Every year it’s the same thing – and we’re not talking mashed potatoes and gravy. You start nailing down your holiday plans in September, figuring out whose house you’re visiting for Thanksgiving (may we recommend the one with the better pumpkin pie). Once you decide where you’re going – then comes the task of when should you book your trip to make sure you get a great deal?
Well, we crunched the numbers. If past price trends are any indication, our data found that Thanksgiving trips should be booked by September 27th* if you want a decent chance at paying a lower price. This doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a lower price – it just means this is the date before prices historically tend to begin rising as you get closer to the holiday.
And if you’re already thinking about post-Thanksgiving travel, check out our newly updated Best Time to Travel: Holiday Edition tool. We’ll let you know when to book – and go on – those end-of-the-year holiday trips.
Methodology:
*Insights regarding the best time to book are derived from KAYAK’s internal historical search data for the Thanksgiving travel period, which encompasses departure dates between 11/18/2022 and 11/24/2-22, and return dates between 11/24/2022and 11/28/2022. KAYAK compiled and consolidated search data for each day within a range of 7 to 120 days from the planned departure date (spanning from approximately 4 months in advance to as shortly as a week before departure). The median of the roundtrip flight prices for economy class for a single passenger was then calculated. The day that presented the minimum median price was identified as the best time to book flight tickets for the particular trip.
