I've always been an intense planner. I like to lay out the major travel info- flights, maps, lodging, etc- before we leave, so that we are free to do whatever the hell we feel like when we arrive. No need to spend time planning when we're on vacation. I do this with domestic flights, road trips...no vacation is too small to plan the logistical details. Three years ago, when we had the opportunity to go to Europe for 7 weeks, I turned into a planning freak!( I seriously could have planned 18 other vacations with the amount of info I dug up.) Four people, four countries, tight budget.
I figured out a rough estimate of our budget and kept a spreadsheet of where we were and how much went to what.
That was probably the first time that I read hundreds of blogs and articles about the best time to buy airfare. At the time, almost every site suggested that we book the flights three months in advance. Because we were going to so many different places, we considered a multi-city flight. That way, we could fly into Ireland, but fly out of London. In some cases, the fares can be fantastic for those arrangements...but it was not going that way for us. It was far more affordable to fly roundtrip from Ireland- which was fine because we were using different travel methods once we were on the other side of the ocean, but it also meant one more flight back to Ireland from London. Flights were crazy expensive no matter what, so we erred on the side of caution and booked them 3-4 months out. That amounted to $1365 ea. for the international flights. We flew Delta and upgraded to Comfort+ (which really doesn't matter at all if there is a small crying baby behind you on the flight- save your dough).
Once that was decided on, I started making the other flight and train plans, which was ridiculously easy. Honestly, why can't I fly around the US with the ease that I flew all over Europe? Cheap flights, direct routes...heaven, I tell ya. I could also give a full review on Aer Lingus, Vueling, EasyJet, and RyanAir...but that's getting way off topic. The only thing to know there is this: if you're planning flights through any of those, book either really early or really late. On the late end you risk no flight availability, but if the flights aren't full, all of those airlines offer last minute getaway deals.
Which brings me to the point of this blog: When to book travel. In short- whenever you damn well feel like it. Honestly, if it feels like a bad deal and you want to wait, then do it. Again, you risk the flights selling out, but you may get a better price.
So- here we are, preparing to go back overseas. We knew this trip was on the horizon. We've wanted to go back since the day we left, but couldn't seem to make it work....but it might at any given time! This leaves me in perpetual travel planning mode. I check Kayak and Google Flights nearly as often as I check my email or Facebook. Last November, I found gold. British Airways had just announced that they would offer nonstop flights from New Orleans to London, beginning in March. The flights for the days we were considering, were just over $800 each (did I mention that's nonstop?!). But it was so far out, that we felt like anything could have happened between then and summer and we didn't want to be locked into $3200 of airfare and have to lose it or force the trip. So, we (insert my level-headed husband after dealing with my whining) decided that it wasn't the right call. We let it go....and from then on, I watched those prices climb way out of our reach and, as summer drew closer, it started to look like we wouldn't go...again.
So, it's summer. The kids are out of school. Our oldest is preparing to go to college in the fall. I break my toe. Days are slipping by. It didn't look like it would happen this year either. The flights had all been about $1400, with nonstop as high as $1700, and we were resigned to the unlikelihood that the trip would work out.
Way back when we started playing with the idea of going this summer, I got on Hilton.com and booked a room in Kensington that had a great points + cash option. So, all the while we've been thinking about going to London, we've had this room just sitting there waiting for us...just in case. A couple weeks ago I looked on Kayak and the flights had gone down to $900. I flipped. This was the best deal I'd seen in many months and, if we were going to go at all, this was our shot. Insert level-headed husband again...we weren't exactly prepared to pull the trigger on $3600 in flights and he was busy with work and, basically, by the time I talked him around it a few times, the prices had gone back up. It all happened in one night.
The next week, we're sitting in the living room at 9pm on a Friday night and I glance (now, at this point, I was a little over it. I really didn't think we'd go and was prepared to cancel the hotel pretty soon). 9pm. Friday night. 31 days before the flight. None of the articles or blogs prepared me for this. The flights were $700 for our exact dates. Cringing, I look at my husband, who responds with "DO IT". So, we did. For a friggin fraction of what it cost us last time, we're going back to London. Insert happy dance....and immediate anxiety....but happy, nonetheless.
Another friend has been looking for flights since that night to join us for a soccer match and they're hovering around $1280. They went as low as $890, but he's holding out for a $700 fare that may never happen again. And I get it. But the point is, if anything has been learned over the years of booking our own flights and staying on top of cost trends, it's that you just never know. Maybe the stars align a little differently. Maybe someone in the fares department drooled on the board. But, whatever it is, the price drops do happen, and they have absolutely no obvious rhyme or rhythm. The only reliable advice that I read and would happily pass along is to look often and be as flexible as possible.
Happy hunting!
