If you’re planning to travel during the holidays – for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, etc. – the time has come.

Finish up that airfare shopping and start booking!

Here’s a good rule of thumb for Thanksgiving travel: from now on, every day you wait to buy that “turkey day” airfare adds another $5 to your trip, at least until mid-November – when prices really soar into the stratosphere.

Let me get you started in 3 easy steps:

Keep reading – and we’ll help you get the cheapest holiday flights available…

1.) Book the “best days to fly”: Check out my “When-to-Fly” Calendars for the relatively cheapest days of the holiday season. NOTE: the airlines have added a $10 one-way surcharge for flying on the following dates – Nov. 29, 30; Dec. 19, 26, 27; Jan. 2, 3.

Now, ten bucks may not sound like much, but for a family of four flying roundtrip – that’s an extra $80 – another reason to avoid flying on the “peak travel” days.

2.) Shop quickly and easily with our “deal finder”: This handy tool shows you what’s available right now, from your home airport – to destinations across the country and around the world.

3.) There are still airline sales out there: Check our Deals Blog – the sales are there (including American’s, United’s, Midwest’s and more). These will not be the best prices of the year, but they will be relatively good deals for the holidays.