The best time to travel each year is during January and February, as flight prices plummet after the holiday season when consumers try to cut back on spending. So for those not burnt out from holiday travel and can spare some extra change, the Internet is bursting with great flight deals.
“People are spent and traveled out, and there aren’t as many destinations that are desirable for mid-winter travel since a lot of the bigger cities in the U.S. are experiencing colder weather, such as Boston, Chicago and even Atlanta,” George Hobica, founder of AirfareWatchdog, told Mashable. “Airfares are always lowered from about now until Mid-February, when the school vacations start up – with the exception of some higher fares around Martin Luther King weekend.”
1. Look for Airline Tweets
A low fare could pop up at any minute of the day or week, so shop around, follow tweets — because the best deals, even if they're good for travel over a long period, last only a few hours — and be prepared to go wherever it's cheap rather than where you can't afford, Hobica advises.
2. Sign Up for Alerts
First, sign up for AirFareWatchDog’s fare alerts and email newsletter that sends cheap flight deals based on your home airport. Most domestic deals are under or around $200 – and some right now are so low, it’s mind-boggling. A roundtrip trip to Chicago from New York, for example, could cost as little as $54 and you'll find airfare to Florida for less than $100.
3. Let Web Sites Do Your Legwork
Another site worth checking out is SkyScanner, which is perfect for flexible travelers. By typing “everywhere” into the destination search and selecting when you want to travel, the site reveals the cheapest options out there – from New York, fares to the Caribbean right now are under $300 and there’s even an option to Ireland in the $400 range.
4. Know When — Exactly — to Buy
While searching for deals, remember that traveling on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the cheapest days to fly, while Friday and Sunday are the busiest travel days and the most expensive. The most cost-efficient time to fly is also first thing in the morning and red-eyes, according to FareCompare.com, followed by lunch time and dinner-hour flights.
via Mashable (all details) by Samantha Murphy Kelly
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