Time it right and save big on vacation travel |
| By Aviya Kushner • Bankrate.com |
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The world's most popular destinations can be surprisingly affordable if you travel when most people don't.
Fly seven days before Thanksgiving instead of a day before and you might snag a great deal on a ticket.
"We once went to New York the week before Thanksgiving and celebrated with my family then because four tickets for
Thanksgiving week were just outrageously expensive," says Hope Eliahou of Los Angeles. "We got some great rates, with about a $500
total savings."
For $500, it might be worth eating turkey a little early with understanding family.
Some travel tips to help you cut costs.
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| Good timing can mean good savings |
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"We were just grateful to be together," Eliahou says. As a bonus, she was able to celebrate again on Thanksgiving
Day with friends.
As a general rule, the biggest vacation savings are about timing. Memories can be made at cheaper moments, too, say
dedicated off-season travelers.
Enjoy the pre-holiday
season
The before-Christmas season, when most people are shopping, is a great time to get ski deals, travel savers say.
Consider using the December shopping season as an excuse to escape to Colorado. It's an ideal time to ski: lots of
snow, thinner crowds and often-slimmer prices.
The rule of timing savings applies abroad, too.
The glittering cities of Europe are a source of cheaper rates in early to mid-December, which is high shopping season
there as well.
So if you can't afford Madrid in July, think late fall or early winter.
Spain is pleasant in December -- temperatures in the mid-40s to mid-50s, as opposed to the sweltering summer, and the
best airfares of the year to Spain tend to come in early December.
Hotel owners and restaurants often have specials at slow times as an extra sweetener.
In Córdoba, Spain, the site of the famous Mezquita, which is packed to the gills every summer, some inns offered
two-nights-for-one specials, free breakfasts and other goodies in the first half of December last year.
Plan around conventions, and save
You can snag a ritzy room in Las Vegas if you're willing to be a little open-minded on timing.
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