In a recent survey conducted by American Express Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, 79% of respondents said saving money is their biggest concern when traveling with family. However, the holiday season is the most expensive time of year to travel. Family travel expert Suzanne Rowan Kelleher of WeJustGotBack.com offers up six strategies to help families save big money over the holiday travel season.
1) Get a lower airfare: It’s tougher to get an inexpensive flight during the holidays because of increased demand.
Strategy: Consider shifting travel dates forward or back by one or two days. Often the cheapest flights are on the day of the holiday.
Example: The majority of Thanksgiving travelers fly out on Wednesday and back on Sunday. A family of four flying from Cincinnati and Boston for Thanksgiving would save $200 by flying out Thursday morning and returning on Monday.
2) Avoid the checked-bag fee: Passengers are typically charged $15-$35 to check their first bag, depending on airline.
Strategy: Book with the right credit card.
Example: A family of four flying on Delta Airlines and using the American Express Delta SkyMiles can take advantage of its “First Bag Free” perk and save $200 on a roundtrip flight. Another huge perk that comes with using this card is priority boarding, which lets families board early together and get settled into their seats.
3) Lower the cost of dining out: The cost of eating out three meals a day can really strain a family’s budget on vacation.
Strategy: Visit Restaurant.com to buy dining gift certificates at a substantial discount at any of 18,000 restaurants nationwide. You can buy a $50 dining certificates for just $20 or a $25 certificate for $10. There is a minimum amount above the value of the coupon that you have to spend, but the savings still turn out to be about 30% per meal.
Example: In New Orleans, for example, 43 restaurants are participating. A family that bought 4 certificates for $20 each would save $120 over four meals.
4) Slash pricey ski lift tickets: Ski getaways are extremely popular with families during the school holidays. But parents are always looking for ways to save.
Strategy: Visit Liftopia.com to buy lift tickets for up to 35% off regular prices.
Example: A family of four that bought 5-day passes to Park City Mountain Resort in Utah would save 35 percent on their ski tickets – which would amount to a whopping $380 saved.
5) Save on airport parking fees: Leaving your car in the airport’s long-term parking lot can really add up, to the tune of up to $50 a day, depending on the airport.
Strategy: Families can save 50% or more by using online airport parking brokers such as Airportparkinginc.com and Cheapairportparking.com to find discounted parking within a mile or two of the airport, and then take a free bus shuttle to the airport.
Example: A family taking a four-day getaway over the holidays that leaves their car in New York’s LaGuardia Airport’s long-term parking lot would pay $33 a day, or a total of $132. But use airportparkinginc.com to find discounted parking at a nearby hotel, and the price drops to just $13 a day. The family would pay just $62.40 in total – for a savings of 53%.
6) Lock in the lowest price on car rentals: Like airfares, car rental prices go up and down due to the forces of supply and demand and competition among rival agencies.
Strategy: Use Autoslash.com, a hot new site that not only finds you the lowest car rental price, but then tracks it to make sure you never pay more than you have to. As soon as you book a car rental, AutoSlash will begin tracking rate changes for your reservation. If a lower price pops up later, AutoSlash automatically locks it in on your behalf.
Example: Our tester used AutoSlash to book a rental car in Ireland. Before his trip, he received an e-mail from AutoSlash notifying him that the rental price had fallen by $6 per day. Since it was a two-week trip, that translated into a savings of $84.
On average people who book through AutoSlash save 30%.
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