4 Ways to Afford Last-Minute Holiday Travel

The holidays are the busiest—and often most expensive—time of year to travel. The top tip for scoring affordable holiday travel is to book it early, but if you’ve missed that boat, you’re not completely out of luck. Here are four tips to make it home for the holidays, even if you’re on a budget:

Ask for travel as a gift

If getting home for the holidays is just not feasible with your financial resources, ask your loved ones if they can contribute toward your travel costs instead of buying you a gift. Time with them is much more precious than anything you could take home with you. They may also be willing to forgo gifts from you if it means you can join them in person and gift them with your presence.

Cash in on credit card rewards

If you have cashback or statement credits from your credit card that can be applied toward travel expenses, now is a handy time to use them. Keep in mind that if you’re using points to book your travel, you might not get as much out of them as you otherwise could due to blackout dates. However, if it means you can travel when you otherwise wouldn’t be able to, go ahead and use those points anyway.

Travel by plane, train, or automobile

Check prices for different modes of transportation including flights, trains, rental cars, and buses. While it might not generally occur to you to rent a car or take a bus for travel, it could be more cost-effective than a flight and worth the tradeoff if it means you get where you need to go without overextending your bank account. Along with exploring different modes of transportation, don’t forget to check different airports and rental car locations if you have flexibility on location.

Celebrate on a different day

Traveling for the holidays is so expensive because everyone is doing it at the same time. If it’s too costly to make it home for the holiday date on the calendar, celebrate with your loved ones and enjoy your favorite traditions on a different day. Traveling on the holiday itself can also be much more cost-effective so making that one of your travel days can help even out your total expenses. 

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