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If tourism's post-pandemic recovery is now a reality, so is the rising cost of air travel. But when it comes to keeping your budget in check, flexibility is the watchword!
If tourism's post-pandemic recovery is now a reality, so is the rising cost of air travel. But when it comes to keeping your budget in check, flexibility is the watchword!
When it comes to planning a vacation, there are those who book way in advance, those who leave everything to the last minute and those who know how to book smart. That means booking your plane tickets at the right time, ie, not on a Friday! This can push up the cost by 5%! In fact, Friday is the day that some people decide to jet off at the last minute before the weekend, which tends to push up prices. This flight booking tip is highlighted by UK newspaper theDaily Mail, reporting in-depth data analysis from the travel giant, Expedia. Following the same logic, it is better to book on a Sunday, in the hope of saving up to 15%.
And that's not all. While many vacation rentals often commit vacationers to planning their stays from Saturday to Saturday, it can be more cost-effective to start a trip on a Wednesday. This day was found to be the cheapest for flying. Travelers can save up to 10% on the price of an international trip and even 15% for a domestic flight compared to a Sunday or Monday departure.
As a general rule, it's better to book a long-haul flight well in advance, ie, at least six months. This can save up to 10% compared to booking just two months in advance. And while it's already too late to apply this advice to this summer's long-distance projects, the time is now for fall getaways...
It seems that the best solution to keeping your travel budget in check is to be flexible. In March, the flight comparison site liligo.com warned that airfares would rise sharply in 2023, by about 25%, firstly due to airlines catching up after refraining from increasing fares in order to attract travelers during the post-Covid recovery. Added to this is the rise in costs, with the increase in the price of kerosene. In fact, fuel represents between 30% and 45% of the price of an air fare.
