The holidays are known for fun festivities and moments of cheer and delight, but if you remain unprepared for too long it can get stressful fast.  

For those who know they’ll be traveling to see friends or family, it’s time to start planning that travel so you’ll have one less thing to worry about during the peak season.   

1. Set aside a little extra money to prepare for the unexpected. It’s the holidays, and you’re traveling. There’s a chance that spontaneous delays and cancellations can occur. If travel issues do arise for whatever reason, make sure you have some emergency money available. A mixture of cash and credit cards are good to have on hand while traveling so you can relax knowing there’s additional money available for any unexpected needs.  
2. Set a budget. Have a clear budget in mind on what you’ll be spending on holiday travel. Set up a separate budget sheet for flights, any car rentals, lodging, food and holiday activities. Use a spreadsheet, budgeting app or even old-fashioned pen and paper to lay out every expenditure. Setting a budget and planning out how much you can spend for the holiday trip will help keep your expenses within affordable means and prevent the post-holiday spending hangover that can occur once the bills start rolling in. For those worried about affording holiday travel expenses this year, check out seasonal holiday loans, like Triangle’s Holiday Cash personal loan. These loans offer a great opportunity to borrow plenty of cash to afford most holiday expenses at an affordable rate.
3. Book early. If you’re flying, book as early as possible to ensure you get the right deals and competitive pricing. Also, be selective about which days to travel. Some days are less busy than others, which means you could score lower ticket prices. Rearranging your travel schedule to avoid heavy travel days can save you quite a bit of money. If you’re looking for an easy way to help price out and compare flights, try using flight comparison and travel apps like Expedia, Priceline and Skyscanner. 
4. If you have credit card points, now is a good time to cash them in. Regardless of how many you have, look into applying them towards as many travel costs as you can. Any opportunity to save on expenses during the holiday season is great!  
5. Explore benefit programs and travel bonuses. Many credit card companies offer travel bonuses and perks just for being a cardholder. You may get complimentary access to airport lounges, discounts, and other travel benefits for low or no cost.   Take some time to explore your credit card program benefits to see what additional perks might be available for your holiday travel.