Travel earlier in December and save

You’ve probably heard the [% 2453439 | | advice %] that it’s cheaper to travel in early December than during Christmas and New Year’s. But do you really understand how much you stand to save by shifting your travel dates? I didn’t, until I tried to book my December honeymoon.

Having postponed our trip, my husband and I wanted to maximize our time off while minimizing vacation days used. We decided to schedule our honeymoon over Christmas and New Year’s to take advantage of three paid holidays.

We were shocked when we priced airfare to Belize, our chosen destination. Round-trip flights from San Francisco started at over $900 per person, and award seats were nonexistent. Plus, our first-choice hotels had extremely limited availability.

A honeymoon is not the time for compromise, especially when you’re paying peak rates. We changed our travel dates to leave on December 12 and return on Christmas Day, and suddenly a world of choice opened up before us. We found airfare for $490 each, roughly half the holiday rate. We had no problem booking the top suite at a jungle resort, and a room in one of the only hotels with a pool on a small island.

So the advice really is true. Take it from me—you will save more by traveling in early December than over the holidays.

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