With summer on the horizon, it’s crucial to start planning your next vacation now. Since flights often account for significant travel expenses, early planning can help you secure the best deals.
Avoid peak travel times.
While summer is typically a peak travel season, you can significantly reduce expenses by avoiding popular holiday weekends like Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. Opting for early or late summer travel can also lead to substantial savings when schools are not on break.
Be flexible with your dates and destinations.
Popular flight search engines like Kayak, Skyscanner, and Google Flights allow flexible inquiries.
That means you can input the specific dates you want to travel and let the website tell you which destinations are the cheapest to fly to, or you can put the destination you’re interested in and say to the website which travel dates get you the lowest prices.
Follow the 21-Day Rule.
It’s tempting to book flights at the last minute, but here’s a rule: don’t book any flights later than 21 days before you’d like to travel. Flight prices fluctuate often but are guaranteed to increase once the trip is less than 21 days out. With this knowledge, you can confidently plan your trip and avoid unnecessary expenses.
Fly on Tuesday or Wednesday
While the specific day you book your trip doesn’t impact prices, the day you fly does. Avoid popular weekend travel days (Friday through Monday), and you’ll find better rates.
Search for flights individually.
It could be a hassle, but you can save money if you search for flights individually. That applies to departing and returning flights and when booking multiple people on the same flight. If you don’t mind risking sitting separately, you can search for seats individually, and they’re sometimes cheaper than finding two seats together.
Happy Travels!