Top 10 Holiday Travel Tips Offered

MacNair says that there is still space available for popular holiday destinations, but most of the luxury properties require a 10-day minimum. A few holiday suggestions include Casa de Campo, Esencia, Palmilla and Four Seasons Great Exuma. “The Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic all have package space available,” Fortier adds.

In terms of most requested destinations for 2007 holiday travel, Fortier says it has been a mix between Hawaii and the Caribbean. In fact, for the most popular destinations, he said MacNair Travel clients started booking their 2007 holiday travel in November 2006 to ensure their holiday wish was granted.

Another trend Fortier says he is seeing is a large majority of travelers spending their holidays on vacation. He says they are including Christmas day through New Year’s as their vacation timeframe. “We have been seeing more and more travelers creating a new holiday tradition, but taking the holidays with them wherever they might journey,” Fortier explains.

Whether traveling by air, car, rail, or cruise ship, MacNair Travel offers 10 Holiday Travel Tips to help ease getting to grandma’s house in time for carving the turkey or for singing holiday carols:

1. Plan Now: While space is still available in many unique destinations, it is imperative to book now to secure holiday airline flights, accommodations and cabins.
2. Flexibility: There are still opportunities for traveling over the holidays, but have a second and third choice available or be open to recommendations. Being flexible with travel dates opens up additional opportunities as well.
3. Expect to Pay More: Holiday space is at a premium and travelers can expect to pay almost double on certain cruises or other vacations.
4. Use a Travel Agent: A travel agent can wrap up a holiday dream vacation with all of the trimmings. Leveraging supplier relationships, agent can uncover the hidden gem on a traveler’s wish list. A travel agent is a traveler’s advocate if something goes wrong such as a missed connection or an oversold property.
5. Pack Light: Since airports experience high traffic over entire holiday season, consider traveling with a carry-on to save time in the check-in line and preventing loss or delayed baggage (especially in light of inclement weather and flight changes).
6. 3-1-1 for Carry On Items: Pay attention to the outlined TSA carry-on restrictions to prevent congestion through security check points. Requirements include only liquids that are 3 oz. and smaller that are placed in a one-quart plastic bag and only one per traveler. Visit www.tsa.gov for information, including specifics about prescription medication.
7. Gift Bags: If traveling with holiday gifts, consider using gift bags as the worry about packages being unwrapped through baggage screening is eliminated.
8. Identification: Check with your travel agent and local tourism boards for travel identification requirements, including a VISA or Passport. Additional Passport changes are expected starting in January 2008, including requirements for Caribbean cruisers. Visit: http://travel.state.gov
9. Travel Insurance: Consider purchasing a travel insurance policy to protect your investment from the dreaded “what if” scenario. For those traveling internationally, be sure to check with your health care policy as many do not provide coverage oversees; whereas, a third party travel insurance policy will cover health-related incidents, even pre-existing conditions. Be sure to check the policy’s fine print for coverage details.
10. Travel as a Gift: For any holiday occasion, a travel gift card makes the perfect gift. No guessing on sizes or what someone needs. According to the Travel Industry Association, Americans like to help others experience the joy of travel with 16% of travelers giving a trip or part of a trip as a gift in the past three years. This translates to 22.6 million [Back to Press Releases Main]