When to Book Thanksgiving and Christmas Travel, According to Google

Travelers hoping to take to the skies for the holiday season should consider booking their trip next month for the cheapest flight.

According to insights from Google, shared with Travel + Leisure, October is the best time to book both Thanksgiving and Christmas months. Specifically for Christmas, cheaper domestic flights will be available during the back half of the month. 

“Now is a good time to think about any holiday travel plans,” James Byers, the group product manager of search for Google, told T+L. “If you already know where you’re going to fly, our best advice is to enter your trip details on Google Flights and look for the insights that show you the cheapest time to book your chosen destination and dates.”

For Thanksgiving, domestic flight prices are lowest 45 days before departure, while Christmas flights are typically lowest 58 days before departure.

Travelers hoping to book an international trip for the holiday season, however, shouldn’t wait since Google said prices probably won’t drop between now and the holidays. In fact, the opposite is more likely true: the search engine said average prices start to rise about 50 days before international flights.

Last year, Google introduced a new feature that tells customers when prices on their potential trip have specifically been the lowest and predicts how much they will save by either booking immediately or waiting. Google also allows travelers to set up flight tracking and alerts to see if a better price pops up.

This year, the search engine company said travelers are looking for warm-weather getaways for Thanksgiving with Orlando coming in as the most-searched destination for Turkey Day, followed by Cancun. For December, Tokyo reigns supreme with the city’s elaborate light displays, steamy onsen hot springs, and the strong dollar against the Japanese yen all appealing draws.