There’s nothing worse than being hit by a serious bout of wanderlust, spotting a great flight deal online, and then—when you go to book it a few hours or days later—discovering that the deal is no longer available.
Oof! It’s one of the worst parts of travel (the other bad part being, of course, coming home). Luckily, there’s research out there about which days are the optimal ones to land the best travel deals.
And if you’re looking for even more travel intel to plan your trip, here’s a helpful cheat sheet that can save you time, stress, and money. Paris, Tokyo, Stockholm, here you come!
Cheapest Day To Fly: Wednesday
According to FareCompare, the cheapest day of the week to fly domestically is Wednesday, followed by Tuesday and Saturday. The cheapest time of the day to fly is in the morning (yes, getting up at 5 a.m. does pay off, unfortunately).
The next best times to fly are during lunch, and after the dinner. Keep in mind that the absolute cheapest flights are red eyes.
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Cheapest Time To Buy Airline Tickets: Tuesday and Wednesday
The best time to buy your tickets is in the middle of the week. Bob Harrell, who tracks fares for Harrell Associates, states that airlines make their promotional fares available on Sunday and Monday, the prices tend to drop mid-week, and the end of the week is when airlines hike their fares.
Still, the best way to score a cheap ticket is by booking early. Buy a month or two in advance and you’ll get the best fares.
Can’t book that far ahead? Some travel sites, like Bing Travel and FareCompare, also have prediction tools that can help you decide if you should buy now or wait based on historical data.
Source:stylecaster.com