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Oh, the weather outside is… well, it’s getting really darn cold. Canadian winters are no joke and the snow seems to come earlier each year. But with the first snow comes a season full of light and laughter, family and friends. Whether you’re headed home for the holidays or just need to get away, we’ve rounded up the top destinations of the season for all sorts of travellers.

But the real burning question you likely have is: when should I book my holiday travel? We get that. So, in order to give you an answer, we dug through last year’s data to find out how far ahead travellers had to book to get the best deal as well as what combination of travel dates created the lowest median airfare. So based on 2017’s numbers, here’s when you should plan to travel this season:

When to Book Christmas Travel

The best time to book when you’re travelling within Canada for Christmas is November 13th. Last year, travellers paid around $333 on their airfare when they booked by that date. If you’re planning an international trip, book your Christmas travel by November 1st. Travellers found airfare around $691 to international destinations when they booked by that date in 2017.

When to Book New Year’s Eve Travel

Start your year smart by booking your flights at the right time. If you’re traveling domestically for New Year’s Eve, according to last year’s data travellers who booked by December 8th found the best deal (median airfare $244). For those headed to an international NYE party, the booking sweet spot was December 14th (median airfare $519) in 2017.

Note: To make our “when to book your flight” recommendations for this list, we looked into our data at last year’s median flight prices based on how far ahead travellers book. However, this is only meant to be a guide. As always, if you find a good deal — book it.

Now that you know when to book, do you need ideas on where to go? Check out our holiday destinations lists that can tell you the top cities for New Year’s Eve, the hottest holiday destinations and the ski resorts seeing the biggest increase in traveller interest. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be ready to take on the season.

10 Trending Holiday Destinations

We found 10 of the hottest destinations for Canadian travellers that have seen the biggest increase in searches on our site for holiday travel. So grab some glogg and tell Aunt Betty you won’t be at her party this year, because you’re headed to one of these trending holiday destinations.

10 Popular New Year’s Eve Destinations

The countdown to picking the perfect place to ring in the New Year starts now. From island beach parties to downtown soirees, these popular destinations are ready to get the party started. As the most-search-for cities by Canadian travellers on KAYAK, we think it’s time you pack your bags, explore a new city and toast to new adventures in 2019.

5 Trending Ski Destinations

To help you plan a sport-centered trip, we found the top ski destinations that are seeing the biggest increase in traveler interest. You don’t have to go far — all 5 of our destinations are within Canada. Perfect excuse to plan that weekend ski break.

No matter where you’re headed this holiday season — or when you’re headed there — we’re here to get you the information you need to confidently plan your holiday travel.

Methodology

When to Book: Christmas

When to Book by data is based on 7-day moving average of daily median airfare trends. Best time to book data is median airfare as a function of weeks before departure. When to Fly data is median airfare as a function of day of the week. All data is based on travel dates 12/22/17-01/02/18 and search dates 08/24/2017-12/25/2017 and was broken out by international and domestic flights.

When to Book: New Year’s Eve

When to Book by data is based on 7-day moving average of daily median airfare trends. Best time to book lists median airfare as a function of weeks before departure. When to Fly data lists median airfare as a function of day of the week. All data is based on travel dates 12/26/17-01/02/18 and search dates 08/28/2017-12/31/2017 and was broken out by international and domestic flights.

 

About the author

KAYAK Since 2004, KAYAK has been revolutionising the travel industry. Metasearch for travel? No one was doing it. Until we did. Today, we process billions of queries across our platforms each year for travel information, helping millions of travellers around the globe make confident decisions. With every query, KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites to show travellers the information they need to find the right flights, hotels, hire cars and holiday packages.

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