We're exactly five weeks away from Thanksgiving. That means if you're planning to visit those family members you only see once a year over dishes you only eat once a year or use the days off to do some solo travel to spots you've long been meaning to visit, you might want to start thinking about purchasing your plane tickets. Hopper, an app that analyzes plane ticket prices and alerts travelers when they should buy, recently released its annual Holiday Travel Index, and it tells us that now is a crucial time if you're trying to escape astronomical airfare ahead of Thanksgiving.
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Thanksgiving airfare has been lowest historically during late September, according to Hopper, however, if you let that month come and go without even thinking about your plans for the holiday, don't worry. Ticket prices stay about the same throughout most of October, so if you want to save, aim to book your Thanksgiving travel by Halloween. Prices will begin to increase once November officially begins. What kind of prices increases are we talking about? Hopper reports, "Between 15 - 25 days prior to departure, expect moderate increases of $2 per day. In the final two weeks, prices will start spiking by $6 per day."
Booking before November is definitely a good idea, but it's not the only thing you can do to save money on Thanksgiving travel. The app recommends departing on Thursday, November 22 and coming home on Wednesday, November 28 for the cheapest possible flights. Unfortunately, traveling on Thanksgiving day might not be ideal for you if you're trying to have some turkey and dressing with your family. In that case, departing on Monday, November 19 will help you save without having to fly on the actual holiday.
If you can't really change up your travel days, you'll still be able to save money by booking right now or anytime before the end of Halloween night. Buy the plane tickets while wearing your Donna and the Dynamos costume if you must.