Stop Overpaying For Vacations: A Smarter Way To Find Travel Deals

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Everyone needs a vacation now and then. Having some time to unplug from the daily grind and remember who you are when you relax is invaluable. However, with increasing fees on checked luggage and hotel costs going up, saving money on travel anywhere you can is becoming more and more important. One smart way you can find deals and keep costs down is by having flexible travel dates when booking flights. That goes for days of the week, the time of day, and when you choose to travel during the year. Even shifting your vacation to just a few days before or after your original travel dates might save you a whole lot of money.

This isn't just advice from research: I just booked a trip to see my family across the country and checked flights on different days of the week. Shifting my original dates, which included a Friday flight, to a day earlier in the week ended up saving me about $200. Of course, this necessitates making sure you book your flights before you have your hotel or rental property, or any tours and other activities, locked in.

Some online travel agencies like Kayak will let you look up flights and give you an idea of the average price for upcoming travel dates. They'll also give you the option to view flights available a few days before and after the travel dates you enter. Similarly, Google Flights has a "flexible dates" button once you put in your travel dates, along with a tool to see the flight's price history. However, there are a few other key pieces of information that can help you maximize your savings.

According to Expedia in 2026, the best day to book a flight is Friday, but regardless of when you book, the cheapest day to fly is Tuesday for domestic flights. It's also the day that is the least busy, meaning you may not be stuck in an hour-long line at Starbucks (from experience). However, it's still worth using the aforementioned tools, in case you find something cheaper on another day. You may also save money if you book within six weeks of your trip, Expedia noted. Avoiding a flight on Sundays, when people are heading back after a weekend away, can also cut costs. Yet another way to track prices if you aren't locked into certain dates is to use the site Skyscanner, which can give you price alerts so you can see when flights are cheapest. 

It's helpful to remain flexible when choosing the time of your flight, too. There are benefits to choosing a red-eye flight, which can be cheaper than daytime flights, particularly if you have the coveted ability to sleep on the plane. You're also going to save money if you can take your trip outside of the peak tourist season. Off-peak or shoulder season trips can also offer you fewer crowds and less expensive hotels and tours (though check to see if the places you want to visit are open during that time before you book). Finally, before you book that flight, even with flexible dates, check out our other tips and tricks for finding deals to get the biggest bang for your buck.