Many Americans can be expected to travel during the Thanksgiving holidays. Going home to be with family and loved ones for a couple of days is clearly a tradition that millions of people do every year. If you can plan Thanksgiving travel today, you can save a lot of money and headaches by taking steps in advance of your trip to help ensure you will arrive where you want to go – and when.
Start Early When Planning Thanksgiving Travel
One of the first things you need to know about Thanksgiving travel is that with the large number of people traveling over the same few days that it will be hard to get tickets or transportation if you wait too long. You really do need to book early, and, even then, problems may still occur – depending on your destination.
Many websites, such as the BaltimoreSun.com are already warning people that it is possible that airfare deals may already be as low as they are going to get between now and Thanksgiving. High fuel costs are partly to blame, but supply and demand also raises prices. Lifehacker.com reports that airline tickets are already six percent higher than they were at this time last year.
Seats are filling up fast, and airlines are already offering tickets for next year. Now is the time to get flight deals and the cheapest tickets. An article at CNBC.Com says that you not only should buy your tickets now for Thanksgiving, but also for Christmas, since prices are not expected to decrease between now and then.
Things You Need to Know About Airline Travel
Your travel plans need to include the possibility of extra charges being added for various things now, including one fee called a “family airline fee” by BudgetTravelAdventures.com, and others. This fee is now being charged by some airlines for a window seat. This may mean that if you need to sit by your children that it is going to cost you extra. Some airlines may try to accommodate parents and children.
Best Days for Holiday Travel
In the article already mentioned at CNBC.com, an air analyst, Rick Seaney suggests the best times to travel during the Thanksgiving holidays. He says that there will be fewer travelers on the Monday before Thanksgiving, the day of Thanksgiving, and you should come back on any day after the holiday except on Sunday and Monday. In order to avoid the usual Thanksgiving travel rush, you may want to wait until the week after – when you can also take advantage of lower prices and less crowded conditions.
Compare Prices When Planning Thanksgiving Travel
Although prices are apt to be high, you can still take some steps to reduce your costs. Some websites, SmartTravel.com says, will send out email notifications whenever there is a drop in airline ticket prices. Some airlines will also send out tweets on Twitter instead of using emails.
You can also save money as you plan your Thanksgiving travel today by using nearby airports. Check prices of each and you may find that one may give you considerable savings over another. Also, you may save even more money if you avoid luggage fees and take a flight that may have two or even three legs to it.
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