The holidays are all about spending time with your closest friends and family. But when those loved ones don’t live nearby, you may have to fly to visit them. Or maybe you’re the kind of person who ditches tradition altogether and celebrates the holidays in a far-flung destination.
Regardless, the holidays are not only the most wonderful time of the year, but also the busiest time for travel.
Every year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving tends to be the busiest travel day at U.S. airports. On December 1, 2024, the Transportation Security Administration screened a record 3.08 million passengers, and average daily passenger volume has exceeded 3 million multiple times during this summer travel season – indicating that the 2025 holiday season will be busier than in previous years.
Related: 10 Ways to Get Through Airport Security Faster
“Flying during peak holidays like Thanksgiving and New Year’s not only means ticket prices are higher than at other times of the year, but airports are busier,” Going spokesperson Katy Nastro told TPG. “Especially on Thanksgiving, it’s almost certain that we’ll not only see this Busiest day on record, but likely consecutive days with more than 3 million people passing through TSA. “
With so much airport traffic and high prices, it’s crucial that you know when to book your holiday flights to get the best deals.
Here’s what you need to know to save on your 2025 vacation.
Find the cheapest holiday flights
Book early
Your best bet for finding affordable holiday flights is to book as early as possible.
Related: The best time to book the cheapest flights
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For domestic flights this holiday season, we recommend booking one to two months in advance. We typically see the best prices for Thanksgiving travel in late September or early October. For international flights, you need to book in advance, usually three to five months before travel.
Set price alerts
Or, you can book now and track your flight using Google Flights; that way, if prices drop, you can rebook. Several major airlines will allow you to reprice your ticket and issue you points for the difference when the fare drops.
“By making sure you’re buying a regular economy ticket rather than a basic economy ticket, once you’re alerted that the price has dropped, you can rebook that flight at a lower cost and earn points toward the difference for future use,” Nastro said. “Airlines don’t like this aspect, but it’s totally doable; you just need to make sure you’re not booking a non-changeable base fare.”
If you don’t want to manually track price changes, there are also tools that can help you get a flight refund when prices drop.
days to avoid
If you have enough flexibility, you should avoid certain days entirely if you want to keep costs down and avoid crowds.
“Not only should you avoid the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but the pre-holiday rush may be unavoidable as well,” Nastro said. “Not only will holiday travel itself save you money, it will also take your mind off the ‘travel stress’ of one of the busiest times of the year, which we think you’ll be grateful for!”
According to Expedia holiday travel data, the busiest and most expensive flights around Thanksgiving are Wednesday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 28, the days before and after the holiday.
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For Christmas travel, you should avoid Saturday, December 20, and Friday, December 26, if possible.
The Cheapest Places to Travel for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving flights
If you’re planning to spend Türkiye Day outside the United States, you’ll be happy to know that this is the best week of the year for international travel, according to Going . That’s because most travelers take domestic flights to visit family rather than international flights, making international travel deals more common.
Your prices may vary depending on your route and travel dates, but Going has found some great deals on flights to popular international destinations this Thanksgiving week. Here are some of the best starting prices for domestic and international round-trip flights:
If you’d like to receive offers like this straight to your inbox, sign up with Going to get up to 90% off select flights with its premium membership, which allows users to try it for free for 14 days, then pay $49 per year. You can also upgrade to elite status for $199 per year to get all the premium benefits, plus premium economy, business and first class alerts. You can also sign up for a free trial through this link.
- Miami to Minneapolis Nonstop round-trip flights on Delta from Thanksgiving through the weekend for just $199
- Chicago to San Diego $165 round-trip flight on United over Thanksgiving
- Boston to Dublin Round-trip flights on Delta over Thanksgiving are just $384 (Going has similar deals to multiple destinations in Western Europe for $400)
- Charlotte to Helsinki $524 round trip on American Airlines for Thanksgiving…just in time for Christmas festivities starting on the 28th
Once you’ve chosen your destination, head to Google Flights and compare prices to find the cheapest departure and return dates.
Cheapest places to travel for Christmas
Due to the wider celebration of Christmas, these Thanksgiving travel rules unfortunately do not apply. Transcontinental flight prices can skyrocket during the winter holidays, but sites like Going can help you find deals that are more than 40% off regular prices.
If you follow the experts’ advice and fly on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and return home on New Year’s Eve, here are some of the best starting prices we’ve found for international and domestic flights based on current data from Going:
- New York to Bahamas Fly JetBlue round-trip on Christmas and New Year’s Eve for just $388 (similar deals are available to other Caribbean destinations such as Grand Cayman, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos)
- Washington DC to Los Angeles Southwest Airlines $264 round trip
- Seattle to Austin Southwest Airlines $247 round trip ($292 nonstop to Alaska)
bottom line
When it comes to holiday travel, the key word is flexibility.
“Flexibility is probably one of the biggest factors that helps you travel more affordably during peak seasons like the winter holidays. You’re more likely to find something if you just want to get away, rather than settling on a destination and paying just because that’s where you want to be,” Nastro said.
This also applies to dating. For example, since New Year’s Eve falls in the middle of the week this year, you might be better off taking next week off (if possible), leaving on December 31st and extending your trip into the New Year. “You’ll find that if you come back around January 5 or 6, the average ticket price almost anywhere will be much cheaper than the previous weekend,” she added.
Even if you don’t have the flexibility to choose your destination, you can still save money on airfare by tailoring your departure and return dates to avoid the busiest travel dates.
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