It’s been a great year for travel. This summer proved to be the busiest ever for US airports, with the TSA screening a record 227.5 million passengers between Memorial Day weekend and the Fourth of July. And while there have been some hiccups — like United’s operational challenges in late June — there’s hope that the holiday season will be much smoother for travelers than the Christmas nightmares Southwest Airlines travelers felt in 2022.
Between all-time high vacation flight prices, the ever-increasing cost of hotel rooms, and one loyalty program devaluation after another, it’s critical that you be strategic when booking your 2023 vacation travel to avoid frustration and overspending .
If you haven’t booked your flights or hotels yet, now is the time to get serious about booking vacation travel and find ways to save money in the process.
Related: How to get started with points and miles
Choose your travel dates wisely
You can save a pretty penny by adjusting your travel dates a little. Certain days around the holidays will experience higher demand and therefore bring higher prices.
In both 2021 and 2022, the busiest travel day of the year, according to TSA checkpoint volume, fell on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
How much can you save by arriving a day earlier or leaving a day later?
Let’s say I’m traveling from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to New York for Thanksgiving. Departing on the Wednesday before the holiday and returning on the Sunday after, the cheapest round-trip flight costs $418 on Delta Air Lines.
However, if I can wait until Monday to return, look how much the price drops: It’s $198 for the return – a 52% savings. A family of four will save $880 if you can wait until Monday.
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Booking app Hopper has made the following suggestions in the ‘Christmas in July’ report:
Thanksgiving:
- Depart on the Monday before the holiday for the cheapest airfare.
- Return any weekday the week after Thanksgiving.
Christmas:
- The most expensive days this year are likely to be the Thursday and Friday (December 21-22) before the holiday (which falls on a Monday).
- To save, it is best to leave on Wednesday December 20 or earlier/later than the peak days.
Of course, the specific prices also depend on where you go and when you book.
Still, Hopper says the best time to book holiday flights (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s) is on average late September or early October.
Google Flights echoes that, saying you’ll typically find the best deals for a trip in mid-December or later around early October – which is fast approaching.
Know how to look for cheap airline tickets
One of the best tips for finding well-priced vacation flights is simply knowing how to look for them.
TPG has a complete guide to finding cheap airline tickets, so I won’t repeat all the tips here. However, I will remind you of a TPG favorite tool: Google Flights. Google Flights has a search option that doesn’t require you to enter your destination. This tool is worth its weight in gold if your holiday travel plans are still up in the air or you just want to consider your options.
You can enter the city of origin and desired travel dates and simply leave the destination blank. You will see the prices found for both near and far points.
Or, if you already know exactly where to go to prune the tree, enter your origin and destination and use Google Flights to quickly find the cheapest travel date. During the holidays, having even one or two days of flexibility can swing the price more than $100 in either direction.
Google Flights now also has a tool that recommends when to book a flight based on past data trends for your specific route and itinerary.
For example, for our Thanksgiving trip from DFW to New York, Google Flights recommends that I book sometime between now and November 8 (although it seems like the latter date is very close) to get the lowest price on this trip.
Additionally, check out price alert tools like Hopper or Skyscanner. If you have a specific destination in mind, you can set alerts for the best time to book.
Booking flights directly with the airline is usually the best choice, but using these tools to find deals before booking directly with an airline can make your search for the best price much easier.
Go where others are not
Flying to sunny Cancun or Puerto Rico during Thanksgiving or the winter holidays may be appealing, but it could cost you $400 to $600 per person. However, you can save hundreds of dollars per person by flying elsewhere.
Tropical getaways can usually cost a fortune during the holidays. However, from Houston, you can get round-trip flights to Miami or New Orleans during Thanksgiving week for less than $200 per person. Miami can be a good substitute if you’re hoping for a warmer destination, and New Orleans is an underrated fall destination for anyone looking to explore the iconic city without the imposing heat of Louisiana summers.
Related: The Best Places to Visit in November
No matter where you are located, you can find good deals by going to off-season locations and setting your sights on a place far away from where most people travel. Instead of a beachside retreat in the Caribbean or Mexico, try an early-season ski week around Thanksgiving or explore a national park. Here are some of our favorite national parks during the winter months.
Be a points pro
Another way to save money when booking holiday flights is of course to use points.
However, you have to be careful not to get gouged. Many airline and hotel loyalty programs now use dynamic pricing for award flights and award stays. This often means that when the cash price goes up (as often happens around the holidays), the points price can also be very high.
One way to combat this is to transfer your Chase, Capital One, Citi and Amex points to airline partners with more predictable reward structures.
Want to visit snowy Aspen? For example, you can book a flight on United Airlines with Avianca Life Miles. Assuming there’s award space, it’ll cost you 10,000 Life Miles each way, while you’ll often pay more than $300 per person each way if you pay cash.
By being creative and considering the full range of transfer partners you can use with your rewards credit card, you can put your points and miles to good use… in some cases, even around the holidays.
Shipping or packaging?
If you check your luggage, you can pay €30-€50 for a standard checked bag on a domestic flight. Ideally, you can avoid these fees thanks to elite status or the right credit card in your wallet. If you don’t, the costs will increase. If your bag is too heavy with gifts or is too big, it will add up even faster.
But you may be able to ship that luggage via an oversized, plain shipping box from UPS (up to 50 pounds) for about $26. If you don’t want to do the shopping yourself, you can use the site LugLess to determine a price and shipping costs for your to buy possessions; services range from do-it-yourself delivery to curbside pickup and delivery.
Shipping won’t always be cheaper, but even if it isn’t, it will usually be easier than lugging extra stuff and waiting at the baggage carousel. Plus, it can take away some of the stress that travelers have experienced with their luggage in recent years.
Just make sure you allow some buffer delivery time around the holidays.
Don’t be hungry
There are far fewer closed storefronts along airport concourses than at the height of the pandemic (and even beyond, amid ongoing workforce shortages).
However, the financial burden of an airport meal – which can easily net a family $50 or more – can be significant.
Check whether your airline status or credit card gives you lounge access or discounts, whether it’s a Priority Pass credit at a restaurant or free access to an airline lounge like the Amex Centurion Lounge. Just be sure to check entry rules in advance, as many lounge operators have tightened entry and guest requirements since last year to combat overcrowding.
For example, say you did that The Platinum Card® from American Express and want to lure your family to one of the Amex Centurion Lounges nationwide. Unless you spent $75,000 on your card this year or last, bringing a guest 18 or older will cost you $50; a child aged 2 to 17 costs $30.
Related: Best credit cards for airport lounge access
Save on gas
Of course, flying is not the only way to travel; many travelers drive to visit family during the holidays. While gas prices are certainly lower than the worst points in 2022, the cost of a long road trip can add up with multiple fill-ups and tolls.
AAA currently reports that an average gallon of unleaded gas is around $3.84. That’s up slightly from $3.70 a year ago, but well below the all-time national average of $5.01 per gallon.
You can use GasBuddy to find the cheapest gas near you (and potentially even save up to 40 cents per gallon if you use the prepaid fuel card). Also consider taking advantage of fuel rewards programs. Many gas station chains (and a few grocery stores like Kroger and Harris Teeter) have loyalty programs that can save you up to a dollar per gallon at the pump. We have more ways to save on gas here.
Related: Here’s How I Save $1,000 a Year on Gas
In short
As we look back on the past few years, traveling may become easier than last year.
As Southwest Airlines’ Christmas 2022 meltdown and 2021 omicron peak showed us, booking with a card that offers travel insurance – or buying your own travel insurance – can provide peace of mind and protection if something goes wrong.
And if this summer’s record airport crowds are any indication, you’ll also want to make sure your PreCheck, Global Entry, and/or Clear Plus memberships are up to date so you can get through airport security faster as the crowds increase.
Cheaper vacation travel is possible if you strategically choose when you fly, where you travel, and what types of rewards you use to help you get there.
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