When you travel makes a big difference to your pocket.
Travelers, hold on tight! This holiday season is going to be crazy busy with 115.2 million traveling 50 miles or more over the 10-day period. It is projected that it will be a record-breaking season for air travel with 7.5 million taking to the skies during the holidays.
It’s not unprecedented—December has long been a peak travel month. It’s also the most expensive month to travel, according to an analysis by luggage storage company Bounce. The company looked at the average hotel prices for 70 destinations around the world and calculated the difference between the cheapest and most expensive months and days of the year.
If you’re in the process of marking the calendar of 2024 with travels, take a look and adjust your travel dates accordingly.
Related: Traveling for Christmas? Here’s What You Should Do When Things Are Closed for the Holidays
The Three Best Months to Travel
If you postpone your winter travels by a month, you’ll end up saving a wad of cash. January is the cheapest month to travel to 15 top destinations, including Athens, Greece; Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia; Lisbon, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain; Antalya, Turkey; Prague, Czech Republic; Rome, Italy; Dublin, Ireland; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Berlin, Germany; Seoul, South Korea; Vienna, Austria; Toronto, Canada; London, Enland; and Hanoi, Vietnam.
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February, too, is a good month to take off–12 top destinations are most affordable during this chilly month, including a few warm-weather spots: Florence, Italy; Venice, Italy; Budapest, Hungary; Agra, India; New York City, New York; Vancouver, Canada; Milan, Italy; Tokyo, Japan; Johannesburg, South Africa; Brussels, Belgium; Paris, France; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
If you’d rather wait until late-spring, there’s one month that’s a perfect option: May. May is the least-expensive month to travel to six destinations: Chiang Mai, Thailand; Phuket, Thailand; Taipei, Taiwan; Delhi, India; Sydney, Australia; and Orlando, Florida.
The Three Most Expensive Months to Travel
December is one of the most expensive months to travel, especially if you’re going to these 12 cities, according to the Bounce analysis: Phuket, Thailand; Denpasar, Bali; Indonesia; Dubai, UAE; New York City, New York; Prague, Czech Republic; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Taipei, Taiwan; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Cancún, Mexico; Sydney, Australia; Kuala Lumpur; Malaysia.
But two other months are also surprisingly expensive: September and February (seriously).
The most expensive time to visit 12 top destinations is September: Heraklion, Greece; Athens, Greece; Lisbon, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain; Budapest, Hungary; Rome, Italy; Munich, Germany; Berlin, Germany; Vienna, Austria; Toronto, Canada; Hanoi, Vietnam; and Singapore.
And February is the worst month to visit these six destinations: Cairo, Egypt; Madrid, Spain; Macau; Miami, Florida; Mumbai, India; and Orlando, Florida.
The Weekend Myth (Or Not)
For 17 cities around the world, Saturday is the cheapest day to travel, including Vegas, Milan, or Dublin. Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays tie for the second place with lower prices in 10 destinations. Tuesday is in fact the most expensive day to travel in 15 destinations, including Madrid, London, and Paris.
Both of these could be due to low demand for business travel on weekends and higher on weekdays. However, the research mentions that there are no major trends and multiple factors could be influencing these patterns in each city.
At the same time, you can save as much as 81.9% on hotel stays in Agra, India, if you stay on a Sunday as opposed to a Friday. In Male, Maldives, too, the cost drops from $2,202 on Saturday to $428 on Friday.
Highest Possible Hotel Savings
In Male, you can save as much as 85% if you travel during off season. In August, the price per night on average is $364, but it climbs up to $2,425 in January. This difference in prices between the cheapest and most expensive months is a reflection of the weather—August has more chances of rain while January has a high demand among travelers. Going to Heraklion in Greece in November can save you 77.5% as opposed to September. Similar trends are also observed in Cairo; July is $182 per night, but the country is sweltering in the month.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas has the lowest possible chances of hotel savings. You’ll only save $22 per night if you travel in the cheapest month: July.