Roads, Airports Expected To Be Crowded For Holiday Travel

If you plan top travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, you'll have plenty of company. Thanksgiving is traditionally a busy travel period and this year, despite a somewhat sour economy, should be no exception.

The forecast from AAA is about 42.5 million people traveling more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving. That would be a four percent increase from last year.

Despite the fact that crude oil prices have risen sharply over the last couple of weeks, gasoline prices continued to fall last week and into the start of this week. Nationwide, the average price of gas is about 11 cents less than it was a month ago, according to AAA.

Most people will be traveling by car this holiday week, but AAA said it expects about 3.4 million people to travel by air, despite an increase in fares since last year.

For those making last minute holiday travel plans, here are some tips:

• Use websites to comparison shop for vacation deals.
• Be aware of popular travel sites like Expedia and Travelocity promote what is profitable for them, not what is necessarily the best value for travellers. Dig deeper than sites you’ve seen advertised on TV.
• For comparison shopping, try www.sidestep.com, www.kayak.com, www.travelzoo.com and www.orbitz.com
• If you’re travelling with someone, pack some necessities in each other’s bag. This way, you’ll both be covered in case your luggage gets misplaced during the holiday rush.
• Avoid the parking hassle at the airport by taking a taxi or airport limousine. This way, you can relax and start your hard-earned vacation on the right foot.
• Book your seats online and print your boarding pass before you get to the airport. Most airlines also offer SMS texting to your cell to alert you to any last-minute gate changes or flight delays.
• Try not to buy last-minute gifts, drinks or reading material before you have cleared the security zone. This will save you unnecessary hassle and money on items that you may have to discard.