Best Times to Buy Vacations

It’s always a good time for a vacation. Sadly, it’s not always a good time for your wallet when you take that vacation or book a flight and hotel. Lucky for you, there are times of year when you can vacation for less, and a method to the madness of travel planning. 

Here are the best times of year to vacation and when to plan them.

Best times to vacation

If you’re looking to vacation for less, consider these two options:

1. Off-season

Like most purchases, when demand drops, prices follow. Most travel destinations have an off-season. This can be a general off-season for travel, or a location-specific off-season. Of course, if you are an experienced adventurer, you can go ahead and travel off-season for a bargain-priced vacay.

2. Shoulder season

A great option for a less-expensive vacation may be to travel during the shoulder seasons. These fall right between the high travel season and the off-season. While this will vary by location, for many popular travel destinations, shoulder season falls in spring and early autumn. Vacationing during these times can mean getting a lot more bang for your buck, sightseeing without the huge crowds and potentially having ideal weather conditions. 

The best time to book a flight

Airfare can be the priciest item in your vacation budget. And there’s always that challenge of finding the perfect time to book your flight. While this can vary by season and destination, in general, airfare tends to be lowest 6-8 weeks before the flight. 

The best time to book hotels

Just like airfare, hotel rates will fluctuate with demand. Here, though, you can score a great last-minute deal. Sites like HotelTonight and Hotels.com can help you find a steeply discounted hotel reservation just a day or two before you travel. As a bonus, most hotels have generous cancellation policies, so you can always book your stay, and then cancel if you find a better deal. 

The best time to book vacation rentals

You won’t have as easy a time canceling a vacation rental like an Airbnb stay. Most of these sites recommend booking your stay approximately four weeks in advance. If you don’t mind leaving your arrangements up to chance, you can always choose to wait until the last minute, when you may end up with a fabulous deal. Keep in mind, though, that you can also end up with a super-expensive rental that doesn’t meet your needs. 

The best time to book cruises

If you’d like to take a cruise in the next year or so, think April. You’ll find the cheapest cruise rates during this month. It’s best to book it sometime between January and March. This is the cruise industry’s “wave season”, when you can score the best discounts and promotions.

Are you planning a vacation? Use our guide to find the time of year that’s right for your dream getaway and your budget, too!