HOLIDAY HELP FOR THE BUSINESS TRAVELER: "... A business traveler's typical itinerary gets turned around by holiday travel patterns."(GOING PLACES)

• Author: Walker, Jay
• Position: GOING PLACES

BUSINESS TRAVEL is no fun during the high-volume period between Thanksgiving and the New Year and, for do-it-yourself business travelers, it is even worse, as they are alone in dealing with all of the hassles that have become as traditional as turkey on the table.

All the focus this time of year is on holiday-related travelers, but business goes on during this period, and so does business travel. Business travelers are the forgotten segment of the holiday travel market. They must be at their destinations on time and, for them, a delay or flight cancellation can be more than an inconvenience; it may be a deal-breaker. The onslaught of high-volume travel over the holidays presents a real challenge for them, both scheduling- and cost-wise.

For starters, a business traveler's typical itinerary gets turned around by holiday travel patterns. Sunday normally is a great day to leave on a business trip to get settled in a new town before an early-week meeting. Over the holidays, though, Sunday becomes the worst day to fly.

In addition to the congestion in terminals, airfare costs can skyrocket. For instance, an analysis of nonstop airfares over the 2017 end-of-year holiday period found that the weekly day-by-day fares generally are highest on Sundays. Fares typically drop around 22% on Mondays; decrease another seven percent on Tuesdays; then climb 13% on Wednesdays; before dropping 13% on Thursdays and another three percent on Fridays. By Saturday (another super-busy holiday travel day), fares jump 12% before returning to their weekly peak on Sunday.

Here are some tips for traveling on business during the holidays:

* Look at the 15-day or longer weather reports and consider rescheduling a trip if storms are projected.

* Take a smartphone Screenshot of your confirmation emails and add them to your business travel calendar invites, or just keep them handy in your photo storage for easy access--or, write your travel itinerary (flight numbers, hotel, contact numbers) on the back of a business card and keep it in your wallet or purse.

* Prepare a backup plan. If the booked flight is cancelled, it certainly pays...