The Cheapest Time to Fly in 2018?

Just in time for 2018, Hipmunk has released its annual travel planning guide, a data-filled report pinpointing the most budget-friendly times to fly roundtrip to destinations around the globe.

The deep-dive data involves analyzing millions of flights over an 18-month booking window in order to reveal periods of maximum savings.

Think of it as Hipmunk's holiday gift to travelers everywhere.

Among the key takeaways from this year's report:

-It may be cold outside, but January is the best travel bargain. Flights are markedly cheaper for both domestic and international travel destinations. Domestic airfare is 21 percent lower on average than peak summertime booking prices. Similarly, international travel is 20 percent less expensive on average than during the summer.

-Rethink your summer vacation (if you can bear it). To snag the best deals, it's best to bookend your travel. That means getting out of town at the start of the year and after the summer or shoulder season, (which is August and September). The biggest savings on international travel can be scored at the start of the year, peaking during summer and then dropping in the fall.

As a side note, if you're itching to visit Korea or Hong Kong, November offers both the lowest price and the mildest weather, according to the report.

The next part of the data not only highlights the cheapest month of the year to visit a particular destination, it also reveals the average price you can expect to pay for a ticket to that same city throughout the rest of the year. And just in case you're not great at math, the report also provides the percent savings achieved by traveling during the month Hipmunk has identified as the least expensive.

For instance, if Los Angeles is on your 2018 travel bucket list, then you'll want to consider visiting in February when the year's lowest airfare is available: An average ticket to the city will cost $296. The average price throughout the rest of the year is about $329, meaning you would realize a 10 percent savings by visiting during February.

Want to explore Nashville in 2018? January is the best time to do so when tickets will be about 27 percent cheaper at $323 instead of the yearly average of $441.

Some of the other top bargain among domestic destinations for the coming year include:

-Minneapolis, Minnesota:. The cheapest month to fly here is February when tickets are just $264, or 41 percent cheaper than the overall yearly average of $451. (Nevermind, that the average temps in Minnesota in February hover around 29 degrees.)

-Boise, Idaho: Flights to Boise hit rock bottom at $236 in January. That's a 32 percent savings from the yearly average flight price of $345.

-Santa Ana, California: A gateway to Southern California, flights to Santa Ana in September are a bargain at $323. And the region is lovely in the fall-just as warm as in the summer, if not warmer.

[READMORE]READ MORE: The New, Easiest Way to Score Cheap Flight Deals[/READMORE]

As for international flights, the top bargains can be found January through March and again from September through December.

Among the most notable savings is Zurich, where visiting in January saves a substantial 43 percent on a ticket, with the cost dropping from $1,039 to about $593.

Another top European bargain during winter month is Milan, Italy, where the average ticket in February drops to $570. That's a 42 percent savings over the yearly average ticket price of $990.

The full report can be read here.

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