Are you traveling during Thanksgiving? It’s exciting to get all packed up to visit family and friends elsewhere, but it can also be tough on your budget. Between flights, gas, food, and accommodations, it’s easy to stretch yourself thin. Check out these tips for how to save on travel this Thanksgiving season, so you can enjoy the holidays without worrying about ruining your budget!
Book Things As Early As Possible
Obviously, rates are going to be more expensive closer to the holidays. As soon you know the dates you want to travel on, book what you need to ASAP. This way, airlines, buses, trains, hotels and the like will be all the more cheaper.
Figure Out What Times Are Cheapest For Flying
Surprisingly, airplane tickets can vary in price depending on the time of day and day of the week you plan on traveling. All of this is affected by your destination and where you’ll be flying from.
Typically, it’s cheaper to fly on weekdays rather than the weekends, which is the prime-time business professionals and families with kids in school travel. Days earlier in the week, like Monday and Tuesday, also tend to be less expensive. If you want to save even more, consider a flight early in the morning, like a red eye. It may be more inconvenient, but the savings will be well worth it.
Study airline prices for a few days to see how time and dates affect the prices before booking. This way you can ensure you’re getting the best deal possible.
Fly From An Alternative Airport
Sometimes smaller airports will be cheaper than bigger ones. If you don’t mind going a little bit out of your way (like driving a bit farther to catch your plane), then try searching for tickets at alternative airports. It could save you a couple hundred bucks!
To make this easy, use the ‘nearby airports’ feature on whatever website you’re searching through. Not only should it show you options for the primary airport you want to fly out of, but it will give you price comparisons or other airports in the nearby area.
Pack And Make Your Own Food
It’s easy to eat on the go when you’re traveling. If you have a long flight or road trip ahead of you, make sure you prepare food beforehand that will keep you full for your entire trip. This will ensure you’re not stopping for snacks along the way and spending money that can be used elsewhere!
Get Everyone To Pitch In On A Rental Home
It can be difficult deciding who should travel to whom on Thanksgiving. If neither your nor your family wants to travel the entire way, consider booking a rental home and meeting in the middle! This is also a great idea if you don’t want to offer up your own home to the chaos of a Thanksgiving feast.
If everyone is pitching in, getting a rental from a site like Airbnb can be pretty affordable- plus it will make for some great holiday memories! Right now, Promocodes has a coupon for HomeAway that will give you 8% off vacation rentals site wide. If you’re spending hundreds on your vacation rental, then that 8% off can make a big difference.
Book Your Airport Parking Well In Advance
Obviously, it’s cheaper if you can get a friend to give you a lift to the airport or if you can manage public transportation. But if you absolutely must leave your car at the airport, then make sure you book your parking long in advance. Just like plane tickets and hotel rooms, the longer you wait the more prices will increase.
Search For Special Deals And Savings
One of the best ways you can save money traveling this Thanksgiving is taking advantage of special deals. Sometimes, hotel chains or airlines will have these sorts of promotions directly, or you can find them through a third source party or traveling agent.
Promocodes has a variety of coupons to help make booking your vacation all the more affordable. Need plane tickets? CheapFlightNow.com is offering $30 off flights this Thanksgiving, and STA travel is offering $10 off for student travellers off tickets of $250 or more. Need to book a hotel? You can currently get 10% off select hotels at Hotels.com if you book before December 17th, which means you can save during both Thanksgiving and Christmas travels. Travelocity is currently offering 12% off certain hotels, while Expedia is offering $25 off your first hotel booking of $100 or more.
Traveling during Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be expensive! Taking advantage of these tips and deals will ensure you’re saving money everywhere possible so you don’t have to worry about going over budget this festive season. Have a safe and budget-friendly time traveling!