Scott's Cheap Flights: Why You Should Book Summer Flights Now

 From: Scott's Cheap Flights <hello@mail.scottscheapflights.com>

Sent: Monday, January 3, 2022 6:36 AM

Six months ago, I wrote you a simple piece of advice: it was the ideal time to book your winter holiday flights. Now, as winter approaches, I’m back with the same (opposite?) advice: it’s time to book those summer flights.  For peak travel periods, always book opposite season When do swimsuits get discounted? In the winter. When do jackets get discounted? In the summer. It’s the same with flights. If you wait to make summer travel plans until April or May—the time when everyone else is making their summer travel plans—airfare is almost certainly going to be expensive. Instead, now is when cheap summer flights are much more likely to pop up. So when that New Year’s ball is dropping, that’s when you should be thinking about summer flights. And when you’re at a July 4th barbecue next summer, that’s when you should be thinking about winter holiday flights.  Further-out bookings produce the most joy One of the most interesting things I learned while researching Take More Vacations was the way travel actually brings us joy. We think of vacation as something we only enjoy during the trip itself. But if you dig into the research, it turns out we get as much if not more joy before a trip, daydreaming about sipping cocktails on the beach or perusing weekend markets. Anticipation is a hell of a drug. When does a trip become real in our minds? Not when we first imagine it or even when we start researching it. A trip becomes real the moment we book flights—that’s when it starts bringing us joy. While few people today are thinking about travel next summer, I think that’s exactly what you should do if you want cheap flights and more happiness. Treat your future self and your today self by having a trip to look forward to.  Goldilocks Windows Perhaps the question I’m asked more than any other is when to book flights in order to get the cheapest fare. While there’s no precise, predictable time when every flight is cheapest—”Tuesday at 1pm” is a myth, as is “exactly 67 days prior to travel”—the best strategy is relying on Goldilocks Windows. Those windows are when cheap fares are most likely to pop up. For domestic trips, the Goldilocks Window for when you’re most likely to see a cheap flight is 1-3 months before flying. For international flights, it’s 2-8 months in advance. If you’re hoping to travel during a peak time like middle of summer or around New Year’s, though, you’ll need to add a few months. The easiest way to remember? Always book opposite season. And yes, we’re already sending our members some sweet deals with summer availability, like Iceland from $393 roundtrip, Brazil from $639 roundtrip in premium economy, and Paris from $2,093 roundtrip in business class. Remember that many airlines are still waiving changes for fares above basic economy, so you can make plans in pencil now, and stay flexible up until your travel dates. Have you already started booking for summer 2022? Let me know on twitter. Love, Scott