Overcoming The Holiday Travel Blues: New Year's Eve Travel On A Budget
POSTED: 9:20 am EST December 6,
2005
(ARA) - Many Americans travel or plan a vacation around New Year's Eve. After all, what could be better than going to an exotic destination, having a party schedule that should be enjoyed only by the fabulous, and celebrating the fruitful year that lies ahead?
But as consumers begin pricing out their fantastic voyage, many are halted, finding that their travel budget isn't stretching as far as it did in previous years. With fuel prices on the rise and the holidays being the 'high season' for many popular destinations, countless New Year's Eve travelers are suddenly coming down with the holiday travel blues.
If you want to get out of town for New Year's Eve but don't have a big budget, Marita Hudson, a member of CheapTickets.com's Cheap Squad, offers advice on how to stretch your dollars and save on travel.
1. Take flights that have a connection.
See another part of the world, even if it's only the airport. Most people prefer to take direct flights, especially families traveling with children, to avoid the hassle of changing planes and the sometimes lengthy wait of a connecting flight. But, flights that have connections can sometimes be cheaper. For example, a random search on CheapTickets.com, where prices will vary, resulted in finding a non-stop flight from Chicago to Orlando for $432. Orlando, according to CheapTickets' internal booking data, is one of the top New Year's Eve destinations in 2005. The same flight with one connection was $317. That is a savings of $115.
Think of what you can do with the extra savings once you get to Orlando! That's the cost of two day tickets to a local theme park, dinner for 4 at a family-friendly restaurant or maybe just enough for a special night on the town for you and your loved one.
2. Be flexible!
CheapTickets' booking data suggests the more flexible you are, the more money you can save. If you have the time to fly into your destination a couple of days before New Year's Eve and stay a day or so after, you can save on your flight. What can be better than having time to relax before the big New Year's Eve bash? Even better, taking a day after the big party to recover!
3. Book your flight, hotel and car together.
Think unity. Look for package deals where you can book your hotel and flight or hotel and car together. By booking at the same time, you can save. "We tested this theory on CheapTickets.com and, via a random search where prices are subject to change, looked for flight and hotel together from New York to Las Vegas, another popular New Year's Eve destination," says Hudson. "By booking together, we found a savings of $145.78 which can be used to enjoy a "Happy New Year Martini toast" with a friend and much more."
Traveling on a budget just means that you have more to spend once you get to your destination. Keep in mind while you are budgeting that some hotels may include a mandatory fee for New Year's Eve champagne toasts or parties (even if you are not participating). Now that you know how to save cash when traveling for New Year's Eve, spend that extra money on something for yourself and make your 2006 Resolution to travel cheap!
Courtesy of ARA Content
But as consumers begin pricing out their fantastic voyage, many are halted, finding that their travel budget isn't stretching as far as it did in previous years. With fuel prices on the rise and the holidays being the 'high season' for many popular destinations, countless New Year's Eve travelers are suddenly coming down with the holiday travel blues.
If you want to get out of town for New Year's Eve but don't have a big budget, Marita Hudson, a member of CheapTickets.com's Cheap Squad, offers advice on how to stretch your dollars and save on travel.
1. Take flights that have a connection.
See another part of the world, even if it's only the airport. Most people prefer to take direct flights, especially families traveling with children, to avoid the hassle of changing planes and the sometimes lengthy wait of a connecting flight. But, flights that have connections can sometimes be cheaper. For example, a random search on CheapTickets.com, where prices will vary, resulted in finding a non-stop flight from Chicago to Orlando for $432. Orlando, according to CheapTickets' internal booking data, is one of the top New Year's Eve destinations in 2005. The same flight with one connection was $317. That is a savings of $115.
Think of what you can do with the extra savings once you get to Orlando! That's the cost of two day tickets to a local theme park, dinner for 4 at a family-friendly restaurant or maybe just enough for a special night on the town for you and your loved one.
2. Be flexible!
CheapTickets' booking data suggests the more flexible you are, the more money you can save. If you have the time to fly into your destination a couple of days before New Year's Eve and stay a day or so after, you can save on your flight. What can be better than having time to relax before the big New Year's Eve bash? Even better, taking a day after the big party to recover!
3. Book your flight, hotel and car together.
Think unity. Look for package deals where you can book your hotel and flight or hotel and car together. By booking at the same time, you can save. "We tested this theory on CheapTickets.com and, via a random search where prices are subject to change, looked for flight and hotel together from New York to Las Vegas, another popular New Year's Eve destination," says Hudson. "By booking together, we found a savings of $145.78 which can be used to enjoy a "Happy New Year Martini toast" with a friend and much more."
Traveling on a budget just means that you have more to spend once you get to your destination. Keep in mind while you are budgeting that some hotels may include a mandatory fee for New Year's Eve champagne toasts or parties (even if you are not participating). Now that you know how to save cash when traveling for New Year's Eve, spend that extra money on something for yourself and make your 2006 Resolution to travel cheap!
Courtesy of ARA Content
