It’s the holiday season, and after a record number of people traveled for Thanksgiving, maybe you’re getting the itch to do the same in the coming weeks. If so (and you haven’t booked yet) get ready for some sticker shock.
The best chance to book for this time of year was several months ago. The next best time to book is right now. And that won’t change between now and the New Year.
In fact, it’s the most expensive time of year to fly, and it’s just not going to get cheaper until next year.
“There’s not going to be a ton of available seats left to choose from,” said Katy Nastro, with the Going travel app. “So if you do see something, you should definitely jump on top of it as well.”
Airlines are ready to charge you a premium because they know you’re willing to pay to get away.
“Hoping and wishing and praying that your winter holiday flight that you’ve been eyeing is going to just magically reduce in cost by 50% is sort of wishful thinking,” Nastro said.
“We don’t want people to fall into that trap of waiting till the last minute.”
That’s also the case whether you’re eyeing a flight home or you’re looking to go visit another country.
Around Thanksgiving, you can sometimes find really good deals on international flights because most Americans are flying domestically for that holiday. For everywhere else, it’s just another November weekend. That’s not the case over the next few weeks.
“The winter holidays and New Year’s happen everywhere, not just domestically,” she said.
But if you do have to fly, and the price matters that much, she said having a little flexibility — both in when and where you travel — could bring you some savings.
“Trying to base your travels on the holiday itself, leaving on Christmas Day and then coming back just before New Year’s Day, can oftentimes help save 15-20% specifically on flights,” she said.
But being even more flexible — including a willingness to wait until the second week of January, might net you even better deals.
“Flight prices drop significantly, by at least 50%, if not more, right after about Jan. 8,” Nastro said. “So if you can extend your plans, be a little bit flexible in leaving later and extending it into early January to take advantage of some of your provided PTO, that really is the better strategy.”
She said that’s not just the case for flights, but also hotels and other experiences.
“It’s such a low period for travel,” she explained. “You’re also not going to have to navigate the millions of people that are going to be traveling over that period.”
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