With the month of December already upon us and moving along rapidly it may be time for you to start planning out your traveling plans. The holidays is one of the most rushed and uncomfortable times to hit the road or the airlines and can really cost you a bundle no matter how many deals you find. After the stress of looking around for traveling deals you may find that the best deal of all is simply staying at home. If you’re looking to save money this holiday season then you may want to ditch your traveling plans and enjoy the holiday festivities at home. If you’re still not certain about staying in this season then here’s ten reasons that might make you want to.

1. Traffic
It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling across country or your staying in the same city because you’re going to run into traffic everywhere. With everyone taking to the stores to get their shopping finished and people looking to travel to loved one’s home you may find that the roads take twice as long to travel on. The more traffic there is on the roads the more gas money you have to spend during the holidays and the more time you have to spend away from those that you love. If you decide to drive longer distances then you may find yourself making terrible time and having to stop more frequently compared to a normal road trip. The worst aspect about the higher traffic rate is the sheer fact that there are several more accidents during the holiday travel season which could turn your travels into a disaster. So, you might want to take the road as little as possible and find things for your family to do in the home or within walking distance.

2. Hotels
Finding a hotel room during the holiday season can be one of the biggest sources of frustration, especially if you’re looking for a room or two in a larger city. During the holiday seasons hotels tend to book up rapidly so if you don’t have a hotel booked before Halloween you may end up staying somewhere less than desirable. Hotel prices also sky rocket during this busy season as hotels know their rooms are in demand and people won’t think twice about paying the increased price. A lot of the time many of the hotels will actually increase the price of their services, such as room service or basic fees, in order to make a greater profit during this time of the year. This can really cut into your holiday budget substantially so if you don’t have a family member to stay with you may want to cancel your trip and enjoy the savings in your own comfortable home.

3. Loss of Work Hours
Everyone knows that the holidays mean a whole lot of spending and a little less working, which could cause a problem in the upcoming months. If you decide to travel for the holidays then you’re going to lose some of those valuable hours that will help you earn enough to pay off the high price of your holiday. For many, traveling takes up a good portion of their time off work too. Thus, you lose out on the work hours to spend hours trapped in the car or on a plane. If you really have to take time off work you may want to consider doing something you’ll enjoy rather than wasting the time getting to and from your holiday destination. Of course, staying home for the holidays means you can work up the actually holiday so you don’t have to miss out on the work hours nor will you have to sacrifice the time with friends and family on the actual holiday. This may even help you prevent having to catch up with work when the holidays are over.

4. Long Distance
Chances are if you’ve traveled on the holidays at some point or another you’ve gone to great distances to get to your destination. This typically means taking an airplane, train, bus or driving. Each of these means of transportation can cost you a fortune during the holiday season. Airlines book as many people as possible on planes during this busy month while still increasing the price of the airline ticket. So, for a hefty price you’re going to end up cramped with strangers for hours at a time. Trains can run pretty expensive too and with unpredictable winter weather you may find yourself stuck in a part of the country you would never want to spend your holiday in. Buses might be a cheaper way to get where you want, but most of the time they take three times as long to get to your destination of choice. So you could be stuck for days on an overcrowded bus that fails to meet your basic traveling needs anything. If you choose to drive you’re going to end up spending a fortune on gasoline while also getting frustrated with the traffic and impatience of the passengers in the car. The further you choose to travel the worse you’ll feel about going, which makes staying home seem like a dream in comparison.

5. Luggage
Leaving home during the holidays typically means lugging around a few suitcases with all of your items. Although luggage is a part of traveling all year long people tend to have a lot more when it comes to the holiday season. Between winter clothing, which takes up more space, and holiday gifts your luggage may triple during this already hectic traveling season. A lot of airlines only allow you to bring a set amount of luggage which could mean you’ll be paying some not so friendly overages each time you fly. When you fly you also run the risk of losing your luggage, which could mean a major loss if your holiday gifts disappear. It also means there could be a good chance that you won’t have enough room for all of your luggage in your car. After all, there’s only so much room in your trunk and you don’t want to leave your passengers cramped on longer trips. If you end up using an over the top carrier you also run the risk of losing some of your prized possessions on the high way.

6. Holiday Business
We all know that many places of business close down during major holidays which never seems to be too big of an issue when we’re comfortable at home. If you do plan on traveling to a different location you may find that the closed stores and restaurants could leave you in a pretty big bind on your holiday. If you aren’t spending the holiday with family and friends then chances are you’ll probably won’t to go out for a nice meal on Christmas. However, many places are actually going to be closed so it might mean you’ll have to waste a little gas to find a restaurant that’s actually open. It also might mean that you’ll pay quite a bit more for a meal you normally wouldn’t consider buying at that price. If you don’t have a car on you then you may find that hailing a taxi, or even calling one in, will take a lot more time and effort. There’s also a good chance you’ll end up paying twice the normal rate, so be careful how far you go.

7. Savings
You might not realize it at the time, but a Christmas trip can actually cost you as much as a short summer vacation. This can really be a downer when summer rolls around and the family needs the break but you can’t afford to pay for a longer vacation. Instead of traveling during the holiday season you could always put back the money you intended to travel with during the holidays and use it for an extended summer vacation that will help your entire family unwind from the busy year. It might even help you save up even more vacation days with your work place so you don’t have to fret about taking time off. If you don’t like to take long holidays then take you traveling money and buy something nice for the home. This will help keep maintenance fees down and could refresh the mood of the home. Of course, you could always use the money for a little rainy day fund that can be used whenever the house needs a little day trip.

8. Crowds
It doesn’t matter if you’re in a big town or small town if you choose to see a holiday event. Typically any type of parade, shopping center, amusement park and even ice skating rinks are going to be completely crowded. This could leave you feeling uncomfortable during the event which might make your plans feel like more of a burden than a fun time. Going anywhere during the holidays pretty much means you’re going to be batting through the crowds to get where you need to be. Thus, staying at home might be one of the best options for your entire family. Crowds can also be dangerous you aren’t careful and might be a terrible idea if you have small children.

9. Crime
When it comes to crime the holiday season sees it fair share. One of the more common problems during this season is burglaries. The Christmas season brings a lot of empty homes as people travel to see those they care about, which means it is a whole lot easier for someone to break into your home without a trace. If you do leave for the holidays you may want to make sure your home isn’t noticeably vacant and you have a security system ready to take action if something does happen. Pick pocketing is another huge holiday crime. You should always make sure your wallet or purse is secure so you don’t have to worry about losing your cash whenever you go out. You might also want to make some arrangement with your neighbors in regards to mail. If you have packages coming from a non-USPS carrier then your items could go missing if someone you trust doesn’t pick them up. You might also want to put a hold on your mail so you don’t have to worry about someone stealing important documents or packages. Of course, simply not traveling during the season could eliminate a lot of these holiday crimes.

10. Illness
Airlines and bus stations are filled with people suffering from cold and flu symptoms, so chances are if you decide to travel during the holiday season you’re more than likely going to get sick. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had the flu already or not as there are so many strands of different illnesses going around that chances are you’ll end up with something. Of course, this probably means you’re going to be sick for the duration of your holiday vacation which will make your time away from home even more miserable. If you’re lucky enough not to catch something on the way to your destination then there’s a pretty big chance you’ll catch it on your way home. Thus, you’ll end up getting sick just in time to go back to work and you won’t have the leave time to take off to make a quick recovery. If you end up staying at home then chances are you’ll be able to enjoy the holiday season and go back to work with a healthy and relax outlook.

Traveling can be a total nightmare during the holiday so it is hard to understand why we subject ourselves to it each and every year. If you’re looking to save money this holiday season and perhaps a little bit of your sanity then you may consider canceling the holiday trip and spending some quality time at home with your immediate family.