We’ve Found The Cheapest Days To Travel In 2025
Check out our top tips on finding the cheapest days to travel (& the most expensive!)
If you’re daydreaming of your next vacation but your bank account is holding you back, let me be the first to congratulate you—you’ve come to the right place. Finding the cheapest days to travel isn’t always easy, but we’re here to help you out so you can get the best deals and save the most money.
Use these hacks to ensure that you stretch your dollar as far as you can while you’re planning for any excursions you want to go on in 2025 and 2026.
When You Should Book Your Flight
Since flights are such a huge part of the travel-booking process (and sometimes the most expensive part), knowing when to book can save you some serious cash in the long run. Here’s how to know when to book.
International
International travel varies when it comes to booking your flight in order to get the best price. If you’re for an exact amount of time, 60 days (or about two months) is a good starting point.
Some experts say, however, to start checking flights as far as eight months in advance. This mainly applies if you’re booking during peak travel season, but it never hurts to start flagging flights to see if their prices change at all as you’re planning your trip.
Domestic
When traveling domestically, the general rule is to book your flight about 28 days beforehand. According to Expedia, you can save around 24% when you book this far in advance. Anywhere from 21 to 28 days should net you the lowest possible price on flights.
What Day of the Week You Should Book On?
Now that you know when to book your flight, it’s also important to know what day of the week to book all your travel on. Some days are more expensive than others, in case you didn’t know. Here’s when to book to help save you some extra cash.
What is the cheapest days to travel?
Mid-week flights are the least expensive, and if you’re really trying to stretch your dollar, try planning your trip so you leave on a Tuesday or Wednesday—they’re the cheapest days of the week for traveling!
What’s the most expensive day?
Saturday and Sunday are notoriously more expensive since people are trying to get to their destinations before the week starts. Monday can also be expensive since that’s when most business travel occurs. If possible, try and avoid these days to save a little money.
How to Book During Peak Travel Times
First, let’s give a quick rundown on what peak travel is and when it happens:
- Holidays: travel is especially busy around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.
- Weekends: as we said, weekend travel is always more expensive, especially in the summer.
- Rush hour: for people trying to travel and work in the same day, flying during rush hour is generally more expensive.
- Summer: summer vacation is very much a thing, so the months of June, July, and August travel tends to cost more money.
But if you have to travel during any of these times, there are some ways you can book so it isn’t as much of a financial burden.
The general rule with peak travel booking is the earlier, the better—we’re talking up to 10 months in advance and as little as three. I know it seems forever away, but you can save some serious cash if you start planning your peak travel plans ASAP.
Other Important Tips & Tricks
If that wasn’t enough, there are some other hacks you can use to save money and get cheap travel deals on the fly. You’ll be a budget traveling pro in no time, promise.
Last-Minute Deals
If you can handle the anxiety of booking everything last minute, it has the potential to pay off (literally). Plenty of airlines will discount flights with room to try and fill them up. Look the night before with the plan of traveling the next day.
Some airlines will also do discounted upgrades to business or first class. Be sure to ask the attendant at your gate if they’re willing to do any upgrades at a deal.
Loyalty Programs
If you’re planning a bigger vacation, it’s not a bad idea to get a charge card with a specific airline or get one that offers points for travel. You can save serious money if you use the card regularly.
Editor’s note: I have a Southwest charge card and have gotten my last two fights 100% free with points to spare because their loyalty program is so good. Not a sponsor, but it’s definitely worth looking into!
