Holiday Travel on a Budget: Tips for Finding the Best Deals in 2024

While holiday travel has a reputation for being pricey due to high demand, you do not necessarily have to pay a premium to visit loved ones or make an escape to enjoy the festivities away from home this season. With basic insights and planning, you can trim costs and avoid overpaying without sacrificing any amazing experiences. For easy reference, we compiled a cheat sheet on strategies for getting more for your money when it comes to affordable vacations over the 2024 holidays:

If you need to book flights, do this as soon as possible.

Multiple considerations can impact the optimal time for making flight reservations ahead of holiday travel, such as whether you are traveling domestically or abroad, and the number of people flocking to the destination. But in general, booking well ahead of time can give you access to the lowest prices and a larger selection of flight times, seats, and routes (e.g., shorter layovers and fewer connecting flights). According to Hopper’s 2024 Holiday Travel Outlook, prices are expected to escalate throughout December, and are likely to rise more than 32% in last few weeks before the Christmas holiday.

Consider waiting one week before a major holiday to book a hotel stay in a big city — but only if you know that there is inventory available, and you are flexible regarding accommodations.

Unlike airlines, hotels may offer deeper discounts if you make your reservation closer to the time of your stay. In major cities with plenty of vacancies, waiting until the last week before the holiday can be an effective way to snag an excellent deal if you are flexible about where you stay, and the type of room and amenities provided.

But as Hopper points out, you can expect prices to skyrocket three days before the holiday itself, so you will need to be certain to book before this time at the latest. And if you are particular about your lodging choices or you are visiting an iconic leisure destination such as Orlando or Honolulu, a safer bet would be to book by the first week of December.

Compare prices using multiple sites and search engines. 

Travel experts continually tell us that no single travel platform consistently offers the lowest prices, so it’s best to do your research across multiple sites and search engines. Plan to scour at least a handful of resources to find the best bargains on flights, hotels, travel packages, cruises, and more. 

Among the travel search engines and sites that are topping insider lists for great deals this holiday season are Skyscanner, Google Flights, Orbitz, Cheapflights, Kayak, Expedia, Hopper, Priceline.com, and CheapOAir. Just be sure to check the airline or hotel’s website itself to be sure that you can’t find a lower-priced reservation there.

Don’t skip the discount travel platforms if you are open to different destinations and travel dates.

If you have flexibility regarding where and when you travel, use it to your advantage to find the best bargains. Budget travel advisor and best-selling author Matt Kepnes of Nomadic Matt advises checking out the following discount travel platforms when you’re booking last minute and aren’t locked into a particular destination: Secret Flying, The Flight Deal, Holiday Pirates, Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights), and Dollar Flight Club. Need to confirm plans before committing? You can make a reservation and cancel it within 24 hours as long as your flight touches U.S. soil.

Consider flying on the holiday itself.

Those able and willing to fly on the actual day of a major holiday like Christmas Eve or Christmas Day are likely to find the lowest fares of the holiday season, for both domestic and international travel. While this is certainly not a reasonable option for everyone, it can make for a smoother trip with fewer crowds and hassles if it works for you.

According to Conde Naste Traveler, flying on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day can save you 34% compared to other travel days. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are also budget-friendly days for holiday travel. 

Other potentially low-cost options for departures are Tuesday, December 17, Wednesday, December 18 and Thursday, December 19. Given that Christmas falls on Wednesday in 2024, you can expect higher prices and more travelers booking return flights for Thursday, December 26 and Friday, December 27. According to The Vacationer, Saturday, December 28 or Monday, December 30 are more economical days to fly home. But the travel news site recommends steering clear of Sunday, December 29, which is typically a busy travel day.

Open your mind to some alternatives to the high-demand tourist destinations and standard hotels and resorts.

Itching for a sun-soaked getaway at a tropical location to escape the winter doldrums but aren’t ready to fund an extravagant holiday at a high-priced tourist destination during its peak season? There are plenty of destinations that offer gorgeous scenery, balmy weather, and incredibly affordable prices. Just a few suggestions are San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cartagena, Colombia; and Tamarindo/Guanacaste, Costa Rica. For more inspiration, check out “20 Cheap and Warm Places to Go Over Christmas & New Years Weeks” from Price of Travel. Also keep in mind that vacation rentals available through a hospitality marketplace like Airbnb or Vrbo can offer unique money-saving options on accommodations.

Take advantage of your credit card rewards and benefits.

Finally, keep in mind that your credit card may offer valuable consumer protections and perks that can provide peace of mind while traveling and defray your costs. For example, The Police Credit Union’s Platinum Visa® offers low foreign transaction fees as well as lost luggage reimbursement, travel accident insurance, and auto rental collision damage waiver.

In addition, holiday travel is a wonderful opportunity to leverage your credit card rewards. The CURewards Program allows you to earn one point for every dollar you spend using your Platinum Visa® from The Police Credit Union. Starting at 2,500, you can redeem points for rewards such as gift cards, brand-name merchandise, and travel. 

To maximize your travel savings, also consider redeeming the points you earn on your trip for cash deposited into your checking or savings account, or for credit on your Visa statement. Find details on how to enroll in CURewards at our Visa Credit Cardholder Resources page.