Holiday Travel: To Go Home Or Go Away

By Michelle Baran
October 3, 2012
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Courtesy <strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmhkim/4192236972/" target="_blank">bmhkim/Flickr</a></strong>

The airfares gently creeping towards the outlandish. The jostling for time off (did you put that request in yet?). The promise of weather delays, overbooked flights and traffic jams. It’s that time of year again, the holiday travel season.

So, what does this time of year mean to you?

Do you look forward to reuniting with friends and family, despite the travel hassles? Or is it tempting to forgo the family feuds across the turkey and trimmings and just get away? Or maybe, it's all a bit too much for you and you're happy to hunker down at home until after the new year.

There are several factors in the holiday travel equation. On the one hand, this is the traditional time of year for togetherness, whatever that means to you. And seeing as it comes every year, a lot of people have it down to a science, booking their flights or planning their travel well in advance to make the process as painless as possible.

On the other hand, travel companies do throw some tempting deals out there to entice precisely those travelers who may not have the need, desire or opportunity to be with loved ones for the holidays.

But, unless you plan on heading south, it's cold in a lot of places this time of year, which is in part why many of the deals exist in the first place. And even if you're traveling farther afield, chances are, you're still heading to the same crowded airports you'd need to go to if you were staying closer to home.

So, what about you? What is your travel strategy this holiday season, and why? Are you maybe trying something different? Let us know by voting in our poll or commenting below.

More from Budget Travel:

Buy Your Holiday Plane Tickets Now to Avoid Fare Hikes

14 Ways to Survive a Holiday Flight

Trip Coach: Share Your Upgrade Strategies

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