Holiday Travel Plans

I am usually quite skeptical of news releases with polling data or "research" conducted in the best interests of a business. Many deserve to be ignored because they are transparent attempts to get the company's name into news content.

But two recent studies pertaining to the upcoming holiday travel season prompted me to take a second look.

Travelocity did an analysis of holiday flight bookings showing the costliest flight itineraries a passenger can purchase ($459 on average) are for Nov. 22-29 (Sun.-Sun.) or Nov. 25-29 (Wed.-Sun.). When adjusted to a Nov. 26 departure with return Dec. 1 (Thurs.-Tues.), they found an average fare of $280. As always, the travelers with flexible schedules get the best deals.

American Express Spending & Saving Tracker reports current consumer attitudes about spending and savings: Although 19 percent of those surveyed who traveled last holiday season plan on staying home this year, 41 percent still plan to travel in the next 30 days. Notice this: the survey found about eight in 10 will spend more on dining out but cut back on grocery expenditures.

Half of the current Deals of the Week are airfare sales. But budget travelers who search online can find deals on hotels, resort stays and ski trips, too.

Bottom line: despite the economic gloom, lots of holiday trips are planned or booked, and there are still deals out there for the taking.