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During these tough economic times, many of us find ourselves cutting back on a lot of things in order to try and save money. We've had to reevaluate what is important and what we can do without. I have surprised myself with being able to adapt so quickly to these self imposed changes. However if you are like me, there are just some things you just can not do without, like going home for the holidays.

With all the new fees that have been added to air travel and with gas prices still being high, how do you get back home for the holidays without breaking the bank?

If you plan on traveling by air one of the first things you should do is plan your trip early. Booking flights early helps you lock in the price before the airline decides for one reason or another to raise the rates. Plan your flight as far away from Christmas Day and New Year's Day as possible, even if you do not celebrate Christmas, there are a lot of people trying to get somewhere within days of Christmas. Not only will flights be more crowded the week of Christmas, but they are also more expensive.

The day you choose to travel is as important as booking the flight itself. People like to fly on the weekends, because of this airfare is usually higher on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So when you make your reservations fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday when there are lots of seats available. Airlines do not like flying planes with empty seats, so they will try to fill them any way they can even if it means dropping the price a little.

You can also save money on flights by not using major airports. Using smaller airports outside of major cites have a lot less air traffic and not only will you save money, but it is also less likely that you will encounter delays and get to your destination on time.

Making your travel reservations on the Internet is the best way to save time and money this holiday. Even though travel agents will try to get you the best deals they can find, they also add their booking fee to the price. With the Internet you cut out the middle man out altogether.

Booking your flight together with a car or a hotel rental can also save you some money even if you decide not to use the car or the hotel. There are numerous websites that offer package deals for your flight, car and hotel reservations such as Expedia, Travelocity, and Priceline. To find to best rates look at the dates before and after your target date to compare prices and shop around and compare websites.

Learn more about this author, Shaz Slaughter.
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