Families may not be thinking of holiday travel as they enjoy the remains of summer and begin prepping for the new school year, but according to travel booking company Hipmunk, planning for Thanksgiving now can save families money on travel during the busy season.
Hipmunk reviewed travel data and found that booking Thanksgiving airfare the week before Labor Day resulted in a savings of nearly $140. Those who booked early paid, on average, $424 on airfare, while those who booked flights the week of Thanksgiving spent, on average, $561. The earlier flights were booked, the bigger the savings.
For better deals and less crowds, Hipmunk also suggests departing on the Monday before Thanksgiving and returning on the Friday after the holiday, as 62 percent of travelers departed on Tuesday or Wednesday and 88 percent returned on Saturday or Sunday.
Although early bookings save on airfare, Hipmunk found that hotels were cheapest when booking in November, when sales take place to try to fill rooms. The company found travelers save, on average, nearly $50 when booking in November instead of August.
–Lissa Poirot
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