The holiday season is about being together with your closest friends and family. But when those loved ones don’t live nearby, you may have to fly to visit them. Or maybe you’re the type to throw tradition out the window and instead celebrate the holidays in a distant destination.
In any case, the christmas season Not only is it the most wonderful time of the year, but it is also the busiest time for travel.
Every year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving tends to be the Busiest travel day at US airports. On December 1, 2024, the Transportation Security Administration screened a record 3.08 million passengers, and this year’s summer travel season exceeded 3 million passengers per day more than once – suggesting that the 2025 holiday season will be even busier than in previous years.
Related: 10 Ways to Get Through Airport Security Faster
“Flying during peak holidays, like Thanksgiving and New Year’s, not only means inflated fares compared to other times of the year, but also much busier airports.” Going spokesperson Katy Nastro told TPG. “If we look specifically at Thanksgiving, we will almost certainly see not only he “Busiest day on record, but probably several days with over 3 million people going through TSA.”
With airports experiencing such high levels of traffic and inflated prices, it’s essential that you know when to book your holiday airline ticket to get the best possible prices.
Here’s what you need to know to save on vacation travel in 2025.
Finding the cheapest holiday plane ticket
Book in advance
Your best bet for finding affordable vacation airfare is to book early.
Related: Best time to book flights with the cheapest airfare
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For domestic flights this holiday season, we recommend booking one or two months in advance. We generally see the best prices for Thanksgiving travel in late September or early October. For international flights, you’ll want to book a little further in advance, usually three to five months before your trip.
Set price alerts
Alternatively, you can book now and use Google Flights track the flight; This way, you can rebook your ticket if the price drops. Several major airlines will allow you revalue your ticket and issue you a credit for the difference if the rate goes down.
“By ensuring you have purchased a regular, not basic, economy ticket, you have the ability to rebook that flight at a lower cost once you are notified of a price drop and receive a credit for the difference to use in the future,” Nastro said. “Airlines don’t love this aspect, but it’s completely doable; you just have to make sure you’re not booking that non-changeable base fare.”
If you don’t want to manually track price changes, there are also several tools to help you recover money on flights if the price goes down.
Days to avoid
If you have the flexibility to do so, you should avoid certain days altogether if you want to keep costs down and avoid crowds.
“Avoiding not only the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but also the peak days leading up to the holiday, may be unavoidable,” Nastro said. “Traveling during the holidays itself will not only save you money, but it will also save you from the busiest time of year, ‘travel stress,’ and we trust you’ll appreciate it!”
According Expedia Vacation Travel DataThe busiest and most expensive days to fly around Thanksgiving are Wednesday, November 26 and Friday, November 28, the days immediately before and after the holiday.
Related: Traveling in 2025? These 12 Apps and Websites Make Reward Redemptions Easier to Find
For Christmas travel, Saturday, December 20 and Friday, December 26 are the days you want to avoid if possible.
The cheapest places to travel on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Flights
If you’re planning to spend Turkey Day outside the U.S., you’ll be happy to know that this is the best week of the year for international travel, according to data from Going. This is because most travelers fly domestically to visit family rather than internationally, allowing for widespread deals on international travel.
Your price may vary depending on your route and travel dates, but Going has spotted some good deals for Thanksgiving week at popular international destinations. Here are some of the best starting prices for round-trip domestic and international flights:
If you’d like to receive similar deals straight to your inbox, sign up to Going to get up to 90% off select flights through your Premium Membershipwhich users can try free for 14 days and then for $49 a year. You can also update to the elite level for $199 per year to access all Premium offers, plus premium economy, business and first class alerts. You can also sign up for a free trial through this link.
- Miami to Minneapolis for $199, nonstop roundtrip on Delta Air Lines Thanksgiving through weekend
- Chicago to San Diego for $165 round trip during Thanksgiving week on United Airlines
- Boston to Dublin for $384 round-trip on Delta over Thanksgiving (Going has similar deals in the $400 range to several destinations in Western Europe)
- Charlotte to Helsinki for $524 round trip during Thanksgiving Day on American Airlines… just in time for the holiday celebrations that begin on the 28th
Once you’ve chosen a destination, head to Google Flights and compare prices to determine the cheapest departure and return days.
The cheapest places to travel at Christmas
Because Christmas is celebrated more widely, unfortunately Thanksgiving travel rules do not apply. During the winter holidays, transcontinental flight prices can skyrocket, but sites like Going can help you find deals that are more than 40% off regular prices.
If you follow the experts’ advice to fly on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and return home on New Year’s Eve, here are some of the best starting prices on domestic and international flights we found using current Going data:
- New York City to the Bahamas for $388 round trip between Christmas and New Year’s Eve on JetBlue (Going has similar deals to other Caribbean destinations like Grand Cayman, Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos Islands)
- Washington, DC, to Los Angeles for $264 round trip on Southwest Airlines
- Seattle to Austin for $247 round trip on Southwest (or $292 nonstop in Alaska)
In a nutshell
When it comes to vacation travel, the key word is “flexibility.”
“Flexibility can be one of the most important pieces in helping you travel more affordably during a busy season like the winter holidays. If you just want to get away, you’re much more likely to find something instead of locking in on a destination and just paying because that’s where you want to go,” Nastro said.
This also applies to dating. For example, because New Year’s Eve falls in the middle of the week this year, it’s best to take time off (if possible) during the following week to leave on December 31 and extend the trip into the new year. “You’ll find that average ticket prices for almost anywhere will be considerably cheaper if you return around January 5 or 6 compared to the previous weekend,” he added.
Even if you don’t have the flexibility to choose your destination, you can still save money on airfare adapting your departure and return dates to avoid the busiest travel days.
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