Let's be honest: traveling is expensive. According to a Bankrate 2023 Study, the average cost of a week's vacation in the United States for one person is $1,984. That same vacation for two goes up to $3,969. However, traveling is also a profitable investment in ourselves, with study after study showing that traveling can improve our overall health. And luckily, there are ways to get out and see the world without spending too much.
Here are the cheapest months to travel to these popular destinations
End of 2023, Bounce, a luggage storage company, has revealed the results of its study on the cheapest times to visit some of the world's most popular travel destinations. To find exact dates, Bounce started with a starting list of 70 popular events touristic destination. He then used Kayak to find the average daily cost of a hotel by month of the year and day of the week (correct as of November 16, 2023). Then, it used this data to calculate the difference in average price between a night's stay in a 3-star hotel during the cheapest and most expensive months of the year.
After studying the data, Bounce found that there are “clear seasonal trends when it comes to travel costs,” noting that “January is the cheapest month in 15 different cities.” This includes popular locations like London, Amsterdam and Berlin.
According to Bounce, off-season travel in February follows closely, as it's the cheapest time to travel to 12 different cities, including New York, Paris and Milan.
Then there are notoriously expensive destinations like the Maldives. Travelers who choose to visit Malé, the archipelago capital, can save up to 85% if they visit from January to August.
As for the cheapest days to travel, Bounce found a bit of a surprise. He noted that “contrary to popular belief, data shows that Saturday is the cheapest day to stay in 17 cities,” including visiting places like Las Vegas, Dublin and Milan. “This could be due to a variety of factors, including a drop in demand for weekend business travel. It was also the most common cheapest day when we analyzed 2022.”
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Book your stay at Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World via agoda.com
Sunday, Friday and Monday are all tied for the second cheapest days to travel to 10 different cities, including major destinations like Prague, Barcelona, Rome, Singapore and Miami.
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Book your stay at JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach via agoda.com
Book your stay at the JW Marriott Marquis via Booking.com
Book your stay at the Radisson Collection Hotel, Roma Antica via Booking.com
On the other hand, Bounce found that winter and fall travel tends to have the highest prices for many destinations, including Asian cities like Chaing Mai and Phuket in 2017. Thailand, which experience the highest rates in December. Places like Athens, Lisbon and Barcelona hit their all-time high prices in September.
Sometimes, however, you can't choose what time of year you want to go on vacation. And that's okay because there are still ways to save. Discover the best budget travel tips Travel + Leisure professionally compiled to help you save a few dollars on your next getaway.
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(Featured image credit: Melanie Maya/Getty Images)
This story first appeared on travelandleisure.com
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Written by
Stacey Leasca
