Expedia, the big online travel agent, has been looking at numbers for past years and present trends, and has some advice on when to buy tickets for this year's next two big travel holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Surprisingly, the answer is not the same.
The best time, they say, for booking Thanksgiving tickets is 61-90 days out, which means you might want to start looking right now. Last year's figures show that travelers booking in that bracket saved about 10%, while those who waited to the last minute paid 20% above the average.
For Christmas, though, the sweet spot turns out to be 14-20 days out, with travelers last year saving about 5% in that bracket. Those who waited longer paid 15% over.
"Timing is a big factor in getting a good deal on airfare," according to Sarah Gavin, vice president of global communications for Expedia. "People typically know pretty far in advance whether they're going to travel for the holidays, so it's a good idea to keep an eye on prices months out. Even with holiday travel, a general rule of thumb applies: If you find a fare that seems like a good deal, buy it."
And Gumbo reminds you: websites such as yapta.com and airfarewatchdog.com allow you to set up alerts, which will notify you when there's a price drop, or when the fare comes down to the price you're willing to pay.
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