Still haven't booked your holiday travel, you procrastinator? Don't panic. We've got you covered.
On the night before Christmas, if visions of escaping the in-laws dance through your head, there still might be time to get away at a reasonable price. Flexibility will broaden your scope of escape options to include last-minute, worldwide fares. There are also a few other ways to score travel bargains even at this time of year, so you can spend the rest of your allowance on last-minute gifts at the airport terminal. Here’s how:
Remain Flexible
When it comes to super last-minute travel, all bets are off. Typically, extreme procrastination can equate to an outrageously priced flight, but if you don't care about your destination, you can score significant fare reductions, because airfare prices tend to change minute-to-minute
To stay ahead of the game, sign up for free fare alerts through websites like Airfarewatchdog or Hipmunk and have your credit card ready. With Airfarwatchdog, you can also keep your search broad, setting your departure city then leaving your destination open to "anywhere" to uncover the cheapest deal.
Be forewarned: landing a deal can involve trade-offs like traveling at the crack of dawn, sitting in a middle seat, or dealing with multiple stops.
Cast a Broader Net
While you may have allegiance to certain travel search engines, keep your options open by searching multiple sites. Momondo, for example, combines lowest fares internationally, while sites like Google.com/flights/explore or Kayak.com/explore also turn up great rates, even showing how much money you save.
Consider giving travel agents a chance; through their personal connections they may be able to land you a spot at resorts that appear to be sold out online. They also employ other techniques that create big savings you may not have considered. Round-trip airfare from New York to St. Barts, for example, may run $800 whereas fares to St. Martin might cost $250, which is just a cheap high-speed ferry ride away.
Also, not all airlines show up on third-party booking sites. Checkout Southwest.com, to see the (sometimes) budget carrier's fare calendar.
Stay in Major Cities
Even if airfare costs sting a bit, you can make up for the loss with reasonable accommodation. During the holidays, high-end hotels that otherwise cater to business executives in urban destinations lower their prices to accommodate leisure travelers. A night at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, for example, may go for $299 around Christmas then return to $479 at the end of January.
Not picky about where you go? When airlines have non-holiday sales, their fares can trickle into holiday season.
"It's usually on routes where the non-holiday airfares have been reduced to fire-sale levels," George Hobica, president of Airfarewatchdog, told Paste BN. "For example, right now Delta has fares from Los Angeles to Hong Kong for January and February travel at $589 roundtrip. That route is often much higher, maybe $800 or more. But because Delta has lowered non-holiday fares, the holiday fares are lower than you'd imagine.”