Travelling home Christmas isn't the most joyful way to spend your time, but there is a way to make sure you get the cheapest train tickets possible to make your journey a little more bearable.
Although Christmas might feel like it's ages away, the sudden drop of temperature has reminded us that it is on its way, so we need to get organised.
If you're planning to travel during the festive season, it is always a good idea to book in advance, so you can also save yourself some money.
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Advance rail tickets are usually available 12 weeks before the date of travel, and considering Christmas is just 10 weeks, away most advance tickets will be available to buy now.
A spokesperson for National Rail told Cosmopolitan: "Advance tickets are usually the cheapest way to travel by train.
"They go on sale from up to 12 weeks before the date of travel but you have to travel on the date and train shown on the ticket."
Virgin Trains also said that booking in advance was the 'golden rule' of travelling over Christmas, and has set up this handy best fare finder to help you save as much as possible when travelling with the train line.
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Although booking in advance might require you to be a little bit more organised, the savings will make up for the time you spend planning.
According to the Trainline, customers saved an average of £58.71 on each advanced booking last year, which they conveniently pointed out is around 10 bottles of mulled wine.
If you're not really the organised type then don't panic. Some advanced tickets can still be available up to 15 minutes before travelling so it is worth having a quick look on your phone when you're on the way to the station.
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You can also save money by making sure you don't travel during peak times.
Any travel between 6am to 9.30am Monday to Friday and on some trains between 4pm to 7pm will need a peak ticket.
As well as using a 16-25 railcard (and very soon a 26-30 railcard), if you regularly travel with the same person you can purchase a Two Together railcard to save up to a third on fares.
Trainline also has a handy Ticket Alert service which will let you know when advance tickets become available and you can also check the National Rail website for information on tickets and railcards.
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Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Robin Webster