Traveling home for the holidays?

Okay, heading home for Xmas but can’t afford to do so? Here are a few tricks to help get you home:

By air travel:

• Subscribe to Travelocity.ca FareWatcher and input your round trip info and a reasonable price that you’re willing to pay to get home. Make sure to choose the option for them to email you when a flight becomes available at your selected price or lower.
• When checking websites for prices yourself, check a couple of times daily for several days to become familiar with the price fluctuations that occur throughout the day for your specific chosen flight dates/times. You will find that the best prices are available at around midnight.
• If you’re going “home” you likely won’t need the travel insurance that is always offered as an extra but they try to sneak in with your ticket purchase (read everything on the page).

By bus:

• Needless to say, find out which bus lines travel to and from your desired destination and compare prices. Don’t wait until the last minute to do this, to take advantage of possible promotions such as the ones mentioned below…
• If you are traveling by Greyhound, compare whether there is better value for you by either: Buying your tickets 7 days in advance, getting a companion fare (promotion) with a friend, relative or schoolmate, or using your ISIC or SPC cards.

Driving, or unsure about getting a ride?:

• Find out if your school has a ride board and post well in advance. Don’t know where to look? Drop your Student Services Dept. If you are driving, post for a passenger, if you don’t have a car, you know what to do. NOTE: If you want to be extra cautious, take necessary precautions such as providing friends and/or family with information of your whereabouts such as vehicle license plate number and trip details including your rider/driver’s contact info (which you’ll have when communicating to coordinate).
• Find out if there are other local ride board options in your area serving your community, such as RideBoard.com, or MEC trip partners.

Want to be a stellar son/daughter? Bring home some easy to make treats! It’s the little things, the small efforts, that are remembered. It is easy to improve your level of overall happiness by exploring what minor details bring delight and happiness to others and appreciating this delight for what it is. Bringing this awareness and bliss into your life will attract more joy and good karma.