Google Flights: The Best Time To Book Holiday Travel 2026

Nothing says ‘merry’ like an airport.

Like it or not, you’re coming up on the compulsory time of the year to see select people in your circle. At least booking travel at the best time might help with at least some holiday stress.

Google is sharing 5 years of aggregated data to show you the best times you can book travel around the holidays to save yourself some money.

When To Book For Thanksgiving

Google showed that the best time to book flights for Thanksgiving week is about 34 days before departure, with the lowest fares being offered 21-57 days before the holiday.

So like now.

In general, for domestic flights, you can save most by booking it 39 days before departure. For international flights, you should book those at least 89 days before departure to save.

Read More: United’s “Twilight Baggage Drop” Debuts At Chicago O’Hare

Christmas Is More Complicated

Getty Images

Christmas travel requires more planning if you want to save money on it. The data showed that prices are lowest about 56 days before departure, the best prices are 33 and 67 days ahead of your travel date.

So you would need to book Christmas travel at some point between late October and mid-November.

November-January is a busy travel season in the U.S. and the tickets go up in price in specifically November and December.

Besides booking tickets early, analysts suggest being flexible about your travel dates and consider different arrival and departure times. They also suggest flying out of cheaper airports nearby, like instead of flying out of Chicago O’Hareflying out of a smaller airport maybe an hour or two away.