Fly on the Cheap: Move Thanksgiving to October

There's really only one "must-do" family holiday and it's not Christmas, it's not Mother's Day, and it's not the Fourth of July.

If you can't afford a flight home for Thanksgiving, consider breaking with tradition: Gather the whole clan together in October instead.

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You know what I'm talking about: Thanksgiving.

After all, Grandma has to ooh and ahh over Billy's construction-paper turkey and Aunt Rose has to show off her "secret recipe" marshmallow peas (don't ask). And what Thanksgiving would be complete without fights breaking out over the drumsticks, or watching the traditional spectacle of Uncle Mike over-imbibing? Like it or not, you've got to be there -- because family is family.

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But how? Airfare is so expensive these days, and Thanksgiving is one of the most expensive times of the year to fly. Well, I've got a plan. You know that "box" we're always supposed to be thinking outside of? That's what I've been doing, which is why I now respectfully suggest the following:

Thanksgiving in October.

I mean what I say: Let's gather the whole clan together -- a month ahead of time. Sure, it's a break with tradition, but it can work. After all, most of us can spare a couple of vacation days for an October celebration. But the real clincher is the numbers. Take a look at the airfare chart below generated by our FareCompare.com labs. Notice that a lot of airlines are having fire sales this fall -- up into early November -- and, after that, they lower the boom.