When you book your holidays can make a big difference on how much you actually pay, and knowing the ‘when’ can mean big savings on flights and hotels. Alrighty, let’s say you have a trip planned. This year you’re heading to ………… (insert own destination).You’ve been cutting corners and saving pennies and quite possibly making sure your travelling companions are doing the same.
You know when you’re going and you know where you’re going – all you have to do now is is book the actual tickets. But when should you actually buy them? Well, you don’t need to guess any longer – we’ve sifted through all our data (believe us, there’s a hell of a lot) and we’ve come up with a definitive guide to let you know when to book to maximise your savings and get cheap flights to some of your top destinations. And the good news is, you may be able to save up to 80% on your travel just by knowing when the best time to buy is. Read on, McDuff, read on:
Mid-haul flights: book 1-2 months in advance for the best savings
First things first, let’s dispel the myth that the further ahead you book the cheaper the flights. While that tends to be more true for long distance, generally speaking, the best prices for mid-haul flights are usually found one to two months in advance of your trip. Granted, the number of available seats won’t be as high, but you could potentially make massive savings on a popular destination like Faro in Portugal, where flights are 80% cheaper when booked one month in advance compared with the worst time several months out.
✈ Flights from Glasgow to Faro in a month starting from £55
✈ Flights from London to Faro in late March starting from £41
So UK travellers should remember: – patience isn’t just a virtue, it’s also a money saver.Savings of 60-75% can also be made by waiting until 1-2 months ahead when travelling to Mallorca, Tenerife and Rome. There are exceptions to the rule, of course; Reykjavik being a great example. Our data shows that five months in advance is the magic number, and can offer savings of up to 61%, with an average price of £69.
Long-haul flights: book 2-4 months in advance for the best deals
When it comes to farther-flung destinations, our analysis shows that in most cases, the magic period is between two and four months in advance of the departure date.For certain popular international locations, you can make huge savings just by waiting until two months before departure to book. Hold on to your trigger finger, and you might just save 40% or more on a trip to Orlando, LA, or Bali.
✈ Flights from London to Auckland in late August starting from £697
✈ Flights from Birmingham to Auckland in late August starting from £768
Again, there are some exceptions. Heading to New Zealand? Better make your plans early – the best deals to Auckland are found seven months ahead of time.
When to travel – stick to weekdays and get cheaper flights
This probably comes as no surprise, but it’s nice to see some confirmation – weekdays are the cheapest days on which to travel. With most of us booking holidays around our work schedules, it’s not a massive shock that Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are the most expensive days to fly. That said, if you’re able to afford a bit of flexibility, you may be able to take advantage of some super savings. According to the analysis, weekday travel beats the weekend in both long and short haul flight categories, with the best departure and return days fluctuating between Tuesday and Thursday.
On KAYAK you can actually set flexible dates to see prices up to 3 days either side of your chosen dates. Check out number 4 of our 6 ways to find even cheaper flights guide.
Booking accommodation: book 1-2 months in advance
As with flights, there are great savings on offer when booking 3 or 4-star hotels if you know when to strike. On average, one to two months before arrival is the best time to book for most of the top destinations. Benidorm, Dublin and Krakow all offer tremendous savings when booking two months out, while Venice, Amsterdam, and Paris’s best prices are available just one month in advance. And for great hotel prices in the City of Sin, booking 2 months in advance can save you up to 29% in Las Vegas.
Destinations further afield can have quite different levels of flexibility. For example – ultimate savings are only achieved when booking six months ahead of time for Cancun, while one to two months are all that is required to save big for New York, Orlando or Singapore.
The cheapest destinations to fly to in 2017
Finally, if you gotta get away in 2017 but the bank is almost empty this year, we’ve got you covered. Based on our analysis, the cheapest location on the continent is Madrid, while it’s only a short hop, skip and a jump to Marrakech for the least expensive option outside of Europe. And there’s good news – for both destinations the best airfare can be secured just one month prior to departure, meaning you can jump on the chance right now, or keep them in mind and be a little spontaneous further down the line.
✈ Flights from London to Marrakesh in late February starting from £59
✈ Flights from Birmingham to Marrakesh in late February starting from £111
To see the entire ‘When to book’ guide, complete with colourful and beautiful data displays, click here.
And for the real travel gurus, go ahead and sign up for a Price Alert from KAYAK – the best way to stay on top of daily price shifts so you can make sure to get the best deal.
The analysis is based on return flight and hotel searches and clicks on KAYAK.co.uk from all airports in the UK for any travel dates in 2017, evaluating the most popular destinations searched for in Europe and internationally. Prices for hotels are considered for 3 and 4-star hotels only and are per room per night. Seasonality is not considered for the analysis as the travel period considers 2017 as a travel year. All flight and hotel searches were conducted on 24.01.2017 for the respective number of suggested months in advance. Prices are subject to change, may vary or not be available anymore. Indicated savings are not guaranteed.
