Best Days to Fly for the Holidays

Tonight, I interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to share with you a story my fabulous friend Amy just emailed me (keep those travel tips coming, people!)… the best days to fly for the holidays!

This story is especially convenient for me, personally, because I am flying for the holidays… to see these people.

That lovely lady lives here in South Florida; she's my sister-
in-law.  But she'll be journeying with Frank and myself as
we visit their dad and little brother in Ireland.

 

We will also see this wonderful woman.

This is Bonnie and she is Frank's dad's girlfriend.
Here, she's opening a giant bottle of Veuve Clicquot,
which is reason #2343 why I love her!

 

You can find the complete list of cheapest travel days here, but for a quick reference you should fly:

Thanksgiving Day

December 18

March 20 (flights to Europe go up 20% the next day)

June 3 (if you're flying to Asia)

Priceline.com also has a cool new feature on their site that shows “good” days to fly around the holidays, as well as the “best” days.  You can find that feature right here.

Today, being a Tuesday, is also a perfect time to purchase tickets, which I talked about on the blog last month.  So, get on it, friends, and find a flight to the Emerald Isle for me while you're at it!

 
I read that seats are limited for the holiday season and it’s best to book before Halloween - Have you already booked your flights for the holidays?

Using Groupons on Vacation

This week I’ve been posting a lot about how Groupons can help you stay economical while exploring unknown locations.  But you don’t just have to stick to using Groupons in your own neighborhood… you can use them even when you take a trip.

Here’s a look at my sister-in-law’s Groupons settings right now.

 

Of course she has Groupons set for South Florida, but she also gets Groupons for the west coast… of the United States.  That’s because last year, she planned her honeymoon in the San Francisco area, complete with Groupons.  And wouldn’t you know, she found discounted Groupons for this.

 

Now, truth be told, she didn’t actually by the Groupon because she was afraid to commit to something she knew so little about so many thousands of miles away.  But you shouldn’t be.  Look how much it could save you:

 

Buying a Groupon for $139 per person, from 3,000 miles away, will save you about $231.  To make sure the company is legit, I’d check it out on Trip Advisor before purchasing (this is not that Groupon that Colleen saw... this particular Groupon did get some bad reviews, so you have to check around).

Next time I take a domestic vacation, I’m definitely going to add the city to my Groupon setting (and Living Social!), but I already include several different cities in my settings.

 

Since I live in South Florida, I figure if I stumble upon a great Groupon, I’ll travel to Miami.  I also spend a lot of time in Ft. Myers, so I include that in my settings as well.  My friend Amy has her settings to include basically the entire state of Florida.  That’s how we ended up with an awesome Groupon to Zoo Miami even though she lives in Ft. Myers.  She also bought a Groupon to Giraffe Ranch in Dade City (north of Tampa) where you get up close to rhinos, zebras, warthogs, and, of course, giraffes.  You also get a ride a camel without going to Africa.

 

For the whole animal experience, Amy paid $150 as opposed to
$300.  She also got to take a little vacation about three hours
from her house.

 

Total Cost: About half off the regular price (example: $150 for Giraffe Ranch instead of $300; $139 for a hot air balloon ride instead of $370)

Best Deal: Not paying full price in a new city!

Have you ever used a Groupon while on vacation?