For many of us, the approaching holidays means some traveling is in the near future. The holiday season can be a stressful time, for one, we’re all a little sad that summer has officially come to an end, and for another, our laundry list of planning, cooking, shopping, and traveling seems to grow faster than we can handle.
Thankfully, at least one aspect of holiday planning can be easy, and it might not be what you’d expect. Even though you might not be ready to start checking items off your list just yet, you might want to consider getting all those flights out of the way because there are some serious opportunities to save money.
Based off a recent analysis from a travel site called Hipmunk, if you book your Thanksgiving flights before the end of October, you can save up to 27 percent on your travel. If you book at the end of September (right now) you can save even more on your Christmas flights:38 percent. Basically, if you’re trying to save money on your holiday travels, don’t book any later than Halloween.
Flight prices start to skyrocket at the holidays draw near, so the sooner you book the better. Average flights booked by September 30th cost around $374, and those booked by the end of October average around $385. Obviously this is just an average, price point will vary based on where you’re traveling, how far, and flight availability.
However, waiting until November to book will definitely cost you. Each day that you wait will cost you around a dollar. If you wait until the last two weeks before Thanksgiving, prices start go up even more, and will cost you around $10 more each day that you delay.
If you do decide to book your flight early and save some money, you may as well plan your trip too. According to Hopper.com, the busiest day to travel is November 22nd, so if you’d prefer to avoid the crowds and airport stress, depart on November 20th instead. So, what’s the cheapest day to fly? Thanksgiving morning! If you can make it to your destination in time for the big feast, enjoy the ultimate savings and leave on the actual morning of Thanksgiving.
Holidays can get really expensive quickly. From buying food to feed the entire family, shopping for gifts and decor, the last thing you want to worry about is throwing money away on flights, too. You definitely don’t want to sacrifice a trip home because the prices are too high!
Now that fall is officially here, hop online and start booking those holiday trips, your wallet will thank you in the end!
Where are you traveling to this year? Let us know in the comments!
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