Make these travel resolutions now for a better passenger experience in 2025

24.12.2024 - 15:03 / thepointsguy.com / David Pekoske

A new year is approaching, and we're all trying to make resolutions to improve our lives. While pondering those goals, don't forget to include ways to improve your air travel experience in 2025.

One thing is for sure: Looking ahead to 2025, the public's insatiable appetite for travel shows no signs of letting up. "I think that people just really want to travel now. And maybe it's a bit of 'Hey, I couldn't for a couple of years. And so I'm gonna travel,'" TSA administrator David Pekoske told TPG in a recent interview.

In fact, we saw record-breaking crowds over the Thanksgiving holiday, with a new single-day record of passengers screened at U.S. airports. It's expected that the new year will break more travel records, too.

So, here are our top seven tips for the new year of travel.

There's no reason why you need to pay full price for an airline seat when bargains abound. Check TPG's deals page for the best airfare prices. You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest deals and news.

Additionally, sign up for deal alerts from your favorite airlines. Use sites like Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kayak and Hopper to search for cheap fares.

These days, the website that gets the biggest workout from TPG staffers has to be Google Flights.

Use the search field to find the cheapest (or best) flights. Google will also tell you if prices are typical, high or low right now; it will even send you email alerts if fares jump or drop on specific routes you've selected. As you can see in the example below, Google says prices are typical for this search for flights to Bozeman, Montana, from San Francisco.

It also has some fun tools for finding a cheap destination close to home or around the world. By clicking the "Explore" button on the sidebar and entering your departure airport, Google Flights will give you a map or list of the most wallet-friendly destinations.

Related: 11 strategies to find cheap airfare

Of course, we like points deals even more, so we regularly publish points deals. There are also plenty of other new points-finding tools such as Points Path.

It's a free browser extension that displays award pricing alongside cash prices for select airlines in Google Flights. It tells you which transferable points can be used with the airlines it supports, recommends when to use points versus miles and suggests when to book a paid rate. Once you select an itinerary, you can book a paid rate as you typically would with Google Flights or redeem an award directly with the airline loyalty program.

Related: How to use the Points Path extension to compare cash and award rates in Google Flights

One of my top pieces of advice for travelers is to download the airline app for any flights you're taking.

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