by Leo S
10. November 2009 17:56
Family can arrive at vacation destination through many possible ways. There used to be a time when "car" was the only affordable vacation travel option. I have heard stories from my elders where they used to load up the car and enjoy the road trip vacation journey. How many of you remember these long vacation trips? In today's hi-tech world, we do not necessarily have to drive to the destination spot. We got many affordable and enjoyable options for vacation travel.
Driving
Driving a car for vacation needs gas price consideration as well. Currently at the time of writing this post, gas price in Chicago is somewhat $2.67 per gallon that means 500 miles of travel, depending on the vehicle mileage, will cost more than a flight. But not always! Let's say you are traveling with a family of 4 people then it will be cheaper. If you are concern about mileage on your car then you can check out cheap car rentals deals and discounts to rent a car.
There are other great advantages associated with driving as well. Driving vacation doesn't have to start on specific date or time. Just load up your stuff and start! Driving through the country will be amazing experience for adults as well as children. You might be able to turn your road trip into educational experience for your kids.
I see one biggest advantage for family and that is - Family time together! Yup, you can get into good long conversation with your family by sharing stories, thoughts, memories, good things, past holidays and what not! The next upcoming post explores specific ways to make car travel on vacation not only bearable, but enjoyable!
Flying
With airlines competing for business today, air travel is more affordable than it once was. Booking early for airfare will save you a lot of money. Booking ahead is important to getting a fair rate.
These days airlines are competing for the business and as a result with little research you can find affordable airfare easily. Rule of thumb; do not wait to book airline tickets up to last minute. Book your tickets in advance and you may find what you want - cheap discount airfare deals. Usually rates are totally dependent on the travel season of the destination. During peak season prices are high, so make sure to book your tickets in advance. Usually family vacation is planned around school holidays, considering the fact I suggest that you try to plan trips 8 to 10 months in advance to crack the best deal.
You'll probably find the cheap airfare discounts deals online at one of the sites I mentioned in previous post. They're easily navigable and you can get instant availability reports along with alternative suggested routes. When booking airfare online look for the discount on airline sites as well as travel portals such as Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline and Hotwire. Be sure to compare rates for alternate / nearby airports.
Be flexible about your travel dates. For example, if you are going for one week vacation then try to start and end your travel somewhere middle of the week. Wednesdays are the best time to travel. Trust me you will be able save hundreds of dollars. Major travel portals have options to search for the cheapest flights within a range of dates. You might want to check at least three travel portals to get the best rate.
These days almost all of credit card companies are offering frequent flier miles program. Enroll for one of that frequent flier credit card program and start earning miles. Make sure to use your credit card instead of cash for almost every purchase you make. You could get a FREE airfare for you and your family with these miles. And yeah - do not increase your credit card bills just to get airline miles. Only use the credit card for your daily routine purchases rather than spending beyond your needs.
Do not under estimate junk mails. If you are lucky then sometimes you might find the discounts for air travel. Someone I know received $100 certificate off travel with a discount airline. That coupon was good for up to 5 tickets, so each family member flew roundtrip to Florida just for $54.
If you are not satisfied with online travel portals then at last you can go to travel agent to book your flight. Their knowledge will help you save some money based on your priority. Get airfare rate quote before you book to see if a flight is matching with your budget planning.
Here are some valuable tips to help you save on airfare when booking yourself:
- Airlines usually reload their computers at midnight, so as soon after that as possible is a good time to shop online for low cost seats that folks might have reserved but not paid for.
- When one airline announces a sale to a particular destination, chances are the others will soon follow suit, so be on the lookout and call or click around.
- Use the internet to search out last minute bargain weekend fares. Most airlines' websites have a place where drastically reduced weekend fares are available. Start checking on Wednesday for the weekend ahead.
Trains
Many, many songs have been written about the country's love for trains and the rail system. Most of them, however, are about hopping a freight train bound for Georgia or some other unseemly way to travel. Train travel isn't like that anymore.
Do you remember those songs written about the love for trains and the rail system. Most of them are about hopping a freight train. One of those songs is "Midnight Train to Georgia". But these days train travel is totally different. Train has become airlines' envy. You can get more space, dining cars, bar, sleeping birth and even personal room. These best amenities and facilities are offered at low cost. Amtrak is the major train service offering discount plans for budget savvy family travelers. Traveler under 15 years age can travel for half price ticket. AAA members, Senior Citizens, Student travelers and/or Military people can get special discount as well. Ask for discounts! While booking train ticket ask question like "Can you get that rate any lower?"
As a whole, Long car trips are long and storied in family vacation history. The tales abound and grow larger with each telling as each family member recounts the horrendous story of the 18 hour drive to the Grand Canyon. Is there any way to make the vacation drive easier? You bet!
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