This year, my partner and I agreed to book a holiday instead of getting each other pressies. It’s a sensible move; there’s no second-guessing what the other *really* wants, and we all know that buying a holiday in the off-season is much, much cheaper than striking while the sun’s hot.
But when, exactly, is the best time to bag a bargain 2024 holiday?
We’ve recently written about Travel Tuesday, a deal day that follows Cyber Monday. This, which is set to take off on Tuesday the 28th of November 2023, offers plenty of bargains. So, that’s a great start.
But according to Scott Keyes, founder of the travel site Going.com (formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights), he always keeps a keen eye for a very specific date when eyeing up cheap flights and holidays― namely, January the 8th.
Why?
Speaking to NPR, the penny-pinching pro advises against buying flights close to big holidays like Christmas as they’re notoriously pricey. “My secret, best advice for travel over the holidays is: if at all possible, just don’t do it,” he says.
And if you have to book that Christmas or New Year trip, you might be able to save money by booking for the day itself, as so few of us travel then.
But if you’re looking for a regular-degular getaway, Keyes swears by early January for the best offers. The 8th, to be specific.
“It’s my favorite date of the entire year. I circle that date on the calendar because whereas flight prices really get inflated over the Christmas-New Year period, around Jan. 8, they just fall off a cliff from the most expensive time of the entire year to the absolute cheapest,” he says.
Any other advice?
Yep! If you can stand it, he recommends nabbing an early flight to minimise cost, disruption, and inconvenience.
“There are two types of flights that have the highest odds of getting you to where you’re going on time or at least without a major delay: early morning flights and nonstop flights,” he shared with the NPR.
This is partly because, with morning flights, “your plane [has been] at the airport overnight. It’s sitting there and ready to go when you get there in the morning.“
Other nuggets of advice include bringing your own snacks to the airport, nabbing a book, and downloading more movies than you think you’ll watch onto your devices in case of delays.
I’m taking notes...