Book It Now or Later?
When to book your flight, hotel, and more
Timing has a great deal to do with how much a trip will cost you. To secure your flight or the best seat at an event, it’s best to book as soon as possible. But booking early can also mean paying for something you could’ve seen or done for free (or a lot less). Knowing when’s the best time to book your vacation can save you hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars!
The best time to book a flight differs from when to book a hotel or an attraction/tour. It can be a lot to keep up with, so, I’ve tried to simplify it for you. Now, be warned: this is not a surefire way to get the lowest price every time. The travel industry is one of constant change and you won’t get the lowest price every time. What I do know is following these guidelines has helped me save hundreds and they’ll help you save money as well.
Flights
You’ve probably heard:
Flights are best booked on a Tuesday, four to twelve weeks ahead of departure.
Yes, this is true…ish. But the travel industry is doing all kinds of crazy things these days, this rule isn’t always feasible to follow. Fortunately for us, there are great tools available that do the “guesswork” for us. Google Flights and Hopper are the main tools I use when searching for flights. Used in tandem, they can tell me when the cheapest time to fly is and when it is cheapest to book those flights.
Google Flights is an excellent tool to gauge when plane tickets are cheapest and for which airline. Select your destination and dates of travel to view flight prices for most available flights (excludes Southwest Airlines). If your dates are flexible, click the calendar once again to view the price trends. Dates with green prices show the lowest prices. Dates with red prices are the highest prices. Track the itinerary to receive alerts when there’s a price change. That eliminates having to constantly check on flights. But you don’t want to wait too long in case prices keep on rising.
That’s where Hopper comes in. Google is great at showing the best time to travel, but Hopper is great at telling you when to buy those tickets. To simplify things, you can use Hopper to see both (what dates are cheapest to travel and when to buy those tickets), but personally, I like to check Google first and then track pricing trends with Hopper.
For popular holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, it’s best to start your search much earlier than twelve weeks. If prices don’t drop ten or eleven weeks out, then I suggest you purchase the tickets that are available. There are times when prices drop shortly after you’ve purchased a ticket (insert heartbreak), but check with your airline, as some airlines honor a price drop within a specified time frame (usually within 24-48 hours of purchase time).
If a destination is not time specific, play with the dates. Shoulder and off seasons are usually more affordable. If you haven’t selected a date yet, let your flight decide. Use Google Flights calendar to find the best price for your destination.
Not everyone has travel on the brain 24/7. I get it (no, I don’t). Having a bucket list makes it easier to think ahead for a trip. Check out my bucket list for inspiration on where your next adventure should be!
Accommodations
Booking hotels is not as tricky as booking a flight. Once you’ve determined when it’s the cheapest to fly, then you can start looking at hotel options.
Unlike flights, there isn’t really a “better window” to book a hotel. Prices stay mostly consistent no matter how far out you book (aside from major holidays and peak travel times). Where you’ll find more of a price difference is the days of the week you are traveling. Weekends (Friday and Saturday nights) and holidays are almost always going to be more expensive than weeknights.
Before finalizing a booking, review your accommodations cancellation policy. With COVID-19, the travel industry has had a lot of changes. This includes relaxing a lot of cancellation/modification policies. Some companies have implemented permanent change, while others only remained through the pandemic.
Regardless, always read the fine print! Some hotels offer lower rates for paying the full reservation total upfront. However, this usually includes a penalty of the first night’s rate (or worse) if you must cancel. My preference is for rates that offer free cancellation. Plans can change and it would suck to reserve a hotel, need to change your accommodation, and be penalized for wanting to cancel/change the reservation.
Car Rentals
Choosing when to book a car rental (for me) honestly depends on the rental company. Enterprise is my rental company of choice. Overall, they have the best prices, customer service, and vehicle options. Enterprise has some of the lowest security deposit rates and their cancellation policy allows you to cancel right up until pickup. Enterprise checks off every box on my list!
All that being said, car rental rates fluctuate quite a bit. Like hotels, weekend and holiday rates tend to be higher. And, the closer you wait until your travel date, the prices can do one of two things: skyrocket or plunge. Doesn’t help much, does it? Some companies have “last-minute deals” that can mean great savings. But, if there is a high demand around the dates you’d like to travel, the longer you wait, the more rates will likely rise.
As an Enterprise fan, I like to book my car rentals after my flight and hotel have been situated. Their cancellation policy offers all the flexibility I need. Whichever company you choose, double-check their cancellation policy. If there isn’t a cancellation penalty, secure your vehicle! If you decide on a booking that has a strict cancellation policy, wait to book your rental until you are confident in your plans.
I’ve always wanted to try Hotwire’s Hot Rate Deals but I am too afraid of leaving my hotel choice or rental car to chance. If you’ve tried it, comment below! I’m really intrigued to hear about your experiences!
Shows/Tours/Attraction Tickets
To put it simply:
Shows: pre-book/purchase
Tours: pre-book/purchase
Attractions: wait until you’re traveling (sometimes)
Shows, tours, and attractions are the main events of vacations (unless it’s a chillcation). A ‘show’, or ‘event’, is any entertaining element that does not require your active participation (Broadway, a concert, Cirque du Soleil, sporting event, etc.) that allows you to purchase tickets ahead of time, but ultimately allows you to choose your seat. I love getting the best seat possible (within budget). Waiting to book a coveted show may leave you in the nosebleeds, or worse, out in the cold. If the show is something that is high on your activities list, book it as soon as possible.
Tours and attractions largely intersect, but for the sake of this article, a ‘tour’ is a guided or self-guided excursion. This includes museums, landmarks, historical buildings/sites, aerial, land, and sea excursions. Tours have time and space constraints. For this reason, tours should be prioritized when planning and booking a vacation. Tours can be from a couple of hours to a full day (8+ hours) and have limited availability. Book your tours early and plan the rest of your itinerary around them.
Attractions are the most flexible of all. ‘Attractions’ are places that draw visitors by providing something of interest or pleasure. Attractions can be theme parks, national parks and sites, botanical gardens, museums, landmarks, and more. So, what makes them different than a tour when it comes to booking? Attractions typically take up less time than tours and have more availability. When in Las Vegas, you can go on a Grand Canyon tour (which requires booking ahead of time), or you can take a ride on the High Roller Observation Wheel (an attraction). Attractions typically allow you to purchase your ticket onsite or online. Always check online before buying a ticket in person. Sometimes attractions offer online discounts or “skip-the-line” perks.
Because attractions have more booking flexibility and typically do not have seat/availability limitations, it’s perfectly fine to book early or wait. No matter how hard we try, we tend to overbook ourselves on vacation. When building your itinerary, start with your “must-dos” and then move on to your “like-to-dos”. Book anything that is a must-do as soon as you can. Schedule in things you’d like to do but don’t book them yet if they are attractions. If you’re tired or run out of time, you won’t feel as bad missing out if you didn’t waste any money. Take it from someone who has wasted lots of dollars on missed tours and attractions.
Dinner Reservations
[Dinner reservations is a section by itself for no other reason than my wanting to have five categories. 😁]
When it comes to dining, this isn’t just a rule to follow during vacation. This is a rule always: MAKE. A. RESERVATION.
I don’t like to wait long and I like to know for certain if I’ll be able to have a table. Making dining reservations are especially important for popular restaurants, dates (such as holidays), and times (lunch or dinner rush). But be warned! Some restaurants take a debit/credit card with a reservation. If they do, that usually means they have a cancellation penalty of some sort. Review the terms for the cancellation period and any monetary penalties.
The travel game can be a bit tricky when trying to save extra dollars. Sometimes it’s best to book early, and other times it is better to wait. If remaining within a budget is your priority, then having more time between booking and travel dates will allow more saving opportunities. Traveling requires a flexible mindset. Nobody likes a Debbie Downer and not everything goes our way when traveling. We’re always hunting for the best prices, but sometimes we may not get the best deal. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good deal.