As a full time traveler, I’m always looking for the best travel deals. I managed to travel full time around Asia for one and a half years on a budget and that’s partly because I always find the best flight deals.
Planning a holiday and trying to find the cheapest flight tickets can turn into a frustrating mind game. Sometimes, you think you found a good deal and then two days later the tickets get even cheaper.
Did you know that you can maximize your chances of finding the cheapest international flights? I’m here to show you how!
A study by Cheapair.com found that plane ticket prices change on average every 4.5 days. You always have to be careful not to buy too early or too late.
Finding the right balance is difficult but I’ve got you covered. Below is all the info you need when booking your international flights.
When to find the cheapest international flights
According to Cheapair.com, the cheapest days to fly are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Avoid at all costs Sundays – they’re the most expensive.
Now let’s take it a bit further and see how far in advance you should book your plane tickets. If you’re traveling from the USA, the best time to book domestic flights is 3 weeks in advance while for international flights, you should book your tickets 2 weeks in advance. Also, the cheapest months to book your tickets are August and September.
However, I want this blog post to be helpful to everybody so I’m not going to talk only about the USA. Below, I’ll share with you how many weeks ahead you should book your plane tickets, depending on your destination (according to Cheapair.com).
Europe
- Best time to buy – 28-29 weeks ahead
- Cheapest month to travel – February
- Most expensive month to travel – July
Asia
- Best time to buy – 22-23 weeks ahead
- Cheapest month to travel – November
- Most expensive month to travel – December
North America
- Best time to buy – 16-17 weeks ahead
- Cheapest month to travel – January and October
- Most expensive month to travel – July and December
South America
- Best time to buy – 12 weeks ahead
- Cheapest month to travel – October
- Most expensive month to travel – December
Central America
- Best time to buy – 11-12 weeks ahead
- Cheapest month to travel – September
- Most expensive month to travel – December
The Caribbean
- Best time to buy – 14-15 weeks ahead
- Cheapest month to travel – September
- Most expensive month to travel – December
Africa
- Best time to buy – 28-29 weeks ahead
- Cheapest month to travel – February
- Most expensive month to travel – July
Middle East
- Best time to buy – 28 weeks ahead
- Cheapest month to travel – February
- Most expensive month to travel – July
According to Kayak, whatever you do you shouldn’t wait until the last week to book your plane tickets. Usually, in this time frame the prices increase by about 25%.
I hope that this info will help you better plan your next holiday. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions.
May the travel bug bite you!
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Aurelia Teslaru is a professional travel blogger and the writer behind Daily Travel Pill. With a 4-year experience as a travel writer and photographer, Aurelia only shares travel guides about destinations that she visited.
She has been to more than 40 countries during the past 10 years and aims to explore 50 countries before turning 30 years old. Aurelia is a digital nomad who transformed her passion for travel into a lifestyle. Read more about her here.
To follow her adventures, check out her Instagram and Facebook pages!