Yep, It’s Time to Start Thinking About Holiday Travel: Here’s When to Book to Score the Best Deals on Flights

Holidays are a time of togetherness, but before you’re able to spend some QT with your nearest and dearest, there’s the little obstacle of actually getting to where you’re going. Jam-packed airports and roads, unpredictable weather delays, extra luggage—holiday travel can be stressful even for the savviest jet setters. One thing that shouldn’t add an extra burden is finding the best travel deals. Here’s when to start booking your holiday flights (hint: it’s soon).

Thanksgiving

According to travel site Hipmunk, which analyzed historic domestic roundtrip flight bookings for holiday travel, Thanksgiving flight prices peak during mid-October and then drop again at the end of October and the beginning of November before spiking again the week leading into Thanksgiving. Even if you’re dreading having awkward conversations with your kooky aunt in between mouthfuls of mashed potatoes, don’t wait until the last minute to book your flights. The best days are in that late October-Early November window!

Unsurprisingly, the Wednesday before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving are the busiest times to fly. The Sunday after is also the most expensive day to return home regardless of your departure date, with median flight prices up 32 percent. To avoid crowds and save the most money, the best time to time to fly is to leave on Thursday and return on Friday. But if you actually enjoy spending time with your family, departing any day before Thanksgiving (Monday is the least busy) and returning on Friday will give you a relatively affordable flight.

If you’re looking to use the holiday to just get away, consider going international. According to Google, trending destinations for Thanksgiving include Brussels, Belgium; Valencia, Spain; and always-popular Reykjavik, Iceland; and you could find travel deals with up to a 35 percent savings on hotels in Rome, Italy!

Christmas/December Holidays

There’s a little more flexibility with booking flights for December holidays–that’s because there tends to be a larger window in which people are traveling back and forth. Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, so the busiest time to fly will be the Saturday before and after Christmas.

If price is your number one determinant, the cheapest (and less busiest) option is to fly out on Christmas Day and back on December 26, with median roundtrip flight prices around $247. Leaving on Christmas Eve can also be relatively inexpensive, though that also doesn’t leave much time to be merry and bright. 

The best day to buy flights might just be as you’re reading this. Christmastime flight prices tend to drop in early October before rising and then decreasing again in early to mid-November. Early December is your last chance to get some decent travel deals before prices spike the week leading into Christmas (fortune favors the early booker).

To find the best options for you, see Hipmunk’s median price break down here, or keep tabs on your specific flight route through Google Flights, which can tell you if a current price is typical, high, or low. Happy booking and traveling!

Where do you find the best travel deals? Tell us in the comments!