Holiday vacation travel tips for business and leisure travelers include buying Christmas insurance, finding last minute deals on airplane reservations and tips for safe and speedy travel from the TSA.

Vacation Travel Tips for Getting There

Holiday vacation travel that occurs on the holiday can often be the best option for business travelers. Airports are quiet on Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are many early morning flights from the Midwest and the east coast to the west coast that leave early in the morning. With the time change, travelers can arrive on Thanksgiving or Christmas with plenty of time to spare to attend a holiday feast.

Christmas Insurance

Christmas insurance can save the day when traveling with expensive holiday gifts. Trip cancellation insurance provides coverages for trip interruption or vacation travel cancellation, lost or stolen baggage, medical expenses and travel assistance services. Buying Christmas insurance ensures that a holiday with family won’t be spoiled.

Last Minute Deals

Last minute deals can be a great way to save on Christmas travel. Eleventh-hour tickets can be found online for spectacular discounts. Look for last minute deals on craigslist and on travel websites. The downside is that waiting too long might mean not finding a flight at all. Last minute deals aren’t for the faint of heart but can result in a deep savings on Christmas travel.

Leave Early to Avoid Expensive Airplane Reservations

Arriving early for Christmas travel is a smart way to avoid expensive airplane reservations. If scheduling allows, arriving a week more before a holiday means that ticket prices will be affordable. Due to work and family obligations, many people have to wait to leave for Christmas travel. This means there are a lot of last minute deals to be found for people who can travel to their destination by the 18th.

Follow TSA Guidelines during Holiday Business Travel

Holiday business travel will be less stressful when travelers follow Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines:

* Presents for family and business client gifts should be unwrapped. Security personnel frequently inspect packages and wrapped gifts will most likely be opened at the security checkpoint.

* Holiday business travel is easier when travelers use the TSA’s guidelines for travel. The TSA mandates that liquids, aerosols and gels must be in containers that are three ounces in size or less and each traveler can have only one quart-sized, clear plastic zip-top bag for these items.

* An important reminder for holiday business travel: gifts like jams, jellies or lotion that are more than three ounces will not be allowed through security checkpoints at the airport.

Use Travel Websites to Find the Best Deals

Travel websites often offer the best deals on airplane reservations. Websites like Travelocity, Expedia, CheapTickets and Orbitz provide travelers with competitive prices for early bookings and plenty of last minute deals. The travel websites provide big benefits to holiday travelers who can be flexible with their arrival and departure dates.

* Orbitz and Cheaptickets recently launched away.com, a travel website that allows users to search for airplane reservations and travel packages according to lifestyle.

* Expedia is offering website visitors a $200 “travel coupon” if they book vacation travel through the website and complete a trip by January 3, 2009.

* Travelocity helps users find and book airplane reservations with upfront pricing. Taxes and fees for Christmas travel are included in price quotes so there are no surprises later.