Ways You Can Save On Transportation This Holiday Season

With the holidays coming up, many people are anticipating the travel “home,” wherever home may be. Many people will fly, some will drive and some will walk down the street (if they’re lucky enough to live that close). However, there are some ways that you’re not thinking of to save on traveling.

There are plenty of ways you can save on gas, your airplane tickets and possibly even get rid of the cost of travel altogether. Here are just a few:

Give your car some love

Treating your car with some TLC by getting a tune-up can improve your gas mileage by 4 percent. Having an oil change and having properly inflated tires can change the way your car runs entirely, and it will save you on gas.

Clean our your car

Yes. Clean it out. Anything extra in your car causes extra weight which can affect the way that your car burns gas. The heavier your car, the more gas your car goes through and the more money you’ll spend filling it up. An extra 100 pounds can reduce your fuel economy 1 to 2 percent, and every penny counts around the holidays.

Calm down

Of course everyone is busy around the holidays, however, it does not mean that you have to drive fast. By calming down your driving habits, reducing your speed and eliminating hard braking, you can save a ton of money. You can increase your fuel economy by 35 percent by setting your cruise control to 65 mph.

Avoid tolls

If you are traveling across state lines, you may encounter toll roads. However, there is a way to avoid them. Since practically everyone has a GPS these days, just set your GPS to avoid the tolls. This will cause your device to find alternate routes that do not include toll roads. This may take a little more time than usual, but you’ll save on tolls.

Gas-savings apps

If you’re looking for ways to save on gas, there’s an app for that. FuelFrog is a popular app that helps track the miles traveled in between fill ups to find out what your gas mileage is. GasBuddy.com provides people with information about the nearest and cheapest locations for gas. It is not recommended that you go out of your way for cheap gas (it defeats the purpose), but if it’s on the way it is a great way to find savings.

Fly to a hub city

Fly into Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit or one of the other hub cities and you can save a ton of money on your flight. The prices on the flights into the hub cities are competitive and you are usually able to find cheaper flights. The money you’ll save flying into the hub city will be worth finding a connecting flight or rental car to get to your final destination.

Telecommute

While it is not the ideal way to see your family for the holidays, many people have begun to “telecommute” to holiday celebrations if they are unable to make it. You can use FaceTime or Skype and sometimes it is almost like you are there in the room with everyone. If you don’t have the money to travel home for the holidays, this is the best way to feel like you are.

By trying a few of these transportation tips, you could save quite a bit of money traveling home or to visit friends for the holidays. It is a time of year we all want to be close to the ones we love, but it doesn’t mean we can’t save a little money while doing it.

Amanda Blankenship

Amanda Blankenship is the Chief Editor for District Media.  With a BA in journalism from Wingate University, she frequently writes for a handful of websites and loves to share her own personal finance story with others. When she isn’t typing away at her desk, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, son, husband, and dog. During her free time, you’re likely to find her with her nose in a book, hiking, or playing RPG video games.