Holiday Hacks: the best time to book a holiday to save money

In recent years, holiday prices have skyrocketed and made booking a getaway for family-filled fun out of many people’s price range. But being flexible with when and where you go on holiday can help you save big on your next voyage.

We all deserve a break, so we’ve put together a guide telling you all you need to know about the best time to book a holiday so you can have a well-needed rest. 

Here’s the rundown:

To bag your dream holiday for an affordable price, you need to know the best time to book and the cheapest time to go. 

This guide will give all the info you need to get a great deal on your next holiday. Read until the end if you want some bonus money-saving tricks.

When is the cheapest month to go on your holiday?

Flight and holiday prices tend to vary drastically on a week-by-week (and sometimes day-by-day) basis. We’re here to share with you the cheapest times to go away, both in and out of school holidays, so you can get more bang for your buck.

Cheapest times in the school holidays

School holidays and bank holidays are classed as peak holiday season, meaning they tend to come with a hefty price tag. But fear not! If school holidays are your only possible time to go, there are still ways to bag a bargain break.

May half-term is the cheapest school holiday for travel. This is because not all countries get a May half-term break, and UK university students also don’t get half-terms off so the demand is smaller. 

If you’re looking for some family fun in the sun, May is a great time to go as a lot of places will be approaching summer.

Places like Tenerife or Lanzarote, as well as Turkey, Cyprus and Greece will have the perfect climates to bask in the sun and enjoy a well-deserved break in May. This time of year is perfect for those Brits wanting warm weather without it being scorching hot.

Holidaying during the October half-term may also help you stretch your budget further, although you'll need to travel closer to the equator to guarantee the best weather at this time of year.

If the school holidays at your child’s school differ from the rest of the country, you'll have less competition when it comes to booking cheap holidays.

Be sure to check your child’s school holiday dates on the gov.uk website and see if they differ from other council’s dates so you can book a super off-peak trip for your next family holiday. Also, keep an eye out for any school inset days as they might work to your advantage.

The last two weeks of the summer holidays tend to be the cheapest time in the school summer break to go away. Most families won’t wait until the end of August or the beginning of September to go on holiday, so demand will be lower and prices will decrease.

Be sure to check these last weeks of the summer holiday for the best prices so you can bag yourself a killer deal.

Cheapest times out of the school holidays

Of course, if you don’t have to fit around school holidays, it’s best to avoid these peak dates if you want to bag an affordable getaway.

If you’re looking for some sun, consider going away in May, June or September when the children are at school. Cheaper rates will be available and you may even get better weather than peak season.

If you want a winter holiday, consider going away in November, early December or mid to late January. These are classed as off-peak dates as the schools will be open and demand is smaller.

So whether you plan on going to a German city for the Christmas markets, or even a skiing holiday, you’ll be able to get big savings when booking off-peak trips (so you can afford more mulled wine or a new ski jacket). 

The winter blues can also be cured with some December sun. There are certain areas of Europe such as the Canary Islands and Tenerife that reach highs of 21 degrees in December. Or consider going on a long-haul vacay to South-East Asia or Australia to catch some rays.

When is the cheapest time to book a trip? 

It’s no secret that holiday prices can fluctuate day to day. But when is the best time to book your trip? Should you book last minute? In advance? On a weekend? We’re here to give you the answers to all of these questions.

In advance or last-minute holidays? 

Do you tend to be the person who books their summer holiday nine months in advance because organisation is key and bound to get you the best deal? But you keep hearing Claire at work talking about how much of a steal she got on her all-inclusive trip to Morocco for her and the kids by booking two weeks ahead of the flight?

So, which is it? Do you need to be a systematic Susan always booking so far in advance, or a last-minute Linda packing her suitcase for tomorrow’s flight that she booked an hour ago? We’re here to weigh up the pros and cons for you. 

Pros and Cons of booking in advance:

Pros and cons of booking last-minute:

Last-minute holidays are a great option for those who love spontaneity and are open to being flexible on when and where they travel to.

There are some really affordable deals advertised on sites such as Lastminute.com and Loveholidays.com where you can save up to 70% on a package holiday.

You can also get great last-minute deals on the TUI and Jet2 sites when you search for ‘Last Minute Holidays’.

However, if you are less flexible on when and where you travel, it’s always best to book in advance. Most airlines release their flights 11-12 months ahead, and some suggest that the earlier you book, the better rate you’ll get.

Around six months before departure seems to be a general rule of thumb for booking early on a holiday, especially if you're travelling at peak times.

So most often, January will be the best time to book your summer getaway as there’ll be lots of January sales offers and early booking perks. If we apply the same rule for winter trips, you’ll want to look at booking your December trip in June for a good deal.

What specific dates should I book on to bag the best deal?

Consider booking during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. You might think Black Friday deals are only for clothes and electronics, but flight and holiday companies also run some unmissable offers and you can get the biggest savings on trips during this time. 

Black Friday falls on 29th November this year but sales start in the weeks leading up to this date, as well as a week or two after. You could save up to 70% on a trip by booking during this time period, whether that be for a last-minute winter trip or eight months in advance for your summer holiday. 

But please be aware that booking around these dates doesn't guarantee a great deal on your chosen location and flight times. You may have to be flexible on your location and your travel dates if you want to make the most of Black Friday bargains.

Many people have never heard about the travel industry's best-kept secret: Travel Tuesday. Travel Tuesday is the Tuesday after Cyber Monday and has recently been heralded as the best day to book a cheap getaway. 

With airline companies knowing a lot of people take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers, prices have been seen to plummet on Travel Tuesday when demand dips.

If you don’t find the deal you’re after during Black Friday, it may be in your best interest to hang on until Travel Tuesday to secure a trip to your dream destination.

The cheapest day of the week to book

There is a lot of contrasting information online about what day of the week you should book a holiday to get the best price.

Some say Tuesdays and Wednesdays are best as there are fewer people booking on these days compared to the weekend. Others say Mondays are the best as most deals go live on this day. So which is it?

We tracked three flights on Skyscanner over a one-week period to see which day was the cheapest. We looked at a long-haul flight for two weeks before the school holidays, a European flight for a week-long holiday in the school holidays and a European city break out of peak season. 

Here's what we found:

We found that there wasn't an overall cheapest day to book your holiday, and most of the time the flights didn't change price much or even at all on a day-by-day basis. The prices fluctuate a little but no more than £66.

Booking on a certain day of the week isn’t going to regularly save you hundreds of pounds. Other factors are important, such as where you plan on travelling to, when you plan on going, which airport you travel from and the accommodation you wish to stay at.

Once again, flexibility is your friend when trying to save money on a holiday.

What is the cheapest day to travel on holiday?

Some say Thursdays are the cheapest day to travel, with Sundays being the most expensive day. Others argue Tuesday and Wednesday flights are the cheapest.

We compared flight prices from Manchester to Barcelona from May to November. We found that flight prices on Tuesdays were the cheapest at £42.33 on average, and Thursday flights were most expensive at £72.80. 

However, flight prices and package holidays fluctuate massively. For example, a flight on Wednesday 20th June cost £84, with the same flight a week later being £162. So ultimately it does depend on when you are wanting to go away as certain dates will have increased demand and therefore prices will be raised. 

There were times when Tuesday wasn't the cheapest option. A flight on Tuesday 1st October was £69, which was the most expensive day to fly that week. 

Our tip for finding the cheapest day to go on your holiday would be to use the website’s flexibility features to see the cheapest dates. 

When looking for flights on Skyscanner, fill in the places you want to travel from and to. Then instead of filling in the ‘Depart’ and ‘Return’ dates, click ‘Whole Month’ and you’ll be able to see the prices for all days and pick the cheapest dates that work for you.

Similar features are available on most airline companies and holiday sites, allowing you to easily see which dates are cheapest for you to book a trip.

Tips to secure the best deal

We have some bonus tips to share with you to help you save as much as possible on your holiday bookings. Here are our golden rules:

 Use comparison sites to find the best deals

Our personal favourites are Skyscanner and Kayak, which both compare flights, hotels and car hire prices across thousands of sites to find you the best deal with very minimal effort. Using these sites will save you hours of time and are the easiest way to know you’ve found the best price for your trip. 

 Sign up to holiday and airline company offer notifications

Avoid missing an unmissable deal on a holiday or flight by signing up to the company’s email channel and phone/desktop notifications. Here you’ll have their best deals and the best prices for your favourite destinations sent to you, so you can avoid having to monitor their sites to get yourself the lowest price.

You can also search using Google Flights and set up price drop alerts to make sure you catch the lowest price for your flight.

Be flexible

As we’ve said above, holiday and flight prices fluctuate on a daily basis. If you’re able to be flexible with what airport you travel from, what dates you travel or where you go, you’ll definitely have a better chance of securing an economical excursion.

A lot of European countries have amazing transport links, whether that be buses, trains or ferries, that are also really cheap. So, why not fly and stay in a neighbouring town or city to your desired destination and travel on public transport for day trips? 

If you’re looking for cheap destinations to travel to, be sure to check out our best cheap holiday destinations guide.

 Book a mystery holiday

If you’re in need of a city break and aren’t set on a specific location, why not take advantage of a mystery holiday with Wowcher or Groupon. You’ll pay £99, select your dates and airport to travel from, and then get a location picked for you at random. We’ve had a few friends use mystery holidays and they’ve ended up having cheap holidays in Paris, Bordeaux and Gdansk.

 Book a UK trip

UK holidays can save you a lot of money and be just as fun. Whether you decide to explore a new city, stay at a caravan park or fancy a little cosy cottage somewhere in the sticks, you’ll be sure to have a blast without the stress of flying abroad. 

Be sure to check out our UK holiday hidden gems article to find out all you need to know for a cheap UK break.

 Sign up to hotel loyalty schemes  

Hotel loyalty schemes are a great way to receive personalised discounts, reduced prices and perks on your accommodation. Perks can include free drinks at the hotel bar, late checkouts or even free room upgrades. You'll often get a free nights stay after you've collected ten stamps on their reward scheme.

 Book during the Black Friday period

Make the most of the increased sales on hotel rooms, package holidays and flights during this period. Be sure to check offers across Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday if you don't find an ideal price on Black Friday.

Time to get booking your summer getaway

So now you have a clearer idea of when the best time to book a holiday is and when to travel to save yourself some money. Holidays tend to be a big financial commitment, so using our tips and tricks will be sure to help you save a penny or two so you can purchase an extra ice cream while you walk along the seafront. 

Of course holiday prices vary massively, so make sure you plan ahead and be as flexible as possible to be sure to bag the best deal and save money on your next getaway.

Don't forget you can earn cashback on your next holiday when you book via the TopCashback site.