7 tips for saving on holiday travel and accommodation

NEW YORK – Flying over the holidays will cost more this year. And the longer you wait to book, the more expensive it is likely to get.

The average domestic air tickets for the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas is $ 383, 4 percent higher than last year, according to Expedia.

If airlines fly fewer planes and routes to save costs, there are fewer places available. Flights are fuller than ever, and airlines can charge more.

Airlines have an extra reason to charge more families during the holidays: there are fewer high-paying business travelers, and airlines need to make the loss of income.

But leaflets can save money by manipulating travel websites, planning routes, and a little less convenient to use airline exchange warranty.

A simple but valuable strategy: If you are a good price, jump on it. The price can be later on, but not much.

Here are seven tips to help you save.

BE FLEXIBLE Adding a few days to your trip before or after the peak travel days can significantly lower rates. So, fly on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Year's morning early. These days are often less crowded.

A flight from Chicago to Seattle, leaving the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and returning Sunday, cost as much as $ 420 on a recent search. A budget-conscious traveler could leave on the morning of Thanksgiving, returning the following Monday and cut the flight to $ 327.

Most travel websites are search options that make it easy for the cheapest days to travel.

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Look for Flying non-stop connecting flights is ideal, but that convenience is not free. Booking a route that includes a stop saving $ 100 round trip. Make sure you have plenty of time for it to connect even if your first flight to leave, do not miss the second leg to leave.

And be careful to book a route a stop in a cold weather includes the city. Last year, a Christmas weekend snowstorm on the East Coast causing over 10,000 flight cancellations, stranding passengers for days.

DAN flying, driving some airlines have a virtual monopoly on certain airports, making them cost more. One of the most expensive of America's airports is Cincinnati, which is dominated by Delta. To save money, many flyers opt instead for airports in Dayton, Ohio, Louisville, Ky., or Indianapolis.

Other airports are expensive to fly in and out because they are not a low-cost carrier to keep prices in check or because business travelers are the main customers.

Most search sites can check fares at airports 50, 75 or even 100 miles from your destination. The savings may be large enough to hire and extra travel worth it.

Choose two different companies, most airlines now selling one-way flights at reasonable prices. An airline would be cheaper for the outbound flight and one for the return. You could even arrive at an airport and departing from another. Many sites automatically display the multi-carrier routes, others require separate searches.

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OPINION OF THE 24-hour rule, most major airlines allow passengers to cancel and rebook tickets purchased through their Web sites within 24 hours without penalty. When you book, check the next morning and see if the price fell. Alaska, Continental, Delta, Southwest, United, U.S. Airways and Virgin America all allow.

SEARCH multiple sites, the cheapest flight is not always displayed on any website. Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity are the largest online ticket-sellers. Sometimes better deals can be found on sites like Kayak, Hipmunk, AirfareWatchdog, Yapta, fare compare, CheapOair, and Mobissimo Fly.com.

Some airlines, like Southwest, are not included in many of these sites. Most Web sites list an airport, the airlines them. Check there to make sure that you will not lack support.

SAVE on hotel rooms, car rentals and hotel bookings car hire are usually refundable. Regularly check and rebook if the prices have dropped. Alternatively, if you're willing to commit, many hotels offer discounts for non-refundable bookings.

Hotels and car rental companies often offer discounts to AAA and AARP members and government employees. They also have special rates for employees of certain companies. It never hurts to ask.

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Submited at Thursday, September 29th, 2011 at 4:00 am on Tips by chuck
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