If you thought travel was a hassle last holiday season, wait 'til this year.
Here's great advice on how to plan a great family holiday vacation from Travelocity's Genevieve Brown.
When to plan a vacation
* You should begin to plan a family vacation as soon as you know the dates and destination.
* Airlines are cutting flights and capacity, so book your flights as early as possible as you will find lower choices and higher prices this fall. Where to go
* If you want to plan a for a longer family holiday vacation instead of a brief visit you can take advantage of last-minute travel deals. Consider looking by theme, not location. Instead of the beach in Florida, look for any beach. The key is to be flexible with your travel dates and destinations.
* Warm weather locations are usually the most popular—and most expensive.
When to go
* Try traveling mid-week to save on the fare.
* You can often find good deals during the low period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, even to some warm weather family vacation resorts and destinations. Cruises
* Cruises are great options for planning a family vacation as you can control your costs. You can find almost any cruise to meet your budget.
* Look for larger ships with the most inventories. These have lower prices.
* Look for cruises that launch from a port city within driving distances of your home—this will save you extra travel expenses. Bringing gifts vs. shipping ahead
* Dont bring gifts—shop online and ship ahead. * Wrapped gifts will be unwrapped at airport security.
* The airlines additional baggage fees have made traveling with anything extra very expensive.
http://tvly.com/vfhv Holiday Family Vacation Planning - Family Holiday Travel Ideas
