Stay flexible: Shifting your travel dates or destination by even a day or two could help you find lower prices.
Time your trip carefully: Avoiding peak travel days around Thanksgiving, such as the Wednesday before and Sunday after, may help you save.
Consider alternatives to hotels: Splitting a vacation home with family or friends and cooking some meals yourself could lower your overall costs.
Thanksgiving travel can get expensive quickly, especially for people trying to squeeze in a trip during one of the busiest times of the year.
But travelers don’t necessarily have to pay top dollar to get where they’re going. A few smart moves, such as being flexible with travel dates, comparing different options, and watching for last-minute deals, could help bring the cost down.
ConsumerAffairs spoke with Alex Alioto, co-founder and head of growth at Whimstay, who shared some tips for travelers looking to save on their Thanksgiving getaways. From when to start looking to where travelers may find the biggest opportunities for savings, a little planning can go a long way when holiday travel costs start adding up.
Stay flexible on dates and destination
This is Alioto’s top piece of advice when it comes to finding deals on Thanksgiving travel.
“Flexibility is your biggest lever,” he said. “Travelers who can shift their dates by a day or two, or consider a destination that isn't the obvious choice, almost always come out ahead.”
He explained that November is still considered somewhat of the “shoulder” travel season – that in-between peak travel season – for a lot of ski and mountain destinations. If this is what you’re looking for this Thanksgiving season, Alioto says you’re likely to find solid deals in places like Lake Tahoe, where cabins and lodges are quieter and more relaxed than they'll be by Christmas.
Know when to book and when to travel
If you’re traveling by plane over the holidays, it’s best to give yourself a bit more of a cushion in terms of when to book. But if you’re taking a roadtrip, you have a bit more flexibility.
“For flights, the sweet spot is generally a couple of months out, so if you haven't booked yet, now is the time to start watching fares,” Alioto recommended. “For accommodations, there's more room to wait. Many properties still have open dates as the holiday approaches, and owners often get more flexible on price once they see a Thanksgiving week that hasn't filled.
“If you're driving to a drive-to destination, you have even more flexibility to book closer in.”
If your plans aren’t set in stone yet, Alioto says there are some days to avoid around Thanksgiving week.
“The peak days are the Wednesday before and the Sunday after, so avoiding those is the easiest way to save,” he said. “Flying on Thanksgiving Day itself, or on the Tuesday before, is typically cheaper, and returning on the Saturday after or the following Monday or Tuesday can help too. Even shifting by a single day can make a noticeable difference.”
Get creative
One of the best ways to save on Thanksgiving travel is to think about how to maximize space for your money.
“Instead of paying for two hotel rooms, a family can split a single home with multiple bedrooms, which usually works out cheaper per person,” Alioto said.
“A full kitchen is the other big one. Cooking a few meals yourselves, or even a Thanksgiving dinner, saves a lot compared with eating out for every meal on a holiday week, when restaurants are also more crowded and pricier. And a home gives everyone room to spread out, which matters when you're traveling with kids or extended family.”
Final tips
Some of the last things to consider for Thanksgiving travel: shoulder days and last-minute booking.
“Shoulder days are an easy win,” Alioto said. “Arriving a day or two before the holiday crush, or staying through the weekend after, can lower your nightly rate and make the trip feel less rushed.
“Last-minute booking is worth a look too, since owners would often rather fill an open night at a discount than leave it empty. Tools built for that window, like Whimstay, can be a helpful place to check as your dates get closer, especially for bookings within about 30 days of check-in.”