Break out your swim trunks because summer is back and ready for some action. From Whitehorse to Halifax, we’re calling out the top weekends to plan a getaway to get the most out of your travel budget. Feeling like a beach escape? Want to visit a historic city? Whatever summer getaway you’re looking for, we crunched the numbers on the best weekends to travel. So if you’re looking for a deal, this is when you’ll want to go:
Cheapest Weekends to Travel – Domestic
During the summer, the median airfare for weekend (Friday-Sunday) trips is $241. But by travelling these 3 weekends, you can potentially save money (and use that extra cash to order super fancy cocktails).
- August 31: median airfare $221
- August 17: median airfare $224
- September 21: median airfare $224
Cheapest Weekends to Travel – International
For summer weekends (Friday-Sunday), the median airfare to fly internationally is $376. But if you travel on the following dates, you just might find your right flight for less.
- August 17: median airfare $333
- September 7: median airfare $337
- August 24: median airfare $356
Some things to note: Late summer is when you should be traveling. This makes sense, as it’s when people generally start thinking more about back-to-school than back-to-the-beach. So planning a weekend trip towards the end of August into mid-September will generally find you lower airfares. Also, one the biggest summer holidays for travel is Labour Day, and you’re in luck. If you’re planning a domestic trip, Labour Day weekend is one of the cheapest weekends this summer to travel (median airfare $221). For international travel, you’ll want to wait to go away the weekend after Labour Day to get the best deal (median airfare $337).
So now that you know when to go, are you wondering where to go? If you’re hoping to explore destinations within Canada, these are 10 cities you can explore for less than $600. But if you’re looking to put more stamps on your passport, we’ve rounded up the top 10 international summer destinations that you can get to for under $500.
Cheapest Popular International Destinations Under $500
- Boston, Massachusetts: Median airfare is $328
- New York, New York: Median airfare is $367
- Chicago, Illinois: Median airfare is $394
- Denver, Colorado: Median airfare is $394
- Phoenix, Arizona: Median airfare is $397
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Median airfare is $320
- Los Angeles, California: Median airfare is $412
- Tampa, Florida: Median airfare is $320
- San Diego, California: Median airfare is $414
- Las Vegas, Nevada: Median airfare is $438
And because we know that summer travel is the perfect time to plan a group trip, KAYAK Trip Huddle is the tool you need. Get your friends and family together to vote on destinations, dates and accommodations. So you can stop endless email chains and start preparing for your vacation.
Methodology
The data for cheapest summer weekends mentioned above is based on median airfares conducted from KAYAK CA and is intended to be used as a guide. Travel dates are weekends (Friday-Sunday) June 28, 2018 through September 23, 2018 and search dates are January 1, 2018 through May 29, 2018. For our Cheapest Popular International Destinations list, travel dates are May 25, 2018 – September 3, 2018, and search dates are May 1, 2017 – May 1, 2018. All flights considered are economy, round-trip. Prices and availability may vary.
