Hope For The Holidays
Expert tips on preventing bad holiday trips.
If the words "November business trip" strike fear in
your heart, you're not alone. According to the U.S. Department
of Transportation, the two weeks before and after Thanksgiving are
the busiest travel times of the year. And the stretch between
Turkey Day and Christmas isn't much better.
Corporate travel consultant Robert Anderson advises avoiding
travel during the holidays. Many veteran business travelers
flat-out refuse to board an airplane the week of Thanksgiving
unless it's a life-or-death emergency.
If you must travel, plan ahead. Fly or drive during off-hours,
taking a red-eye or an alternate route that lets you avoid big
cities. "That way," says Anderson, "you stand a
better chance of having a sane [trip]."
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Charles Leocha, author of the book Travel Rights (World
Leisure Corp.), warns that you're more likely to get bumped
from a flight during the holidays because carriers tend to
overbook. "If you can get a boarding pass, then do it,"
he says. Also, don't take ticketless travel for granted;
bringing a printout of your itinerary with you could make a big
difference.
Finally, arrive at the airport early. Road warriors accustomed
to cutting it close to their departure times should know that in
late fall, carriers are more likely to close the gate exactly 10
minutes before departure, in accordance with their regulations.
Says Leocha, "Airlines don't enforce the 10-minute rule as
rigorously the rest of the year."
Christopher Elliott is a writer in Los Angeles and a
columnist for "ABC News Online."
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