Ever wonder the best month to travel to get the best deals while still having a great experience? There are the best times to travel due to big events such as the Super Bowl in February, but that will cost you an arm and a leg. What most are interested in are the best values or bang for the buck. The chart below is a sampling of sites across the web and where some experts feel are the best places to go when for the best bargains. In other words, it’s cheaper than normal, you can avoid huge crowds yet it’s still nice weather and you will have a wonderful trip. Take a look and see if you agree.
Best Month to Travel to Many Popular Destinations
|
Month |
LifeHacker (Marriott) |
Time Inc. |
About.com |
Kayak |
Various Sites |
Travel & Leisure |
Money Magazine |
|
Jan |
New York, NY Santa Barbara, CA Virginia Beach, VA |
Asheville, NC |
New York, NY San Francisco, CA Washington, DC |
Orlando, FL Cancun, Mexico |
Las Vegas, NV London, UK Rome, Italy |
Los Angeles, CA Melbourne, Australia |
TVs, Electronics, Bedding, Linens, cookware & Fitness Equipment |
|
Feb |
Colorado Springs, CO Montreal, Canada |
British Columbia, Canada |
Ireland Netherlands San Antonio, CA |
Savannah, GA Hong Kong, China |
Paris, France New York, NY |
Honolulu, HI Hong Kong, China |
Winter Apparel, Appliances, Furniture & Housewares |
|
Mar |
Portland, OR Italy Rio de Janeiro |
Namibia, Africa |
Los Angeles, CA Italy Spain |
Nashville, TN Montreal, Canada |
Flagstaff, AZ Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Non-Apple Smartphones, Running Shoes & Team Apparel |
|
|
April |
Santa Fe, NM Rocky Mountains Charleston, SC |
Maryland’s Eastern Shore |
Jamaica Asheville, NC Charlotte, NC |
Los Angeles, CA Fiji |
Aspen, CO Ski Trips |
Chicago, IL Copenhagen, Denmark |
Home, Garden & Auto Supplies & Spring Clothing |
|
May |
Lake Tahoe, CA Denver, CO Australia |
Tokyo, Japan |
Hawaii Washington State Atlanta, GA |
New York, NY Turks and Caicos |
Hawaii |
Ft Lauderdale, FL London, UK |
Home Furnishings & Home Goods |
|
June |
Dallas, TX Thailand Baja, CA |
Umbria, Italy |
Phoenix, AZ Utah Albuquerque, NM |
Chicago, IL St. Martin/Maarten |
Thailand |
San Antonio, TX Beijing, China |
Tools & Home Improvement |
|
July |
Caribbean Palm Beach, FL Baton Rouge, LA |
Cayucos, CA |
Tucson, AZ Memphis, TN El Paso, TX |
Boston, MA St. Lucia |
South Pacific |
Boston, MA Sydney, Australia |
Swimwear, Summer Entertaining & AC Units |
|
Aug |
Tucson, AZ New Orleans, LA Las Vegas, NV |
Idaho |
Las Vegas, NV Killington, VT Kansas City, MO |
San Francisco, CA Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Madrid, Spain Croatia |
New York, NY Berlin, Germany |
Laptops & Summer Clothing |
|
Sep |
Martha’s Vineyard, MA Montana |
Door County, WI |
Japan New Orleans, LA Orlando, FL |
Seattle, WA Toronto, Canada |
Miami, FL |
Orlando, FL Rome, Italy |
Home Furnishings, Outdoor & Patio Goods & Last Generation iPhones and iPads |
|
Oct |
Miami, FL Vancouver Islands, BC |
Panama City, FL |
St. Martin/Maarten Costa Rica Breckenridge, CO |
Nantucket, MA Milan, Italy |
National Parks |
New Orleans, LA Cape Town, S. Africa |
Denim, Fall Fashion, Camping Gear & Sports Equipment |
|
Nov |
South Pacific Riviera Maya, Mexico |
Austin, TX |
Lake Tahoe, NV Reno, NV Dominican Republic |
Portland, OR Bangkok, Thailand |
St. John, USVI San Diego, CA Key West, FL |
San Francisco, CA Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Video Games & Consumer Electronics |
|
Dec |
Napa, CA Washington D.C. Seattle, WA |
European Riverboat Tour |
Napa-Sonoma, CA Germany Greece |
Las Vegas, NV Vancouver, Canada |
Bali |
Las Vegas, NV Frankfurt, Germany |
Gift Cards & Toys |
The Best Month to Travel Overall
The site Skyscanner where they analyze millions of flights and reservations a year claim that November is the overall cheapest month to travel. This is the month it is the most difficult for the travel industry to fill it’s planes, hotels and resorts.
When to Buy Airline Tickets
Below is a graphic from cheapair.com that shows when they feel is the best time to book your flights based on where you are traveling. So if you are planning to take the advice above and book your trip to Las Vegas this coming winter, you had better do it 47 days in advance for the best ticket prices.
One thing I did notice from my research is that there may be some general trends that exist on when to travel to certain regions or popular destinations, but that it’s far from precise. Any given year the airfare sales may hit at the right time and you could snag a bargain at any time. The key is to have a system to stay up on fare alerts to where you want to go and have a point plan to ensure you have the ammunition necessary to lower your cost or possibly make your trip free. It’s really this game of finding that great deal that I love most.
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