7 tips to wrap up the perfect holiday vacation

By Debbie Frye, General Manager, Flyerland.ca 

As the seasons change and the weather turns colder, are images of holiday hot spots dancing in your head? Then celebrate the festive season by giving the gift of a family getaway! If you think the holidays is a costly and chaotic time to travel, check out these tips. Whether your ideal vacation involves sand or snow, you can wrap up the perfect trip and keep more cash in your money belt.

• Book early. Last-minute travel deals can save you cash. But during the busy holiday season you need to book early—fares generally rise closer to the holidays, plus you’ll have less selection. Visit the travel section on Flyerland.ca for special savings on sun and ski vacations.
• Do your research. If you don’t have a specific destination in mind, go online to check out all the possibilities. And don’t hesitate to go big—a cruise is fantastic for families or exotic travel like Hawaii or Europe can be affordable if you find the right deal on Flyerland.ca with TravelAlerts.ca.
• Travel on off-peak dates. Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve are busy times to fly, so avoid airport headaches and travel off-peak. Christmas Day is the least hectic, so celebrating early or late can save you time and money. And avoid returning home on the Sunday before the kids go back to school—stay an extra day if you can.
• Check your points program. Have you accumulated a ton of travel miles? Some points programs have blackout dates, so find out if you can use your miles for your festive family getaway to save money.
• Sign-up for vacation savings programs. Many hotel chains offer discount programs, coupon books, meal plans and more, so be sure to sign-up for these deals before you leave. Spending a bit of extra time online can land you a lot of extra savings.
• Tell Santa your travel plans. If you have small children, the visit from Santa Claus is very important! Consider opening gifts before you leave, or packing a few presents from Santa for the big day—Toys ‘R’ Us is tops on every wish list. In letters to Santa, be sure to tell him you’re celebrating early or give your vacation destination so he knows where to deliver the presents.
• Give vacation themed gifts. When purchasing presents for the kids, give gifts they can use on their holiday—beach stuff for a sun and sand vacation and new ski equipment for a snowy holiday. Also, plan fun activities kids can do on the plane or while travelling—Walmart has lots of great ideas to keep little ones busy.