Google has released their top tips and tricks for saving money on travel in 2024, based on four years of aggregated Google Flights data. And whenever Google shares their latest travel trends and offers new insights on the best time to book flights, both during the holidays and other busy times throughout the year, it’s smart to listen.
Top Destinations for Thanksgiving:
First, here are Google’s top-searched destinations on Google Flights for trips departing November 24 through December 1 from U.S. airports
- Orlando
- Cancun
- New York
- Tokyo
- London
- Miami
- Paris
- Los Angeles
- Las Vegas
- Honolulu
- Mumbai
- Phoenix
- San Juan
- Delhi
- Chicago
- Punta Cana
- Barcelona
- Bangkok
- Dallas
- Rome
I can understand the domestic cities, but I find many of the international ones quite surprising, especially Mumbai, Delhi and Bangkok.
Top Destinations for Christmas and New Year’s Eve
Here are the top-searched destinations on Google Flights, for trips departing December 22 through January 5, from U.S. airports:
- Tokyo
- Orlando
- Cancun
- Miami
- New York
- London
- San Juan
- Honolulu
- Paris
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Manila
- Bangkok
- Madrid
- Mumbai
- San Jose
- Mexico City
- Punta Cana
- Sydney
- Rome
These are fairly similar to the Thanksgiving destinations but you can see there are a lot more international cities on the list. I can understand traveling a lot further for this holiday since it’s so important to many, and workers usually get more time off. But then again, I’ve gone to Hawaii for dinner (twice), Japan for just two nights and New Zealand for three so none of this should be too surprising to me as I’ve always said, “it’s best to go to a destination for a short time then not go at all.” I’ve also gone on many trips where I’ve done so much in 24 hours that I definitely felt like if I had to go home, I would be more than satisfied with my trip.
2024 insights on booking the cheapest flights
If you’re looking to save money on flights, here is exactly what Google advises in their press release: “Flight prices are constantly changing — even day to day — so it’s hard to know when prices will be lowest to book an upcoming trip. Usually, it’s smart to book your travel far in advance, especially if you need to be on a specific flight.
But if your number one priority is getting cheap airfare, you can look at some historical patterns to guide you along the way. When you search on Google Flights for a specific destination and dates of travel, we’ll show you the cheapest time to book, so you can decide whether it’s better to wait for lower prices or book ASAP.
If you want a general sense of the best time to book across different scenarios, here’s a look at our latest insights for U.S. travelers, based on four years of aggregated Google Flights data — plus a few more trends that can help you find cheaper airfare.
Domestic flights: For trips within the U.S., average prices have been lowest 38 days before departure. The historical low price range is 21-52 days before takeoff.
International flights: If you’re traveling abroad, you should probably book as early as you can. While average prices have been lowest 101 days before departure, the historical low price range is anytime 50 days or more before takeoff. In other words, for international travel from the U.S., average prices don’t meaningfully drop anytime before departure, but they usually do start to rise within 50 days of the flight itself.
Thanksgiving: For domestic trips around Thanksgiving, prices have been lowest 45 days before departure, and the low price range is 26-59 days out. So if you’re flying right before or after the holiday, the best time to book cheap flights is early October.
Christmas: Plan a bit further ahead if you’re traveling domestically for Christmas. Prices have been lowest 58 days before departure, and the low price range is 36-72 days out — so the best time to book cheap Christmas flights is the back half of October.
Spring break: For domestic trips in March or April, the lowest prices have been 44 days before departure, and the low price range is 33-59 days out.
Summer vacation: If you’re traveling domestically in July or August, there might be some last-minute bargains available. Prices have been lowest 21 days before departure, and the low price range is 13-43 days out.
Trips to Europe: Trips to Europe from the U.S. tend to be cheapest 94 days before departure. But you shouldn’t wait for prices to drop — the historical low price range is 50 days or more before takeoff (same as the general advice for all international travel).
Trips to Mexico or the Caribbean: These trips are an exception to the broader international trend. Prices for traveling from the U.S. to Mexico or the Caribbean have been lowest 44 days before departure, and the low price range is 26-68 days out.
Looking for more money-saving tips for booking flights? If you’re curious about the best day of the week to book, the answer is that there’s not much benefit to buying your tickets on a certain day of the week. While Tuesday has historically been the cheapest day to book, it’s only 1.3% cheaper than the most expensive day, Sunday.
And looking at historical prices, the cheapest days of the week to fly are Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, which have been 13% cheaper than flying on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. If you exclude international trips, the potential savings jump to 20%.
And last but certainly not least (well, maybe least in terms of price!), if you’re willing to opt for a layover versus nonstop flight, our data shows that you can probably get a better deal: On average, nonstops have been 25% more expensive than flights with stops. Now whether you want to spend more time in transit — that’s up to you!”
If you’re looking for more travel advice, here are my top 10 travel tips for saving money on airfare.
KEEP READING:
–8 ways to save money on gas
–12 ways to save money on baggage fees
–A sneaky but effective way to save money on baggage fees
–The unsurprising way travel experts save money on food when traveling
–How to save money with a secret third carry-on
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