New Online Tool Tells You the Best Times To Travel This Holiday Season

Image: PHOTO: Christmas tree in front of an airport departures board. (Photo via iStock/Getty Images Plus/Visionkick)
Image: PHOTO: Christmas tree in front of an airport departures board. (Photo via iStock/Getty Images Plus/Visionkick)
Laurie Baratti
by Laurie Baratti
Last updated: 7:10 PM ET, Fri October 27, 2023

With only two months to go until Christmas, the end-of-year holidays are practically just around the corner. And, with many Americans preparing to visit their loved ones or celebrate in new destinations, now’s the time to lock in your flights for the festive season.

You may be wondering what day will be best to travel amid the holiday rush, but it all depends upon where you’re headed. Fortunately, KAYAK, one of the world’s leading travel search engines, has introduced a valuable new service to make the task of finding the best times to fly a much merrier one.

KAYAK’s new "Best Time To Travel Christmas and New Year" tool has done the hard work of delving into the details of over 8,000 routes worldwide, leveraging the company’s historical festive season flight data to identify the best time to book your tickets and fly at the most budget-friendly prices. 

Using predictive data and user-friendly price graphs, this tool enables users to compare pricing day-by-day to pinpoint the most affordable air travel dates, as well as how far in advance they should book to take advantage of the best possible fares. 

Whether you’re headed home for Christmas or spending the holidays in an exotic locale, the "Best Time To Travel" saves customers vast amounts of time they’d otherwise spend tracking down the best deals, and trying to determine when will be the best times both to book their tickets and take their flights during the frenzied holiday travel season.

For instance, say you're eyeing a week-long holiday in Jamaica to celebrate the festive season in the Caribbean sunshine. Booking your flights 11 days in advance, and departing on December 19 from New York, with a return on Christmas Day, could potentially save you as much as 36 percent on airfare.

But, let’s say you’ve already missed the ideal booking window for securing the best deals or are waiting for that opportune moment to secure your tickets. KAYAK also gives you the option of setting up Price Alerts, a nifty feature keeps tracks fluctuating fare prices, and keeps you posted on pricing so that you can book when the cost aligns with your budget and travel plans.

“Tis the season for festive travel, but there are so many opinions on where to go, when to travel and when to book,” said Annie Wilson, KAYAK Chief Commercial Officer.“KAYAK's Best Time To Travel Tool helps you to go see for yourself by using our smart data to help you find the best prices and compare by week so you can choose a date that works for you."


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Laurie Baratti

Laurie Baratti

Assistant Editor

Laurie Baratti is an Assistant Editor for TravelPulse. She is a San Diego-based journalist whose work has previously appeared in publications like TravelAge West, SPACE, Modern Home + Living, Montage, and Sandals Life magazines. Travel writing has long been her passion, and she is always looking for excuses to explore the world outside of her native California. Laurie is also a lifelong equestrian, a proud pet-parent, and an underground advocate of the Oxford comma.

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