Why You Should Travel During Christmas Vacation

It’s that time of year again and the big day is almost here! We, as well as many other resorts, like to put on our most festive garments and make the merriment feel as real as possible to entice you to join us during the holiday season. There’s a very good reason for that! Yes, we’d love for you to join us at any time of the year, but there is something special about having guests stay during this time of year.

The Christmas/New Year’s holiday is the most crowded and expensive time to vacation almost anywhere. Airfares and hotel rates shoot up, beach resorts and ski lodges impose minimum-stay restrictions, and if you don’t plan far enough ahead, you’ll find everything decent is sold out.

But you can find your way of the chilly winter and head out to the sunny beaches and the calming waves.

Here Are Some General Strategies You Can Apply :

• Travel during the first half of the holiday rather than the second half:
For many people, the festive-season period lasts two weeks, with Christmas Day falling during the first week and New Year’s Day falling during the second week. In most vacation spots, and especially at ski resorts, that first week typically has more availability and is more affordable than the second week.

•  destinations that are in their shoulder or low season:
Most cities and islands in non-tropical climates qualify, as do countries that don’t celebrate Christmas.

• Fly on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, or New Year’s Day:
Airfares tend to be lower at these times.

• Consider cities that draw a lot of business travelers:
Business travel stops during the holidays, so you’ll find low airfares to—and empty hotel rooms in—business-travel hubs. In the U.S. consider cities such as Dallas, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Phoenix. If you prefer New York City or San Francisco (which draw a ton of both business and leisure travelers), look for discounts at business-traveler-oriented hotels (extended-stay suite hotels work well for families too). In Europe consider business capitals such as London, Paris, and Rome. Holiday business-class airfare sales to these European hubs come out every year.

• Look for introductory airfares and hotel rates:
When airlines introduce new routes, and when new hotels open, they typically publicize the news with special offers. My family’s best Christmas abroad was at a just-opened hotel.

• Consider redeeming hotel points for free nights:
It’s tough to redeem airline miles for free flights during the holidays, but it can be easy to redeem hotel points because hotel loyalty programs are for hotel chains that cater to business travelers. During three Christmas/New Year’s school breaks, I treated my family to ski vacations by redeeming Starwood points at The Equinox in Manchester, Vermont.

So grab your bag and escape the cold !!
Merry Christmas!!