Everyone knows that we’re big fans of last-minute travel. However, we’re also hard-hitting journalists and thus it is our duty, nay, our obligation, to tell you both sides of the story. If you’re a Type A person you know that planning ahead can pay off big time. You’re never left waiting at restaurants because you made reservations a month earlier, you’re never late because you checked the bus schedules in advance and that toast for your best friend’s wedding, the one who isn’t dating anyone right now? It’s already gone through 6 drafts and 11 rehearsals.
So why slack off when it comes to your travel plans?
When to book your flight
While there are no guarantees in life, we took a look at several different studies and determined that the best time to book your flight is about fifty days prior to departure, which translates to roughly seven weeks (depending on the type of flight you’re booking; see below). The worst strategy to use when purchasing a ticket is to buy it really early or very late. Airfare cost-saving measures break down into three categories that depend on where you’re going:
50-60 days for flights within North America
150-160 days for flights from North America to Asia Pacific
170-180 Days for flights from North America to Europe
Airlines change their fares throughout the day so it’s hard to know what time exactly you should whip out the credit card but there are popular ideas. The common theory is that Tuesday around 3pm (remember to search incognito) is the optimal time to click “purchase” but don’t hesitate to check on the weekend as well.
When to book your trip
If you’re going on a tour, last-minute isn’t always best. Booking ahead gives you control over the exact type of tour you want to go on rather than being at the mercy of whichever tours have seats left. Popular tours to diverse locations (think Nepal or Peru) can fill up months in advance.
Some operators will offer generous early bird deals as well and trust me when I say that these deals don’t last forever. You know how the Apple Store almost never puts anything on sale? Operators seem to subscribe to this way of thinking so when you see a great deal, you can snag it up without worry. Often times operators will have an early payment discount as well that you can take advantage of.
When you book early you get adequate time to plan details like getting time off from work, finding someone to watch your kids, dogs, and fish and anything else.
You’ll have something to look forward to
Not only can you kiss the fear of missing out goodbye but when you book in advance you get to hold onto something to look forward to during the monotony of daily life. Anytime over the next several months when you wake up and think, “if I have to go to school/the office/the car dealership/basic training one more day…”, then you NEED to book early. Studies have shown that having something to look forward to improves productivity, one’s sense of wellbeing and state of happiness.
