16 Tips on How to Survive Holiday Travel

Sometimes, it feels like the price of holiday travel extends way beyond the sticker shock. The price also comes in terms of heavy stress and more than a few bumps in the road. Still, where there’s a will, there’s a way. 

If you can get out before the crowds (or, conversely, wait for all the crowds to pass and sneak out on Christmas Eve), you can skirt a lot of the chaos. It all boils down to getting a bit creative, keeping your eye on the upcoming Black Friday Deals, and knowing all the rules of the road – and the sky. 

Set Price Alerts

As soon as you know holiday travel is a possibility for you, set up travel alerts on Google Flights and Skyscanner. Other popular sites like Kayak allow you to set up price alerts. They call it FOMAD – fear of missing a deal. Of course, you’ll still want to conduct daily manual searches if you’re serious about scoring the best deal (and the best flight times), but it certainly doesn’t hurt a thing to have the leads coming to your inbox, as well. You’ll know when it’s the right time to pull the proverbial trigger. 

Look for Black Friday Deals

A bounty of Black Friday deals is on their way to sites like Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, Priceline, and Groupon. Other masters of the sky and sea like Virgin will be running a great deal of specials. Some of these deals kick off as early as the week before Thanksgiving and continue all the way through Travel Tuesday.  

Consider Quieter Destinations

If you’re not traveling to visit friends and family but just want a nice getaway, consider places with less traffic. Places like New York and Paris will be flooded with couples and families traveling together, as well as solo adventurists who are looking to change things up this season. Instead, use this time to book a wellness retreat in New Mexico or visit one of the quieter Caribbean islands like Grenada or St. Vincent. 

Check Multiple Airports

We all have our preferred local airports. But is there another one that requires a bit more drive and has more convenient flights and connections? If you live in Florida, for example, and are used to flying out of Orlando, plug Sanford and Tampa into your Google Flight alerts as a backup plan. Each one only requires a bit more of a drive and may open the door to smoother travel.