4-Week Holiday Savings Plan

Four Weeks to Go: Coordinate Travel

Coordinate group trips: If your extended family is planning to travel for the holidays, build a Facebook group page where you can share info on the latest travel deals. Having a central location for trip details also cuts down on costly back-and-forth phone calls and in-box-clogging e-mails.
 
Sidestep booking fees. Purchase tickets on airline websites to avoid booking fees. Otherwise you might pay up to $20 at the ticketing office or up to $10 when you call the airline (exceptions are JetBlue and Southwest Airlines, which don’t charge such fees). Travel sites, too, charge nonrefundable booking fees when the same low fares can often be found on the airline’s site.
 
Get wheels for a steal. If you plan to rent a car, check out price quotes from local independent car-rental agencies, which can be well below the big guys’ prices.