5 Holiday Travel Power Moves to Make Now
The holidays are just around the corner, and with that, the busiest travel days of the year. With millions of travelers hitting the skies and roads over a few short days, it’s more important than ever to know the right power moves to make before you travel. The day you travel, time you depart and even what you download can make a big difference in your holiday travel experience.
1. Flex Your Flexibility. This should your number one mantra for saving and dealing with the crowds of the holiday travel season. Travelers are heeding the advice of experts and getting more savvy, shifting holiday travel patterns over the past few years. While Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, has historically been the one big day to avoid, more travelers are now departing for their holiday escapes as early as Monday. Traveling on the holiday and rising before dawn for those extra-early morning flights are more critical power moves than ever before.
Black Friday is also one of the best days of the weekend to fly. If you’re thinking of a short weekend getaway, your best move it stay home for Turkey Day, then when everyone else is hopping on their laptops to snag the early Friday retail deals, you hop on a morning flight and head to your destination with relatively no crowds at the airport. Look for Friday departure package deals that include airfare + hotel and you’ll be surprised at just how inexpensive you can travel over this busy weekend.
2. App Like an Expert. According to a Booking.com survey, 44 percent of travelers say they will use an app to pre-plan activities and access travel answers in one place. Smart people! This is a make or break move over the holidays. When traveling, your phone becomes your lifeline and downloading the right apps ahead of your trip to have the information you need at your fingertips can mean getting rebooked on a flight, finding a last-minute hotel, and getting tickets to the one attraction on your kid’s holiday bucket list. Must-downloads include your airline app (make sure you sign up for push alerts), a hotel search app, ticket and activity booking service, restaurant reservations and ride-share apps.
3. Think Like a Contrarian. Always wanted to be rebel? Well, this is the time to do the opposite of everyone else and get seriously rewarded for it at the same time. All you have to do is wait. Wait to travel the week after everyone else heads back from their vacations. Plan your trip for the week after the holiday. Data shows that millions of Americans are leaving vacation days on the table at the end of the year, so use them, don’t lose them, and when most holiday weekenders are heading home, that’s when you head out. The week after Thanksgiving and the week after New Year’s Eve are ideal — more availability, less crowds, plus airfare and hotel prices up to 40% less than the over holidays themselves.
4. Look for “All-Amusive Escapes”. Data shows that 62% of travelers say they like choosing a destination that offers all their favorite activities and sites near each other to save travel time. And this is exactly what you want to do when planning a short holiday weekend vacation. Maximize activities and minimize logistics to save time and money! Think all-inclusive resorts or properties that offer options for excursions and on-site activities/amenities. Families will do well looking for resorts that are destinations within themselves like the Gaylord Resorts that boast indoor waterparks, entertainment and special holiday programming and events. If heading to a holiday hotspot like Orlando, look for resorts that offer suites for cooking meals in, on-site waterparks and watersports, kids clubs and free shuttle service to theme parks.
5. Reward Yourself. While the holidays may not be the easiest time of year to use reward points, it is the perfect the time to sign up for loyalty and reward programs and start accruing. From airlines, hotels and online travel sites, if you’re not getting a price break over the holidays, the least you can do is start getting rewarded for future travel. Plus, you’ll be surprised at the perks and savings you will get during your holiday stay – many hotel reward programs like Marriott Bonvoy offer free Wifi, special rates and mobile check-in for members. All you have to do is sign up.