5 Not-Terrible Options for Holiday Travel Procrastinators

Forget your regular destination airport
Oh, what, you've never flown to mom's house in New Jersey without going straight to Newark? Get over it.

Folks in the New York metro area have three major airports to choose from, but around this time of year none are particularly good options. New Yorkers may want to consider flights into Newburgh, N.Y., Philly or Hartford. Heading home to Seattle this season? Try Portland, Ore., or Vancouver. Want to get back to Chicago but don't want to deal with Midway or O'Hare? Join the Notre Dame fans in South Bend, Ind., or the Cheeseheads in Milwaukee.

Also see: 7 Products That Can Replace What Apple Has for the Holidays >>

It'll cost you an hour or two in driving, but could save you as much as $100 if you pick the right routes.

Stay connected
Red-eye and connecting flights are a passenger's friends this time of year. By comparing routes you could save $100 or more by selecting a less-convenient but more frugal connecting flight.

We will warn, however, that layover locations are all-important during winter travel. Saving $150 on a flight by making a connection means little when you're snowed in somewhere in the Midwest and losing a travel day in the process. Seek warm-weather connections and cross your fingers.

Stay flexible
You just cost yourself a whole lot of comfort by waiting this long. Don't making things harder on yourself by getting greedy.

You want to save cash? Pack light. Now is the time to start thinking about shopping for holiday gifts online and having them shipped directly to your destination. The overwhelming majority of airlines charge baggage fees, and you're paying for every piece of luggage you send behind the counter. Pack only what you absolutely need in a carry-on and prepare to do some laundry. On a flight with multiple connections, you can save as much as $70 each way.

Also see: 10 Holiday Shopping Apps You Should Download Now >>

Also consider just how much this visit means to you. If it means enough to extend your stay, consider flying Dec. 18 or earlier. We realize that's a bit far ahead, but airline surcharges and peak travel days only make it tougher from that point on. Otherwise, you're flying in on Christmas Day and not leaving until Dec. 29 or 31. According to Priceline (PCLN), those are the best days for pricing and availability, and even that's not saying much.

Bundle up
Seaney and SmarterTravel's Ed Perkins recommend travel packages as a way around onerous winter holiday pricing.

Perkins notes that most big airlines and big online travel agencies bundle packages that often cost less than arranging the individual parts on your own. Back in September, Perkins found that an air-rental car package on Allegiant from Eugene, Ore., to Honolulu for the holiday week tacked on only $372 more than airfare for a one-week car rental, compared with the best car-only deal available on Expedia (EXPE) for more than $600.

We can't promise you'll save a whole lot on airfare, but at least you'll get a cheap ride or room for your trouble.

-- Written by Jason Notte in Boston.

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Jason Notte is a reporter for TheStreet. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Esquire.com, Time Out New York, the Boston Herald, the Boston Phoenix, the Metro newspaper and the Colorado Springs Independent. He previously served as the political and global affairs editor for Metro U.S., layout editor for Boston Now, assistant news editor for the Herald News of West Paterson, N.J., editor of Go Out! Magazine in Hoboken, N.J., and copy editor and lifestyle editor at the Jersey Journal in Jersey City, N.J.

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