Travel Deal of the Day (April 28, 2008)

Always think two holidays ahead if you want to save money when traveling for a holiday weekend. With Memorial Day just a few weeks ahead, people wanting to spend a lot of money will buy tickets now for travel over Memorial Day weekend. Those people wanting to save money will buy July 4th or even Labor Day weekend tickets now.

The Deal:
The most common time to buy airfare for a holiday weekend is a few weeks before that holiday weekend. If you are looking to save money, you should plan further in advance as most of the cheapest seats for travel for an upcoming holiday weekend were sold far in advance. This becomes the biggest issue if you must fly the most heavily traveled times during holiday weekends (i.e., you must fly the Monday evening of Memorial Day weekend or the Sunday after Thanksgiving).

During the time over the next few weeks when most are focusing on Memorial Day, I would advocate that you start thinking about July 4th, Labor Day or even Thanksgiving travel. Start checking airfares and getting ready to purchase your tickets when you notice that fare drops significantly. Don’t follow the crowds by buying your tickets for very busy holiday weekends with only a few weeks in advance – think ahead and save money.