We just booked a European river cruise for May 2023. Since we are extending the trip on our own, we opted to buy land only and make airfare arrangements on our own. I am now seeing some fairly affordable MIA to Amsterdam, then London back to MIA, fares. But the Capital One Travel Price Predictor bot suggests that prices will go down come next October and recommends waiting until then. I know that prices normally do go down after the summer peak travel season, but these are not normal times and I am terrified that jet fuel prices and inflation will cause airfares to skyrocket in the fairly short term. So we are seeking advise from seasoned travelers. What would you do? Book now? Or wait? Thanks in advance.

It is absolutey certain that fares will vary considerably before 2023, but the geopolitical situation is so unstable at the moment that I cannot imagine trying to predict the evolution of fares. Nevertheless, I would wait. There is nothing worse than locking in a fare and then discovering on your travel date that everybody else paid 30% less.

For years I have started my planning for my European Spring trip in February/March. This year was no exception, and the prices were comparable to previous years. This was before the fuel hikes. Nonetheless, I think that you can wait until the new year to look for air fares. BTW, I used Kayak to look for trans-Atlantic fares.

All of the mistakes I've made in the timing of my ticket purchases has been to book too early. Typical mistakes were to cancel flights and forfeit the ticket price or change an itinerary and incur change fees. I would hold off until at least December.