As we enter December & wind down the year, more people will be preparing for air & road travel for the holidays.

There are plenty of ways to prepare your travel plans, whether through the air or on the road.  Here’s an article from  Metropolitan Organizing by Emily Parks on the best ways to research cost & prepare your travel plan.

We are entering a season filled with travel. Whether for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas or New Year’s Eve, friends and family will travel far and wide to gather for celebrations. While the thought of traveling over the holidays might seem terribly overwhelming and intimidating, there are plenty of tech tools to assist.

Although the travel industry suggests that the best airline ticket deals are available approximately 45 days in advance of your trip, securing your flight that far in advance is not always feasible. Therefore, there are plenty of websites available to aid in finding the best available options whenever you start shopping. I prefer how Kayak.com allows me to compare various travel options from Expedia, Hotwire, Priceline and Travelocity, all in one place; however, it can be very overwhelming to view all of those at once, which is why search options exist on each of those websites independently. Plus, when planning any trip of that longer distance, you can streamline your efforts by booking flights, hotels and rental cars all in one place from each of the aforementioned websites.

If Southwest Airlines flies where you are headed, you’ll need to check their rates separately at Southwest.com; personally, I really like Southwest as they do not charge for checking baggage, have a unique boarding process and offer Wi-Fi on more and more of their airplanes, but I understand that many travelers are very loyal to alternative airlines. Another viable option that sells only directly to consumers is Allegiant Airlines, and you can check their rates separately at AllegiantAir.com. In the highly competitive airline industry, there are plenty of deals to be had, and many airlines release specials on Monday to Wednesday; however, a good fare can pop up at any moment. If your initial search results in fares that are too high, don’t despair; just search again later.

When your travels take you to a new-to-you airport or one with which you are less familiar, the GateGuru app (available for Android, iPhone and Windows phones) can be helpful. After selecting your airport, you can verify your flight’s status, search for amenities, review airport maps and read tips submitted by fellow airport visitors that are also using the GateGuru app. Further, there are simple options to check-in on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Score!

Whether you are traveling by plane, train or automobile, as your reservations and agenda start coming together, you will need a way to cull all that information together, and the TripIt app (available for Android phones & tablets, Blackberry, iPad, iPhone and Windows phones) provides an excellent tool for organizing that information. Email your plans directly into your mobile account so you can access reservations, maps and more on your mobile device, adjusting for time zone changes as needed. Track all your travel-related reward accounts in one place. Stay in travel-sync with your friends by sharing your itinerary with others. It is a truly a great option to know where you should be at what time so you accomplish all that you want and need to do while traveling.

Speaking of traveling by automobiles, there are often times we need information that is a little more up-to-date and provides more details than the GPS devise in our own vehicle or the rental car we’re using, especially when battling holiday traffic on the roads this time of year… While Nav Free USA (available for Android and iPhone devices) works for getting free, up-to-date mapping with audio turn-by-turn navigation stored directly on your phone, rather than needing Internet connectivity, Google Maps’ free option (available for Apple iOS and Android devices) is best for the no-nonsense driver that wants easy-to-read routes with live, color-coded traffic conditions and turn-by-turn navigation provided by a pleasant, crystal-clear voice. Waze app (available for Apple iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8 devices) is a free option that shares information on traffic jams, accidents and more, all contributed by other users in that community. Plus, I just love all that is offered by iExit app (available for Android, iPhone and Windows phones), which helps you discover great spots at upcoming exits for food, hotel, gas and more in addition to great deals with corresponding coupons.

Alternatively, if you are willing to invest a bit, MotionX GPS Drive (available for Apple iOS devices) offers a variety of voice options to provide your directions, plays specific songs as you request and helps you locate your parking spot when returning to your vehicle, all for $10/year in addition to $1 for its download. Scout by Telenav (available for Android, iPhone and Windows phones) provides directions in addition to helping you locate what you need, like a nearby restaurant or attraction, enables you to share your estimated time of arrival with others and includes a built-in local events calendar, all for $5/mo or $25/year.

Above all else, though, don’t forget to pack your patience for holiday travel… There will be plenty of other folks in the airports, at the train stations and on the interstates, but, if we all focus on safety and enjoy this extra time with our travel companions, we’ll travel as smoothly as possible. Enjoy your holiday travels!