1. Overview of Summer Travel Pricing
2. Introduction of the Best Time to Travel Tool
3. Using the Tool for Optimal Travel Planning
The official start of summer is just a few weeks away, which means summer vacations aren’t far behind. If you’re planning your seasonal getaway, you may have noticed that prices for everything feel sky-high—and they truly are. According to Kayak, flight prices are 35 percent higher than last year, making a vacation seem out of reach. However, there is good news as the platform has introduced a new solution: the Best Time to Travel tool.
Kayak has released its new tool, which can assist travelers in finding the best times to fly throughout the year, as well as when to secure the best prices. Here’s how it works.
Best Time to Travel Tool Overview
The Best Time to Travel tool utilizes predictive data that analyzes billions of travel queries. This data forecasts future flight and hotel prices, allowing travelers to easily compare pricing against weather and seasonality information. Consequently, users can determine the best time to travel for their next trip.
According to Matt Clarke, VP of North America Marketing at Kayak, by incorporating data points such as projected crowds and weather forecasts into the trip-planning process, travelers can make more informed decisions about their destinations and travel timings, predicting associated costs. He noted, “With the launch of Kayak’s Best Time to Travel tool, you are no longer left guessing. We provide travelers with the information they need to make decisive actions and simplify the planning process.”
Utilizing the Tool for Your Trips
To utilize the tool, travelers simply need to enter their home airport and intended destination, choosing from one of three trip lengths—four, seven, or 14 days, which are the most common lengths of trips booked on Kayak. The tool will then generate data on the optimal month for travel.
For example, selecting a trip from Boston Logan Airport to Los Angeles International for seven days, the tool recommended traveling in October. The recommendation included insight such as, “Airfare is lower than usual, weather will still be pleasant (expect daily temperatures around 68°F), and crowds are minimal.”
The tool also provided a breakdown of the best months for flight prices – in this case, it suggested booking in September when the average flight price starts at $257, along with average hotel rates. For Los Angeles, the advice was, “Stays usually average around $255 per night but can drop as low as $164.”
If you seek more specific results, the tool allows for further narrowing down. By selecting a month, it provides a specific date for the best price. Continuing with the October trip to Los Angeles, the tool suggested, “Travel from Saturday, Oct. 28 to Friday, Nov. 3 for the cheapest seven-day trip during October.”
Should you follow this recommendation, flight prices could be as low as $261, especially when compared to a monthly average of $311.
Moreover, the tool will inform you exactly when to book your trip. In this scenario, it advised to book right away, as flight prices are expected to rise from that point on. Therefore, now might be the perfect time to plan your getaway. Who’s ready to travel?
