How about tucking into your turkey dinner in Italy this year?
Katy Nastro from Going.com, a travel deal website, said Thanksgiving is the “hidden best week to travel internationally,” and you can score a round-trip flight from the D.C. area to Milan for $486.
Nastro told WTOP that holiday flights from the D.C. region to Europe are plentiful and affordable, including to Dublin for $360 and Barcelona for $433.
“Thanksgiving is only a holiday in the States,” Nastro said. “That’s part of the reason why Thanksgiving is a really great time to travel internationally.”
Whether flying internationally or domestically, Nastro said the best time to book airfare is three to seven months in advance. If you haven’t booked yet, she said do so within the next two weeks to ensure you are taking advantage of any deals that are left.
Nastro said if you are thinking ahead to Christmas, you should also book your airfare before the end of October.
This year, you can expect to pay a little less. Nastro said the average price of airfare has fallen 13% from last year.
“Prices have really been in a downward trend since they peaked in May of 2022,” Nastro said. “Partly due to the softening of demand and also the fact that airlines are able to add more flights to the schedules.”
Given recent trends, Nastro predicts that this Thanksgiving could break travel records. The Transportation Security Administration said it screened the highest number of passengers ever on June 30, 2023, breaking a previous record from 2019.
