.

• That’s the advice of Christopher Bielski, the sales and marketing director for the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. Lodging rates fall when everyone returns home. And if you can extend your stay over a Sunday, you can save money. “Any time you can include a Sunday night stay at a resort or hotel you are likely to get a better rate as Sundays are very difficult to fill,” he said.

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Holiday travel is stressful, wellness coach David Nico said. Take steps to prevent it. His favorite: peppermint oil, a therapeutic herb used in a variety of digestive conditions. “Peppermint oil decreases bloating and nausea associated with gastrointestinal disturbances,” he said. When the flight attendant asks what you want to drink, go for the peppermint tea.

• Both hotels and car rental companies allow you to make multiple reservations, often for the same day. Clement Zhang, the managing director of FindOptimal, a site that helps travelers save money by exploiting that ability, said that can save you serious money. “Because hotel rates often vary from night to night, you may save hundreds of dollars by breaking one reservation into two or three,” he said. “But you’ll get the same hotel rooms and the same service.”