Holiday travel up, could break a record

More than 107 million Americans are expected to travel from Saturday through Monday, Jan. 1 — a 3.1 percent increase from last year and the highest year-end travel volume on record, according to AAA projections.
                                         

The estimate, if accurate, would continue a year-over-year trend that has occurred for major holiday weekends in 2017 — Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving, said Cindy Antrican, AAA public affairs manager.

This year marks the ninth consecutive year of rising year-end holiday travel. Since 2005, total year-end holiday travel volume has grown by 21.6 million, an increase of more than 25 percent. The majority of travelers - 97.4 million - will hit the road, a 3 percent year-over-year increase.

This December’s national average gasoline price is $2.47 per gallon (Dec. 1 to Dec. 13), which is 28 cents more than last December. AAA does expect the average to drop at least another five cents by year-end, saving motorists a few pennies at the pump.

Approximately 6.4 million will travel by air, a 4 percent increase and the fourth year of consecutive air travel volume increases. The increase comes as the Atlanta airport — one of the busiest airports in the world — recovers from a power outage that grounded all flights on Sunday.

Canceled flights at the Dayton International Airport included Delta Air Lines Flight 2337, supposed to leave at 6:33 p.m. and Delta Flight 1161, scheduled to depart at 2:18 p.m. for Atlanta, as well as Delta Flight 2337 from Atlanta to Dayton, scheduled to arrive at 5:53 p.m. according to the airport’s Flight Tracker.

Jay Ratliff, local aviation expert, said during the holidays airports are filled with travelers who only fly once or twice a year. That can cause delays through the security and boarding processes. He also advised that travelers make sure they have a seat assignment confirmation before arriving to the airport to ensure they won’t be put on standby. Airlines typically overbook flights.

The Holiday Travel Myths You Should Never Believe

With the candy eaten and the costume photos emoji’d on Facebook, our cultural attention now turns to the holidays, and, more specifically, to all that dreaded holiday travel. After all, the holidays are the busiest travel season of the year and always a total nightmare, right? Not necessarily. Here are some travel myths people follow that you’ll give thanks to ignore.
         

1.You Should Fly On The Tuesday Before Thanksgiving

One of the most commonly held myths is that there’s a specific day you should be getting into the air. It tends to flip-flop between the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thaksgiving (depending on who you ask), but the basic idea is that if you avoid the “busiest travel day of the year,” you’ll have a much better turkey day. Except, well, Thanksgiving doesn’t even come close to being the hardest time to travel.

2.There Are More Delays On Thanksgiving

Allegedly, Thanksgiving sees more delays than any other time of the year, but the numbers don’t lie: Last year, the Thanksgiving holiday saw 15% of flights delayed and less than one percent of flights canceled in the US. That’s two percentage points below
the yearly average. Yep, that means you have a better chance of making your flight on “one of the worst travel days of the year” than you do on a random weekday.

3.The TSA Will Unwrap Your Presents And Take Your Food

It should tell you how sick the TSA is of this particular myth that they have a whole blog post about how, no, they probably aren’t going to unwrap your presents. That said, they do reserve the right to open wrapped packages if they set off an alarm or trigger a sensor, so consider leaving metal objects, electronics, perfumes, and the like unwrapped, and look at what needs to be checked as opposed to carried on.

Enjoy your holiday travel

You may have always wanted to experience the romance and luxury of a cruise but felt that it was just too expensive. Well, last minute cruises are a great way to get around the hefty price tag and enjoy your holiday travel.
Cruise liners are typically huge ships that carry thousands of passengers on board. But their size makes it difficult for them to fill up all their rooms. So as the date of departure draws nearer, they start discounting their cruise packages. They have to sail anyway and it is preferable not to sail with empty cabins. Plus the cruise companies make most of their money on extras such as shore excursions, onboard massages and other services. So they are quite happy to offer their cruises at a discounted rate.
This is where you step in. If you have a flexible schedule and are prepared to compromise, if needed, about the cabin onboard, then a last minute cruise is perfect for you. Contact a travel agent or do an internet search and identify a cruise package that suits your budget. Princess, Cunard Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Disney and Carnival are some of the most respected cruise companies in the world. They are known for their service and amenities and offer a luxurious way to travel and discover the magic of an ocean crossing. So check out their sites and see what they have to offer.
A typical cruise has a duration of about 7 days. Identify your travel destination, decide on your budget and the number of days you want to spend at sea. Then shortlist your options. Now it’s time to take a hard look at the fine print. Check the conditions under which a particular stateroom or cabin is offered. You may be assigned a stateroom with no porthole next to an entertainment lobby or under a dance floor, making it claustrophobic and noisy! Your package may not be all-inclusive and you may have to pay for more extras than you had anticipated. There may be no refunds. The last minute deal may apply only to firemen, military personnel, senior citizens or other specified categories. It’s wise to read the terms and conditions carefully so there are no nasty surprises later.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the best deals are available when kids are at school. So there are great bargains to be had from September to early December. But it’s hurricane season from June to November in the Caribbean and the Bahamas and you don’t want to sail in choppy seas if you are headed there. Weather is an important factor while deciding on your cruise and it’s best to do your homework.
Some great deals are to be had on Christmas cruises. So if you don’t have a big Christmas planned with your family, why not set sail with cancellation cruises? They are a great way to enjoy a memorable Christmas at a price that won’t bust the bank.
If you live in or around New York, keep an eye out for some incredible last minute cruise deals. There are hundreds of cruises from New York to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Trans Panama Canal, Bermuda, Eastern USA, Canada and Europe. You can depart from any of its three ports of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Cape Liberty (NJ).