How to travel more and spend less this festive season

Representative image

These are peak travel weeks. Flights are full, hotels blink premium prices, and popular destinations feel crowded and expensive. Still, not everyone flying in December is paying full fare. With a little flexibility and some planning, you can have a fantastic holiday without seeing your savings vanish.

It is among the easiest forms of saving: picking the right window. Flights booked well in advance or at odd, off-peak hours generally cost less. Early morning or late-night flights are usually cheaper. Traveling midweek has the potential to lower fares compared to weekend departures, even during holiday seasons.

Sticking rigidly to exact dates can inflate costs. Shifting your trip by a day or two can sometimes reduce flight or hotel prices significantly. Year-end travel sees price spikes around Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Travelling just before or immediately after these dates often brings noticeable savings while keeping the holiday vibe intact.

The month of December commands a premium pricing in all popular tourist hotspots. Often, there are nearby alternatives that offer similar experiences at lesser costs. Smaller towns, lesser-known beaches, or hill destinations usually lying just outside the radius of famous circuits normally have cheaper stays with fewer crowds. These places also tend to offer more genuine local experiences.

The best utilization of accumulated reward points is during the year-end period. Credit card travel points, airlines miles, and hotel loyalty rewards can reduce expenses by quite a big margin. Even partial redemptions help. Some cards also extend cashbacks or discounts during festive periods, which silently bring down total spending.

Hotels jack up their prices during peak season, while serviced apartments, homestays, and guesthouses tend to be more affordable. This option cuts down meal and laundry expenses, too. Being slightly off city centres or tourist areas brings down nightly rates with hardly any compromise on comfort.

Transport and activities at the venue also add up unexpectedly. Booking local travel passes, sightseeing tickets, and experiences online in advance is often cheaper than buying them at the last minute. It also helps you avoid surge pricing during busy days. Small savings here add up quickly.

Forgetting the essentials, many get into impulse buying at inflated tourist prices. Packing weather-appropriate clothes, some basic medicines, and travel accessories highly minimize unnecessary spending thereof. It sounds so simple, but these little expenses can quietly push your holiday budget higher than you plan.

Year-end travel does not have to feel like a financial hangover in waiting. With flexibility, early planning, and smart use of rewards, you can have a memorable holiday while keeping more money in your pocket.