Holiday Travel Does Not Have To Break Your Bank Or Blow Your Mind


Defined Tag: Christmas Vacations.

Holiday travel is generally pretty stressful anyway. Don't add paying more than you need to pay or rushing to the stress list. The family drama will take care of itself. Don't add to it unnecessarily. There are ways to ease the pains of all that family joy:

* EARLY - the earlier you buy, the more you save, and the more likely you are to get the schedule and locations you want. It also makes sense to shop around and compare as much as possible. Make sure you have a Plan B and C in case things don't work out for Plan A. You'll prevent a possible blood pressure spike and you don't have to become one of those people customer service reps have nightmares about. It's not too late for this December, either. The most popular vacation spots always have good deals, but the less popular spots sometimes offer more to entice you to stay with them. Give the family house a break sometimes. Besides, the ultimate goal here is to enjoy your holiday travel.

* EARLY - the earlier your schedule, the better. There's less crowding and more flexibility with earlier schedules. This is especially convenient if you are traveling in a group. Off-peak is your friend. Peak times are called that for a reason. Don't expect to get things exactly like you want during peak travel times. Be willing to travel during off hours. You may have to get up earlier, but you'll be much more comfortable for your effort and much more likely to, what - enjoy your holiday travel. And finally,

* EARLY - pack everything you can NOW. Whatever is going with you that isn't going to be used before your departure, pack it NOW. The night before, you should have no more than one day's worth of things left to pack. If others are going with you, build a two-hour cushion into your itinerary. Stuff happens. We all know that. Better to allow the time for it than to yell and scream about it when it happens - and it WILL happen. You'll be in a much better mood and much more likely to, what - enjoy your holiday travel.

Are you noticing a recurring theme in the advice? Good. I hope you're paying attention. If you're like most people though, you're paying a lot more than attention for your family togetherness. You're also probably paying too much.

Listen, why pay $100+/night for the same hotel room you can get for about $12 - $20/night? Why take a $1,000+ cruise when you can get the same cruise for about $200? And why stop with holiday travel? Why not treat yourself and your family to this kind of travel all year long? Let's face it, the reason most people don't travel more; see their families more - is because they don't have the money. What if there really is a way to travel like this for life for less that you're going to spend on this single holiday?

If that's what you want, then you owe it to yourself to find it. It is out there. And when you find it, you'll be so glad you did.

Deidre Logan owns Easy Club Travel in Chicago, IL. She is also a speaker and contributing author on matters of travel and entrepreneurship. For more info, please visit her website.