Traveling for the holidays? Best days to book

September 19, 2024

By Kim Komando

It’s beginning to look a lot like … fall. Before you enter a pumpkin-spice stupor, do your future self a favor and get this year’s travel plans organized.

From the best times to book to how to search for flights, I’ve got everything you need to score the sweetest deal on your holiday season trip.

🎁 Staying put? Share this with a friend or family member who hits the road for the holidays. Hey, maybe they’ll buy you an extra present with all the money they save.

Just in time

If you want to get the cheapest airline ticket, timing is everything. Let’s start with the basics: How far in advance you should book.

Domestic flights: Prices are the lowest at 38 days before departure, with the lowest price range between 21 and 52 days prior to your trip.

🦃 For your annual Thanksgiving trip to Grandma’s, the best time to book the most affordable flights is 45 days before, or early October.

🎄 For Christmas, book at the end of October or early November. You’ll get the lowest fares when you book 58 days prior.

International flights: Aim to book at least 50 days before your departure. Your best bet is around 101 days before your trip to get the lowest price. For the Carribean or Mexico, the low-price range is between 26 and 68 days out.

✅ Pro tip: Stop counting days on your fingers. This calculator is the best.

Come fly with me

Now that you know the ranges, let’s get specific. Sunday is the best day to book; you’ll pay about 5% less on domestic flights and up to 15% less on international.

The day you fly matters, too. The cheapest days of the week to fly are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We’re talking 13% to 20% cheaper than if you fly on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Want to save a little more? Go for the flight with a layover. Nonstop flights are an average of 25% more expensive than flights with stops. The risk you run, of course, is missing your connection, so decide if that’s worth it for you.

Final boarding call

I sat down with personal finance guru and my pal Clark Howard. He shared some of his insider secrets to saving money on airfare:

• Search for one-way flights, not round-trip. It’s often cheaper to fly one airline to your destination and another home.
• Add upcharges to the total cost. Airlines like United, Delta and American may advertise low fares but later upsell you on things like baggage, seat assignment and early boarding. Hate getting nickeled-and-dimed? Fly Southwest.
• Do some extra legwork if you’re flying internationally. Here’s how Clark does it: Book your flight so your trip is secured, but eight and four weeks out, re-shop. Most airlines don’t charge a change fee and you could get a much lower fare when you check prices after booking your original travel.
• Size matters: Airlines like Avelo, Breeze and Allegiant fly out of smaller regional airports, which could save you big. Bonus: Smaller airports tend to have fewer delays, and parking is much cheaper or even free.

💠 Clark is a gem, and you should definitely check out the podcast version of our convo if you’re a budget traveler (or want to be).

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