Although the first official day of fall is still a few days away, now is the time to start thinking about holiday travel, as holiday flights are generally cheaper in early October! Google analyzed the history of flight data and costs and determined that domestic holiday season flights are cheapest 21-52 days before take-off and international flights are cheapest 51+ days before take-off.
In addition to planning early, here are five holiday travel tips we’ve picked up over the years:
Avoid peak days. Typically, peak days are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so the flexibility to avoid traveling on these days can help save some money. If you want to avoid heavier crowds and save some money, aim to travel on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
Take the earliest flight possible. While no one enjoys waking up while it’s dark outside, taking an early flight can help save money and reduce your chance of delays and cancellations.
On that note, build in time for delays and cancellations. Even if you do everything right, delays and cancellations are out of your control – sometimes they’re out of everyone’s control. If you’re looking to save yourself some headaches and stress, it may be best not to make dinner plans for 7 p.m. if your flight is scheduled to arrive at 5:30 p.m.
Broaden your search. If you’re flying into a city with multiple airports or a geographic location with multiple airports within a 30-60 minute radius, compare flight times and prices between these airports for the best deals and the most convenient flight times.
Pack light. No one wants to deal with lost luggage around the holidays. If you’re able to use only a carry-on, you can almost eliminate the stress of lost luggage. Ask your host if you can do laundry while visiting or see if your hotel has laundry on site. If holiday gifts are an issue, consider gifting experiences or bringing gift cards that you can carry with you to the destination.
Eliminating as many potential obstacles as possible around holiday travel can help you and your family focus on what is most important this time of the year: time together. If you’ll be traveling this holiday season, we hope these tips are helpful and we look forward to seeing you at the airport soon.
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