Why Waiting to Arrange your Holiday Travel Can Cost You More
Are you planning on traveling for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year? If you are, have you booked your travel tickets yet? With just 3 weeks before Thanksgiving, you may be cutting it close and should consider the cost implications of leaving it until too late. Though most travel experts do recommend booking Thanksgiving and Christmas flights at least 60 days in advance to find the best deals, below are KEE (sorry we couldn’t resist the pun!) tips to keep your travel prices as low as possible. Even outside the optimal booking window, it’s not too late to book your flights before significant price increases kick in. The closer you get to Thanksgiving, flight prices tend to rise by $1 per day, however the final two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas often result in a $10 rise per day. A study conducted by Hipmunk shows clear evidence of this when comparing Christmas flights booked in September (with an average cost of $365) versus Christmas flights booked in December (with an average cost of $500). These price fluctuations are apparent in all modes of transportation throughout the USA leading up to the holidays, including travelling via all methods: trains, airplanes and automobiles (just like the movie).
Try to be as flexible as possible with travel dates and to avoid traveling on a Sunday as the average flight cost on November 26th is $420 versus an average price of $275 on November 28th. (Tip: Might be a good time to set a reminder in your calendar to book your travel tickets for September 2018. This way you’ll be ahead of all the price increases and save more money next year.)
If you are planning to drive home for the holidays, you should also plan ahead carefully to avoid grid-lock traffic. If you haven’t considered using a reputable limousine service such as KEE Limousine, you should. If you plan on driving yourself, we recommend leaving at 5 a.m. to beat the crowds. The earlier the better when it comes to holiday grid-lock avoidance. Here are a few tips:
- Research your route before traveling
- Plan stops to have a break
- Bring at least one phone charger
- Ensure you have enough money to pay toll charges
- Regularly check for weather and travel updates
To minimize your anticipated holiday travel stress, consider booking an experienced limousine service with decades of experience with all types of traffic. KEE Limousine has the experience you need to ensure you arrive safely and stress-free!
We hope that you have a safe and calm holiday travel season that does not have a significant impact to your wallet. Please note that this article is specifically discussing the booking rates for Christmas and Thanksgiving, travel cost increases occur through all seasons and occasions (including Easter and New Year’s Eve), which means the key to a stress-free holiday travel is in the planning!
