Wallet-Friendly Travel

Dallas deemed one of America's most affordable destinations for families

Dallas is an affordable vacation spot for families.

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman Sotheby's

Summer is in full swing, which means vacation is top of mind. And it seems those traveling to Dallas have made a wallet-friendly choice. Big D, along with San Antonio, ranks among America's 25 most affordable travel destinations for families.

Personal finance company SmartAsset compiled the list by calculating the overall cost of a three-day, three-night trip for a family of four in the 48 largest American cities. The average costs for hotels, daily car rentals, airfare, and restaurant meals were tallied, and Dallas ranks No. 14.

A family of four would spend $2,886 on a three-day, three-night stay in Dallas. That figure factors in round-trip airfare for four at $348 each, two hotel rooms at $139 per night, $23 per restaurant meal (two meals per person each day), and $40 a day for a car. SmartAsset also did the calculations for a single person; the same trip solo would cost $1,020.

At No. 11, San Antonio is slightly cheaper. Three days and nights in Alamo City adds up to $2,818. Airfare is more expensive — $385 per person — but hotels are only $124 a night.

A trip to the home of Disney World is cheaper than escaping to the Lone Star State. Orlando takes the No. 1 spot, with a total cost of $2,439. We should note, however, that the estimate excludes the price of admission to theme parks in the area.

Two other Florida destinations — Tampa (No. 4) and Fort Lauderdale (No. 5) — land among the five most affordable. Reno, Nevada, and Las Vegas are on Orlando's heels.

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Holiday News

American Airlines expects record-setting travel on Thanksgiving 2024

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines ready for takeoff.

The holidays are looming and American Airlines is ramping up. Over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline expects to process nearly 8.3 million customers across more than 77,000 flights.

According to a statement from American's COO David Seymour, the airline is having a good fall season and canceled fewer flights than its peers during October.

“Thanks to the hard work of our 130,000 team members, we canceled fewer flights than any of our major competitors this October and beat our own records for on-time departures and arrivals,” Seymour says.

That's surely good news. One hates to rain on their parade, but in June 2024, the only flight I booked this year, my flight was canceled less than 24 hours before take-off. I had made hotel reservations, scheduled a pet sitter, planned events, and arranged for a friend to pick me up at the destination airport. One employee speculated that it may have been "insufficient crew." Their only solution offered was: Feel free to reschedule your flight.

Thanksgiving facts and figures
The travel window runs from November 21 to December 3, and the airline expects to carry more than 500,000 more customers than it did last year.

The most-traveled day will be Sunday, December 1. The second most-traveled day will be Monday, December 2.

The peak of peak: 1,035 mainline and regional aircraft will be enroute at 10:45 am on Sunday, December 1 — the highest number of flights handled at any given time during American’s travel period.

The airline expects to serve more than 6.8 million Biscoff cookies on board from November 21 to December 3.

Travel tips
Download the American Airlines app and check in for your flight, noting added any bags to your trip. This will save you time at the airport.

If traveling internationally, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which can speed up your entry into the U.S. Global Entry members can download the Global Entry app, which allows you to submit your entry and go straight to the officer.

Upon arrival at the airport lobby, scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags quickly at a kiosk. If you’re not checking bags, go straight to TSA security with your mobile boarding pass.

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