September 6, 2024 • 5 mins
We just got past Labor Day, but many Floridians are already booking their travel for Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year's. We get holiday travel tips from Mark Jenkins with AAA Auto Club Group based in Tampa.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. Well, now we've
just passed Labor Day as we're recording this, and for
a lot of people, that's a big travel holiday of
its own. But already many of us in Florida are
making plans to go someplace for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years.
We have Mark Jenkins with Triple A Auto club group
based in Tampa on the line to talk with us
(00:20):
about that and hopefully share some tips for travel booking.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Mark Jenkins Welcome, Hey Gordon, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Now your organization has done some polling and you are
finding that many Floridians are already starting to make their
bookings right now for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Tell
us what you found.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah, it's kind of hard to believe that it's already
time to start thinking about the holidays. The summer travel
season just came to an end, and we found that
nearly two thirds of Florida residents do plan to take
an overnight vacation between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, and
more than a third of Floridians typically begin booking their
trips before September. So that if you haven't already started,
(01:01):
there are people who are already ahead of the game.
And another thing to think about is the fact that
an additional twenty five percent of Floridians will begin making
their holiday travel plans this month September. So that's sixty
percent of people who will already begin making their holiday
travel plans before October. And so what that says to
us is that there's a lot of demand out there
(01:23):
and a lot of people who are eager to go
ahead and lock in those plans. So if you plan
on booking for the holiday travel season, is best to
book before October. This will help ensure that you get
the itinerary you want at a competitive price. I mean,
because you've got to think that there are some of
those people who might prefer to wait until the last minute,
maybe even November for those who are traveling for things given,
(01:45):
maybe even December for those who are traveling for Christmas.
But the disadvantage of waiting until last minute is that
you might not have that fight that you really want
that itinerary that you're looking for. Sure, you might be
able to save a couple of bucks, but a lot
of times by then, you know, a lot of things
are booked up.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
So if you book your flight after you've bought your
Halloween can do you're probably behind the curve.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah, that's right, that's right. It's probably a good idea
to maybe start setting locking in those holiday travel plans
before you pick out your Halloween costume.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Now, Thanksgiving, let's talk about that first. It's it's really
a crush time for travel. You've got so much travel
and so many travelers crushed into a relatively small time frame.
And what should people do to work around the worst
of the crush when they book a flight for Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I would say, you know, expect that the busiest travel
days would be Tuesday, Wednesday, and even on Sunday, you know,
that wrap around for Thanksgiving. You know, the leaner days
for travel tend to be Thanksgiving Day itself, and then
Sunday and Monday before Thanksgiving even Saturday after the holiday.
So you know, if you are looking to book a
(03:03):
flight during that time period, try to avoid Tuesday and
Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Sunday after again, you know, when
you're booking that flight, maybe leave on Sunday or Monday
before Thanksgiving and Saturday after the holiday. You know, as always,
if you can, if you can build in a few
extra days during your vacation. Maybe you work remotely, then
(03:24):
then that's certainly advantageous for you, because the closer you
are to the holiday, then the more busy, the more
chaotic things are going to be. And with that comes
the threat of potentially, you know, a flight interruption, whether
that's a cancelation or delay, and that could be especially
problematic if you have connecting flights. So if you have
a canceled flight, then that could cascade, you know, into
(03:48):
additional problems for the rest of your journey.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Now, of course, when you talk about booking for Christmas
and New Year's you're really getting into the weathery time
of year when you can see some delays at airports
because of the weather. What are some of the other
things that people need to keep in mind if they're
booking for a trip over Christmas.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Well, I think you need to book early. Like we said,
for the best combination of price and availability, book a
direct flight that leaves early in the morning. The reason
for that is because afternoon and evening flights they tend
to be a little more susceptible to delays and cancelations
due to weather and unforeseen circumstances. Maybe there were a
series of delays in the morning that can then you know,
(04:29):
lead to a series of delays that kind of cascade
throughout the day that affect you. And think too about
those connecting flights. You know, you want a direct flight
because if you have connections, and that multiplies the risk
of you getting caught up and those delays and something
going wrong.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
And while we're talking about the possibility of delays and
flights getting thrown off and all, that is where travel
insurance factors in for a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, it really does. I mean, you can't have any
control over the weather, but you know, travel insurance really
can't help you mitigate the damage that it could caused
your plans and especially your pocketbook. This is really just
a valuable resource for air travelers. It provides financial benefits
for lost and delayed luggage, flight cancelations, and flight delays
(05:22):
of as little as three hours. You know, it's one
of those things that you might not think you need it,
but when you do, you'll be happy you have it.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Mark Jenkins with the Triple A, the Auto Club Group
speaking with us. They're based in Tampa. Mark tech you
very much for joining us on Beyond the News
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Thank you so much for having me.
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. Well, now we've
just passed Labor Day as we're recording this, and for
a lot of people, that's a big travel holiday of
its own. But already many of us in Florida are
making plans to go someplace for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years.
We have Mark Jenkins with Triple A Auto club group
based in Tampa on the line to talk with us
(00:20):
about that and hopefully share some tips for travel booking.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Mark Jenkins Welcome, Hey Gordon, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Now your organization has done some polling and you are
finding that many Floridians are already starting to make their
bookings right now for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Tell
us what you found.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah, it's kind of hard to believe that it's already
time to start thinking about the holidays. The summer travel
season just came to an end, and we found that
nearly two thirds of Florida residents do plan to take
an overnight vacation between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, and
more than a third of Floridians typically begin booking their
trips before September. So that if you haven't already started,
(01:01):
there are people who are already ahead of the game.
And another thing to think about is the fact that
an additional twenty five percent of Floridians will begin making
their holiday travel plans this month September. So that's sixty
percent of people who will already begin making their holiday
travel plans before October. And so what that says to
us is that there's a lot of demand out there
(01:23):
and a lot of people who are eager to go
ahead and lock in those plans. So if you plan
on booking for the holiday travel season, is best to
book before October. This will help ensure that you get
the itinerary you want at a competitive price. I mean,
because you've got to think that there are some of
those people who might prefer to wait until the last minute,
maybe even November for those who are traveling for things given,
(01:45):
maybe even December for those who are traveling for Christmas.
But the disadvantage of waiting until last minute is that
you might not have that fight that you really want
that itinerary that you're looking for. Sure, you might be
able to save a couple of bucks, but a lot
of times by then, you know, a lot of things
are booked up.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
So if you book your flight after you've bought your
Halloween can do you're probably behind the curve.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah, that's right, that's right. It's probably a good idea
to maybe start setting locking in those holiday travel plans
before you pick out your Halloween costume.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Now, Thanksgiving, let's talk about that first. It's it's really
a crush time for travel. You've got so much travel
and so many travelers crushed into a relatively small time frame.
And what should people do to work around the worst
of the crush when they book a flight for Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I would say, you know, expect that the busiest travel
days would be Tuesday, Wednesday, and even on Sunday, you know,
that wrap around for Thanksgiving. You know, the leaner days
for travel tend to be Thanksgiving Day itself, and then
Sunday and Monday before Thanksgiving even Saturday after the holiday.
So you know, if you are looking to book a
(03:03):
flight during that time period, try to avoid Tuesday and
Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Sunday after again, you know, when
you're booking that flight, maybe leave on Sunday or Monday
before Thanksgiving and Saturday after the holiday. You know, as always,
if you can, if you can build in a few
extra days during your vacation. Maybe you work remotely, then
(03:24):
then that's certainly advantageous for you, because the closer you
are to the holiday, then the more busy, the more
chaotic things are going to be. And with that comes
the threat of potentially, you know, a flight interruption, whether
that's a cancelation or delay, and that could be especially
problematic if you have connecting flights. So if you have
a canceled flight, then that could cascade, you know, into
(03:48):
additional problems for the rest of your journey.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Now, of course, when you talk about booking for Christmas
and New Year's you're really getting into the weathery time
of year when you can see some delays at airports
because of the weather. What are some of the other
things that people need to keep in mind if they're
booking for a trip over Christmas.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Well, I think you need to book early. Like we said,
for the best combination of price and availability, book a
direct flight that leaves early in the morning. The reason
for that is because afternoon and evening flights they tend
to be a little more susceptible to delays and cancelations
due to weather and unforeseen circumstances. Maybe there were a
series of delays in the morning that can then you know,
(04:29):
lead to a series of delays that kind of cascade
throughout the day that affect you. And think too about
those connecting flights. You know, you want a direct flight
because if you have connections, and that multiplies the risk
of you getting caught up and those delays and something
going wrong.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
And while we're talking about the possibility of delays and
flights getting thrown off and all, that is where travel
insurance factors in for a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, it really does. I mean, you can't have any
control over the weather, but you know, travel insurance really
can't help you mitigate the damage that it could caused
your plans and especially your pocketbook. This is really just
a valuable resource for air travelers. It provides financial benefits
for lost and delayed luggage, flight cancelations, and flight delays
(05:22):
of as little as three hours. You know, it's one
of those things that you might not think you need it,
but when you do, you'll be happy you have it.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Mark Jenkins with the Triple A, the Auto Club Group
speaking with us. They're based in Tampa. Mark tech you
very much for joining us on Beyond the News
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Thank you so much for having me.
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