Gone are the days of fixed holiday prices. Today, tour operators and airlines can adjust their prices regularly, changing costs as demand goes up and down.
We discuss the cheapest time to book a holiday, from booking times to locations, and the best time to buy travel insurance.
When is the cheapest time to book a flight?
According to Skyscanner, Tuesday is the best day to book flights because airlines tend to release their flights on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
But this isn’t always the case. Sales and demand also affect the price of flights throughout the year.
When is the cheapest time to book a hotel?
According to Kayak’s research, Sunday is the best day to book a UK-based hotel, while Tuesday is the cheapest day to book an international hotel.
Kayak also found that the best month to book either a UK-based or international hotel is January.
You can often find cheaper hotel prices if you book last-minute, but this is tough when you want to properly plan your holiday in advance.
Is it cheaper to go away for Christmas?
In 2024, VisitBritain found that 8.8 million Brits planned an overnight holiday trip in the UK during the Christmas and New Year period.
This is up from 5.8 million Brits that planned an overnight trip in the 2023 festive season, so it’s an increasingly common habit to take a little staycation in December.
In the UK, hotel costs can increase in December because of the festive period, usually because of high demand (especially in larger cities like London).
But this isn’t the case everywhere. According to Expedia, December is one of the cheapest times to travel to Europe.
Where’s the cheapest place to go on holiday?
According to Weather2Travel, the cheapest countries to visit in Europe include North Macedonia, Moldova, Poland and the Czech Republic.
If you want a sunnier European holiday, some cheaper locations include the Algarve and Azores in Portugal, and Izmir and Bodrum in Turkey.
Package holidays can also be cheaper overall, as well as all-inclusive deals.
When is the cheapest time to book car rentals and transfers?
Booking three to six months ahead of time for a car rental is best. There isn’t much advantage to booking further in advance in terms of price.
For transfers, the booking time doesn’t matter. You’ll get better value by comparing options and taking public transport.
When’s the best time to buy travel insurance?
You should consider buying travel insurance as early as possible after you’ve booked your trip.
The cost of travel insurance depends on things like when and where you’re going, the level of cover you buy and what you’ll be doing abroad (e.g. going on a cruise, skiing, etc.).
Single trip travel insurance
This covers you for things like emergency medical expenses, cancellations and your personal belongings being lost or stolen.
A key benefit of single-trip insurance is holiday cancellation cover. This offers between £1,500 and £5,000 of protection if you have to cancel your trip or need to return home early for reasons we cover.
The extent of cancellation cover depends on your level of cover on your Single Trip policy (i.e. if you choose Admiral, Gold or Platinum).
You can learn more about this kind of cover and its limits and exclusions on our Single Trip travel insurance page.
Annual or multi-trip travel insurance
Annual travel insurance, also known as multi-trip insurance, is ideal if you’re a frequent flyer. It takes away the hassle of arranging cover for every trip you go on.
It’s typically the cost-effective option if you travel more than once a year. It includes everything you need, including medical emergency cover, cancellation cover, legal protection and personal belongings cover.
The best time to buy annual travel insurance is when you’ve booked your trips away. Make sure you choose your policy to start on the day that you purchase your insurance if you want to be covered for trip cancellation immediately.
You can learn more about this kind of cover and its limits and exclusions on our Multi Trip travel insurance page.
Other insurance options
If you need specific cover, we also offer the following additional extras that you can add to your main travel policy:
- Cruise insurance extends the standard cover in your main travel policy to cruise trips and covers issues like cabin confinement and interruptions.
- Winter sports insurance extends the standard cover in your main travel policy to winter sports trips and covers activities like skiing or snowboarding.
- Gadget insurance covers gadgets that you take abroad, like your smartphone or cameras.
As with main policy benefits, limits and exclusions also apply to the additional extras above.
It’s important to remember that you’ll need to add these specific kinds of cover to your policy to be covered for a trip that involves any of them (e.g. cruise cover if you’re going on a cruise, gadget insurance if you want your gadgets covered on your trip, etc.).
Can you buy travel insurance too late?
Yes. We can only insure you before you’ve gone through customs on your journey.
But don’t get put off buying travel insurance late; there are insurers who offer cover for trips that have already started.
Check out our guide on last-minute travel insurance.
