Holiday Travel Advice

[emtucky]

What's the best advice for booking holiday travel? I, and many of my friends, are 20-somethings with not a lot of money and usually can only buy our tickets 3-4 weeks in advance.

For example, my friend's flight from LA to St. Louis for 12/24/07 - 12/27/07 went up $50 making it well over $400 for this minimal 3 day stay....should she go ahead and book it in fear of more rising prices or wait and see if another deal comes along

[blindman]

Though this board is not for general holiday advice :) here's my 2 cents.

You are travelling at probably one of the most busiest times of the year.

I would not expect that fare to come down, only go up!

If she needs to go on those dates, then IMHO I'd book it.

It is usually cheaper to fly on the 25th December....

[emtucky]

I thought this board was for travel advice? doesn't holiday travel fall into that? I always feel like a kid with their hand in the cookie jar when I post here....like I am always doing something wrong and end up being scolded. I can give you specific details if that is the problem....

Nashville to Boston (Manchester, NH also an option)

Dates between 12/22/07 - 1/1/08 For a 4 - 5+ night stay

$250 and under.

AND

Los Angeles to St. Louis

12/24/07 - 12/27/07 FIRM

Wants to spend under $400

[blindman]

Sorry, my post was not meant to be scolding.

But if you look at the Board Title it says

Priceline and Hotwire Hotel Bidding, Help, and Advice

and clearly your post is neither.

This is just my opinion, maybe others will take a different view.

[joehotel]

The title of the forum is

> Priceline and Hotwire Forum > Other Deals > Airfare

so I think the original poster was WELL within the boundaries of this particular forum. You erred - and should apologize AGAIN.

[emtucky]

Priceline and Hotwire Hotel Bidding, Help, and Advice

My post IS in the Airfare section....And I asked for Advice. How is this not in the perimeters of this section of the board?

[blindman]

My post IS in the Airfare section....And I asked for Advice. How is this not in the perimeters of this section of the board?

So you actually want bidding advice on priceline\HOTWIRE for an airfare?

Sorry, I read your first post as general travel advice as you had seen a published airfare rise and you said

What's the best advice for booking holiday travel?

IMHO (to which I'm entitled joehotel) this board is about bidding advice, not general travel advice.

Some others may feel different. That's their preogative.

[thereuare]

Hopefully i can put this thread to rest:

From my perspective, there is no "right or wrong" in the above, as everyone uses the board in a different manner and/or purpose. Some only want priceline info, others only want HOTWIRE info, still others only use our research tools (BetterChecker, EasyClickTravel Off The Record Look-up, AirfareChecker, CarRental Checker, and Las Vegas Checker). This board is, and always will be, a work in progress... adapting to user's needs as we continue to grow.

The main focus is, and always will be, helping users find the best deals and helping users make the most out of their trips (ie- the recent addition of our Travel Tips wiki as well as the "Tips Threads" which are included in the hotel list forums of the more frequently traveled cities). Currently, most of the best deals come thru priceline and HOTWIRE, but we also continue to highlight other vendors (EasyClickTravel, GTA Hotels, Quickbook, etc) when appropriate as sometimes these merchants have deals equal to or better than priceline/HOTWIRE in a given area.

Back to the original question, this falls under the same category as "when should i book" and is asked frequently enough, that there is a related link in our PRICELINE FAQ, and is partially answered there. Simply put, rates are based upon supply and demand, and nobody, including the airlines, know exactly how this relationship will change from day to day; but as reservations come in (or are cancelled), they are compared to expected demand, and rates are changed accordingly. Therefore, unless you know how actual demand will come in relative to expectations, nobody will know whether you will be better off booking today or waiting. You may have other options thru the opaque services, but not sure if this is an option given the brevity of the stay.

If there are future replies to this thread, please let's keep them ontopic and respect the opinions of one another.