Now is the Time To Start Your Holiday Travel Plans

When it comes to holiday travel, flexibility is the key to getting the best rates and maintaining your sanity.

Travel off-peak to pay less and avoid the crowds.  For example, everyone wants to travel the Wednesday before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Consider taking an extra day off on either end to get a better deal on your flight and avoid congestion on the roads and at the airport.

Another way to beat holiday travel stress is to create unique traditions.  The calendar says Christmas is December 25th, but talk with your family who are gathering from out of town, and see if everyone can agree to celebrate the holiday on an alternative date, perhaps the weekend before or after.  Flying family members could save a bundle, and the driving crowd will avoid highway crunch time.  Keep in mind that flights usually cost less if you travel on the actual holidays: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Eve.

If you're lucky to have friends or relative overseas, or just wanted to travel abroad, embrace opportunities to make international holiday memories.  Take advantage of this alternative home base and make it this year's "home for the holidays."  It will probably require more work and expense than driving over the river and trough the woods, but you won't regret it!

If you plan to travel overseas, check your credit cards.  Not only to confirm your credit limits and currency transaction fees, but also check your daily limits at ATM's. They offer the best value for obtaining local money.

Call for a replacement card well in advance for your trip, and while your at it, ask about international fees.  Some cards have no fees, so check with your credit card companies now, during the planning stages of your journey.

Maybe most importantly, don't wait to the last minute to book your flights and hotels.  People are traveling again, and flights and destinations are booking up earlier than ever.  Start the holiday season right by giving yourself the gift of stress-relief when it comes to holiday travel planning.