KAYAK reveals when to book flights for popular summer holidays

• Analysis shows now may be the time to book for a summer holiday in Thailand – this time last year travellers saved 25% on average on flights
• Based on historical data, travellers are likely to find good value priced flights around two months before travel for European destinations
• Around 60% of people with a travel resolution plan on reducing non-essential expenses to fund a holiday next year

LONDON, Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — As the January blues kick in and Brits start planning their next holiday, KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, has analysed search data for 2024 summer holiday destinations and reveals when to book to get great prices.

The good news is that flight ticket prices for this summer are currently relatively the same  as they were last year, on average only increasing by around 2%*, but that could change. KAYAK has analysed price data from 2023 flight searches to provide insights on when travellers are likely to find great deals for popular destinations this summer.

Generally, based on last year’s searches, travellers who booked their summer European flights around two months before departure found some of our best deals.

Annie Wilson, KAYAK Chief Commercial Officer commented: “If you’re planning on booking a summer holiday to Greece, then you may want to wait a few more months, as our data shows that travellers who booked their trip around two months before departure saved on average 16% more than booking 9 months before they travelled.”

Those planning on spending the summer in Thailand could get a great deal by booking now, eight months before travel, which could see savings of around 25% based on flight searches last year. For a holiday ‘across the pond’ to the United States, travellers previously found booking four months in advance led to  savings of 12% on average.

To fund a holiday in 2024 60%** of people plan to reduce their non-essential expenses, according to KAYAK research. Those include cutting out takeaway meals (68%) and dining out (53%) and not buying new clothes or shoes (46%).

The KAYAK Vacay Valuator tool is designed to help travellers plan and save for their holiday and help them find the perfect destination for their getaway. The interactive service provides an easy and practical way for people to see how much they could save by making small adjustments to their non-essential spending habits to help fund their holiday.

Using the calculator is simple. Travellers simply select the items they are willing to reduce their spending on – from takeaways to TV subscription services – and for how long.  The 2024 Vacay Valuator then does its magic – working out what the possible savings will be and what flight routes are available for a price equivalent to the proposed saving. 

The top searched destination in Europe for next summer is Faro, Portugal, where average flight prices are £226***. Sacrificing two months of dining out should save you more than enough for economy return flights to Faro****. You have plenty of time to save for flights to Portugal as KAYAK data shows the best time to book flights for this summer holiday season appears to be two months before travel.

Annie Wilson, KAYAK Chief Commercial Officer added: “January tends to be one of the most popular times of the year for travel searches. Our Vacay Valuator tool helps travellers with their holiday savings goals as well as finding destinations in their budget. Almost a quarter of people (23%) said they want to eat healthier this year, and perhaps swapping takeaways for funding a holiday resolution could be a great way to kickstart that New Year’s resolution and fund a summer holiday. Why not give it a go, you might not have to make cut-backs for as long as you think.”

Note to editors:

KAYAK offers a wide range of tools including a variety of search filters to find the flights, cars and hotels to help travellers book their next getaway including:

• Explore: Debating where to travel? Use KAYAK’s Explore tool to see all the amazing places you can visit within a given price range.
• Best Time to Travel: KAYAK’s new tool helps you find the best time to travel to your chosen destination looking at prices, weather, busy periods using KAYAK data and Chat GPT.
• Price Alerts: Never miss a deal by signing up for KAYAK’s customised price alerts so you know when prices change for the flight, hotel or car you want.
• Vacay Valuator: Find the destinations you could fly to based on the savings you could make by cutting back on some everyday luxuries

Methodology:

*Based on flight searches made on Kayak.co.uk and associated sites in the period between 01/12/2022 – 15/09/2023, for travel dates 01/06/2024 – 15/09/2024. Prices are on average for return flights on economy departing from any UK airport. Prices may vary and savings cannot be guaranteed. Percentages for changes in searches are approximate.

**An online survey was conducted by PureSpectrum, amongst 1,200 respondents in the UK who plan to travel in 2024. The sample was weighted proportionately by region for direct comparison. The research fieldwork took place between November 15th – 23rd, 2023.

***Based on flight searches made on Kayak.co.uk and associated sites in the period between 01/06/2023 – 20/11/2023 compared to 01/06/2022 – 20/11/2022, for travel dates 01/06/2024 – 15/09/2024. Prices are on average for return flights on economy departing from any UK airport. Prices may vary and savings cannot be guaranteed. Percentages for changes in searches are approximate.

****Vacay Valuator saving of £278 from two months of dining out. Two months of football matches is a saving of £250.

About KAYAK
KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world’s leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay, rental car and vacation package. We also support business travellers with our corporate travel solution.

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