January is an interesting time of year. Some people are slowly recovering from the holiday period, while others are full steam ahead with the resolutions they promised themselves to begin in the New Year. Given that many people are preoccupied or have just returned from traveling over the holidays, most people are not thinking about planning their annual holiday during January. That fact alone is why it’s such a great time to do so.
The Dynamics of Post-Holiday Travel
The Christmas and New Year’s period is always extremely busy for travel. A lot of marketing budget and focus is spent by travel companies in the leadup each year, trying to maximize the amount of travelers who use their services.
For the savvy traveler, though, the immediate aftermath of this is primetime for making travel bookings. As the demand for travel drops after this period, the prices begin to drop, as well. It’s hard to put an exact number on it, but during the first couple of weeks of January, you’re likely to find flights cheaper than at any other time of the year.
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No matter what time of year your annual holiday takes place, January is when you should keep tabs on booking platforms to see if any destinations you’re interested in have good deals available. Travel brands like eDreams, for example, tailor their home page to the needs of their users by conveniently displaying the best offers on their platform. With accessible and easy-to-navigate interfaces, as well as AI-powered search engines, it’s easier than ever to look for arrangements regardless of whether you’re a casual flier or set on a trip to a specific destination.
Check back regularly and consider a subscription to services like mailing lists for all the latest offer updates or download mobile apps.
Smart Holiday Booking Strategies
One of the other reasons that January is a great time for travel planning is that it fits the needs of busy families. If you don’t have a particular destination in mind and you’re happy to just go wherever the deals are, January is when all the deals for the year will begin appearing. This is the time when you’ll have the most options to choose from.
Another benefit of taking this approach is that you don’t have to worry about competition. If you plan to go somewhere very popular, like a Disney theme park during its busy season, accommodations and attractions can sell out fast. This can result in you having to stay further away or missing out on different attractions entirely, completely changing your trip. This problem is largely resolved by booking so far in advance.
As well as making January a priority, another smart way to approach your travel planning is deciding on the specific day of the week that you travel. Even something small like choosing to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday can lead to lower prices than flying on the weekend. Airlines often adjust their prices throughout the week based on demand and competition, and you’re more likely to encounter reduced fares during these mid-week days.
In addition, an underrated benefit of planning so far ahead is that you now have something to actively look forward to. Your kids might have a lot of fun ticking off each day on the calendar and counting the days until the trip, and this can even help with budgeting. You can simply divide your total budget by the weeks until the holiday, and then you just need to put that amount aside each week. That’s much easier to accomplish than trying to come up with all the money you need at the last minute.
January stands out as the clear best month for travel planning. It’s when things the best deals can be found, and once you get the planning out of the way, the hard part is done. While everybody else’s mind is elsewhere and travel is the last thing they’re thinking about, take advantage of the lower demand and secure yourself a great deal for your annual holiday.
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